Rebellion Onstage



Malapit na, paglikom sa among huwad! Malapit na, pataubin lahat ng humangad! Malapit na, malapit na, malapit na!



On the 10th of September 2008, a rebellion shall commence at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theatre of the University of the Philippines. At a prearranged signal, Dulaang UP shall raise arms against a decadent social order. The upheaval brings to mind the more than 200 uprisings that took place in Philippine history, climaxing in the 1896 revolution that aroused Filipinos to heights of militancy – the reason why Dulaang UP describes this latest conspiracy as a blow against passivity.



Floy Quintos writes and directs Isang Panaginip na El Fili, an unconventional music theater rendition of Jose Rizal’s novel, under Tony Mabesa’s artistic consultancy.



But hewing closely to its source, the musical play zeroes in on the centers of authoritarian power -- church, school, and palace where corruption and oppression are spawned. The songs capture the ethos of the characters whom Rizal had created to portray his passion for a nation’s enlightenment. In Malapit Na!, for instance, Kabesang Tales, Huli, Simoun, and Basilio, as well as the multitude of the tulisanes all come alive to indict their tormentors and articulate their aspirations for self and community.



Inspired by Rizal’s dreams, Isang Panaginip na El Fili is a play within a play that weaves through the conscious and the subconscious, hoping to make us rethink our roles in world that has become very distant from the ideals of a hero’s romantic imagination.



In the cast are Franco Laurel, Joel Molina, Eric dela Cruz, Onyl Torres, Greg de Leon, Astarte Abraham, Stella Cañete, Emlyn Santos, Ces Quesada, Carlo Cannu, Meynard Peñalosa, Jacques Borlaza, Sir Anril Tiatco, Mary Jane Alejo, Marili Fernandez-Ilagan, Peter Serrano, Arkel Mendoza, JM de Guzman, Jay del Rosario, JC Santos, Shaddai Solidum, Delfine Buencamino, Mica Pineda, and the Dulaang UP ensemble. Music composition by C.J. Javier, arrangement by Jason Quitane, choral direction by Cholo Gino, choreography by Van Manalo, dramaturgy by Marili Fernandez-Ilagan, set by Tuxqs Rutaquio, lights by Luther Gumia, sound by Brian Arda, graphics by Paolo Santillan, and video by Winter David. Photos are by Jojit Lorenzo.



Performances are on September 10 to 28 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theatre, 2nd Floor Palma Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.





For details and other inquiries, call production manager Hazel Gutierrez or stage manager Angela Trinidad at Dulaang UP Office thru9261349, 4337840, 9818500 loc 2449, 0922-8206224 or 0917-6206224. Visit http://www.upd.edu.ph/~du.