José Rizal’s foundational novel Noli Me Tángere undergoes a profound theatrical transformation in Fiestas y Muertos. Beautifully translated into Filipino by National Artist Virgilio S. Almario, the novel offers a sweeping, layered critique of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines, revealing society’s structural rot through a broad cast of characters. Condensed and reimagined for the…
Tag: Jose Rizal
Fiestas y Muertos, a dramaturgical concept
Fiestas y Muertos serves as the core dramaturgical concept for the reimagination of Dulaang UP’s Noli Me Tángere (Noli). It divides the narrative into two stark visual and emotional realms: the chaotic, enforced joy of public festivities (fiestas) and the silent, haunting truth of systemic decline and death (muertos). This dichotomy reflects the societal ailment…
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…
Carlos Celdran, Padre Damaso and the Catholic Church
This selection was originally published in my book Buhol-Buhol/Entanglement: Contemporary Theatre in Metropolitan Manila (Bern et al: Peter Lang, 2017). The essay is a tribute to the performance artist Carlos Celdran, who passed away on 9 October 2019 and whose provocative and bold performance of Damaso becomes 10 years old this year. Note: cover photo…
Paghahanap kay Miss B (Finding Miss B)
In 2009, I won my first Carlos Palanca Award for Literature (Full Length Play). In 2010, the University of the Philippines Press accepted the play for publication. In 2011, the play was finally published (my first book came out, yehey!). Below is the preface/introduction of Miss Dulce Extranjera o ang Paghahanap kay Miss B (University…
