Dulaang UP twin bill tackles climate change

A scene from "Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan” —PHOTOS BY MARC STANLEY MOZO/DULAANG UP

“Mga Anak ng Unos” is a twinbill from Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (Dulaang UP) that seeks to explore pressing issues in the climate crisis, and is also a study in contrast. One play brings together fearful creatures from north to south, while the second is set in the present, with the world in turmoil due to environmental degradation.

The first play has a long title, “Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan,” written by Palanca Hall of Famer Joshua Lim So and directed by José Estrella. The mythological creatures portrayed come from Manobo-Bukidnon, Tausog-Samal, Hiligaynon (Iloilo-Negros Occidental), and Tagalog lore, capped by the popular nuno sa punso. Be careful if you pee near the tree where its mound is located without seeking respectful permission (“pagpaumanhin po”) or you might suffer bad luck, as folk belief goes.

And so these beings, the dadanhayan ha sugay, abunnawas, danag, sigbin, idyanale, and nuno sa punso enter into an alliance with the bathalas (gods), and wage war against the sangkatauhan (the people) whom they accuse of disrupting the ecological balance. Costume head Rayne Comez goes to town here with the colorful costumes.

A soldier in camouflage uniform materializes, starts firing at the creatures and is killed in turn. The implication is that the military are among those abusing the environment and causing climate change. Eventually all sides agree that only with cooperation with one another can the earth be saved.

Scene stealer

No such message of hope may be forthcoming in the second play, “Climate in Crazies,” devised from David Finnigan’s “Scenes from The Climate Era.” It is a long, boisterous play set in the present, with glimpses into the future. It is directed by Issa Manalo Lopez and Tess Jamias, with a powerhouse ensemble composed of Delphine Buencamino, Herbie Go, Bong Cabrera, MJ Briones (“Mother Courage”), and Ethan King.

The start of the play is riveting. You see what seems to be a pile of rubble, which then begins to move. Why, it is a human being that emerges caparisoned in blue-green pieces of cloth which give the impression of being colored cellophane with breasts all over her costume. She must be a kind of frightening Mother Nature fulminating against environmental crisis, and she begins a dance (of death?) which almost steals the show.

You don’t know what to expect from this play, for in the next 90 minutes or so, one madcap scene follows another, seemingly disjointed and yet connected by concern for the environment. We see a litter of plastic products, the ensemble of four eating junk food which leads to ecological waste, climate change which results in unbearable cold weather, storms, and floods, with the parish priest celebrating Mass knee-deep in water.

The pace is fast, with quick costume changes and yet at times the play appears to drag. It’s hard to follow but the four leads hit it off, make it work, taking on various roles in true theater tradition, and performing with tongue-in-cheek brio and aplomb. Buencamino even gets to show off her skill in roller-skating.