First-timers shine in Shorts and Briefs Theater Festival
Despite the rather risqué title, there was nothing sexy or even naughty about the six short plays with music presented recently at Black Box Theater (Tanghalang Ignacio Jimenez), CCP Complex, by the Shorts and Briefs Theater Festival, organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Eksena PH. It was more of a cavalcade of youthful talents.
There were six new directors, six sets of actors, and six original musicals. Festival director Karl Alexis Jingco declared that the talents were first-timers: first time to direct, first time to act, and first time to compose.
Some 30 songwriters with a combined 80 compositions were asked to submit songs for the festival, and only one song per composer was chosen by six new directors (from a field of 40). The six songs selected were used in the six plays presented, one song per play.
Appropriately, the name of the show was “Shorts and Briefs: The Musical.”
No frills
It was an experiment in intimate theater in the round, no frills, just the talents collaborating and with passion putting up one 15-minute play after another, with music, a minimum of props (including in the first play a rectangular bench with flowers which I mistook for a coffin), which the stagehands quickly removed after each performance while bringing in a new set of props.
All the actors were young, except for one mature woman, an office supervisor. There was comedy, with one-liners which went well with the audience (capacity crowd), a little drama, tension between siblings, tension in the office, and a lot of romantic interludes.
The plays were mostly pas de deux, with one menáge a trois.
In the first play, “Sakto Lang,” directed by Migui Moreno and with music by Karlo Guevarra and Daniel Santos, Dan (Daniel Santos) and Van (Vanessa Dulay), former schoolmates, meet again years later and are able to resume their romance.
In “Ang Kwento ng Bubuyog at Paru-paro,” directed by Aaron Alsol with music by Aaron Vincent Jimenez, we are in the realm of fantasy. Actors Mateo Oladive and Radleigh Navida play a bee and butterfly who are in love. You might say that romance blooms in the forest among the winged animal kingdom.
Dreams of a better life
Ella (Francel Go) and the older Katherine (Pammy Villa) are corporate slaves working overtime in their office (“Tala” with music by Jiezl Virmy Chia, directed by Martin Sarmenta). Ella is distracted, cannot concentrate on her work. We learn she is unhappy, for she dreams of a better life and wants to be an actress. At first displeased because office work is at a standstill, Katherine eventually understands and encourages the younger officemate to follow her dream.
In “Disyembre” (directed by Ray Raña with music by Axl Diego), Enzo (Erhik Gonzaga) suffers from a mild form of dementia and Serine (Maurine De los Reyes) takes him to the UP Lantern Parade, where they first met, so he can recover his memory.
Kay (Kaith Lawrence Espinosa) in “Nakasilip na Bituin” (directed by Hazel Madronero, with music by Gerard de Leon) sets aside her own dreams to support her brother John (Mark Johnson Bognot). But suddenly an opportunity arises for her to follow her own dreams, and she must seize this without neglecting her brother.
Music plays an important part in the final play, “Kasloy,” (music by John Custer with direction by Paulito del Mundo). The actors Presh Capistrano (Rain) and Lev Vergara (River) play the guitar, and there is a guitarist in the background.
Rain and River recall the past, and face the present and future as they struggle to finish the song they are creating, the theme of which is to be careful in life and face the challenges.
Some members of the audience had impaired hearing and there were sign language specialists communicating with them. It was another unique feature of the theater festival, which has added to the popularity of the once discarded one-act play, that has attracted new as well as established playwrights and now, thanks to this festival, songwriters.
