In 2024, I was fortunate to visit two museum complexes in Germany. First, I had a chance to walk through some of the museums in The Museumsufer (Museum Embankment) in Frankfurt, a cultural complex on both banks of the River Main, featuring 39 museums. Centered around the Schaumainkai in Sachsenhausen and the Altstadt, it offers a dense concentration of…
Category: Creative Work
Museum Complex, Cultural Memory, and Community Narratives (Part 2 of 3)
Like the museum complex at Ueno in Japan, the Museum Mile is proud to be home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Guggenheim Museum, part of “The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.” This building is a masterpiece in itself – a functional “sculpture,” to put it bluntly. It opened to the public on October…
Dramaturgical Notes: Pumpon ng mga Gunita/Bouquet of Reminiscences
Pumpon ng mga Gunita: A Reminiscence Theatre and a Documentary Theatre Staged at various locations in Wilhelmsfeld on 27 October 2024, Pumpon ng mga Gunita / Bouquet of Reminiscences is a performance of memory, retracing Jose Rizal’s reminiscences of, in, and with Germany. We think of the Pumpon ng mga Gunita as an experiential-learning performance about Jose Rizal’s…
Dulaang UP’s Kung Paano Nano sa Karera si Rosang Taba: Dramaturgical Notes
ʙᴀᴛᴀʏ ꜱᴀ ᴍᴀɪᴋʟɪɴɢ ᴋᴡᴇɴᴛᴏɴɢ “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘢 𝘞𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘦”ni Dean Francis Alfar ᴀᴅᴀᴘᴛᴀꜱʏᴏɴ ɴɪɴᴀ Rody Vera at Maynard Manansala ᴅɪʀᴇᴋꜱʏᴏɴ ɴɪɴᴀ José Estrella, Issa Manalo Lopez, at Mark Daniel Dalacat ɪᴛɪɴᴀᴛᴀᴍᴘᴏᴋ ꜱɪɴᴀ Kiki Baento, Peewee O’Hara, Meann Espinosa, Victor Sy, Jojo Cayabyab, Aldo Vencilao, Garnet Acala, Dyas Adarlo, Danzar Dellomas, Moi Gealogo, Lia Lilagan,…
Dramaturg Does What? Dramaturgical Process is/as my Teaching Philosophy
When people learn that I am a theatre person, I tell them I practice dramaturgy. The conversation continues with: “Drama, what? What is that?” One of the most difficult tasks a dramaturg can perform is defining dramaturgy itself. Theatre people will never agree on a single definition, but the pieces of literature agree that the…
National Theatre Academy: A Concept and a Proposal
* Presented on 22 August 2020 via a webinar/conference TAMPOK 2020: SABADULAAN organized by the National Commission on Dramatic Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Maraming salamat, Mr. Eric Divinagracia for that generous introduction. Maraming salamat rin sa NCCA, lalo na kina Lutgardo Labad, Filemon Blanco at Dessa Quesada Palm for…
The Intramuros Project
On 8 June 2019, I reported about the OVCRD-funded project titled Performing Heritage/The Intramuros Project. The project officially ended on 15 June 2020. The entry below is an excerpt from the final report submitted to OVCRD and a short excerpt of the documentary-drama developed by the research/dramaturgical team. Excerpt from the FINAL REPORT: Performing Heritage…
The Map
For Alonzo A. Gabriel. . . Thank you for leading my life toward a beautiful direction! You will forever be missed but I am certain, I will never be lost again! Thank you for being my home for almost 15 years! THE MAP Streets and cities,Confusing districts;With your face,Illuminating . . .Like bright lightsIs a…
Almost 15, Happy Anniversary! (Part 3)
This is a semi-fiction and a semi-autobiographical narrative. The past few months have been very difficult for all of us due to the global health crisis brought about by COVID-19. But these months were even more difficult for me. I lost the love of my life, Alonzo. He was battling cancer (lymphoma) for almost six…
Almost 15, Happy Anniversary (Part 2)
This is a semi-fiction and a semi-autobiographical narrative. The past few months have been very difficult for all of us due to the global health crisis brought about by COVID-19. But these months were even more difficult for me. I lost the love of my life, Alonzo. He was battling cancer (lymphoma) for almost six…
Tanghal Kultura 