Women on center stage
Next week, “Anthropology,” a play by Laura Gunderson, will open at the Doreen Black Box in Arete Theater in Ateneo, and I’m extremely excited about this. Directed by Caisa Borromeo and starring Jenny Jamora, Maronne Cruz, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, and Jackie Lou Blanco, the cast and creative team are already reasons for watching.
Still, I’ve seen a staged reading of Gunderson’s “The Revolutionists” and was absolutely blown away. Much like “Anthropology,” “The Revolutionists” boasts an all-female cast and manages to infuse humor with insightful discussions about women’s issues.
Knowing that “Anthropology” will tackle artificial intelligence (AI) and grief, but from a woman’s perspective, is a total treat for me—and it’s just perfect for Women’s Month.
I was able to request a chance to interview the director and the actors before a rehearsal, and the moment I stepped out of the elevator at the Mirror Studios, I was greeted by the lively discussions going on inside the rehearsal room.
“It felt like a Barefoot show”
The energy was high, and the warmth was immediate. The five women—Borromeo, Jamora, Cruz, Bradshaw-Volante, and Blanco—gave a warm greeting before we sat down to talk about the play, but I had to ask about the more important questions about doing a project that’s women-centered.
This production began when Gab Pangilinan of The Barefoot Collective and Caisa were talking about putting up a play for Women’s Month. “We were going through a couple of scripts, and it wasn’t sitting with me yet,” shares Borromeo. “Lauren [Gunderson] and I were in touch because I had done some of her shows. We stay in touch every now and then, and I asked her if she had scripts that we might be interested in. I was asking her about another script that she had done, but she said it wasn’t available yet.”
Instead, Gunderson offered “Anthropology” to her. “She said read it and see if you think it will fit in the Philippines,” Borromeo says. And the moment she and Pangilinan read the script, they knew it was the one.
“We connected right away with the story,” she explains. “We felt that it was so timely today with AI and all that. Instinct-wise, it felt right. And for a Barefoot show. It felt like a Barefoot show.”
Women supporting women
For Blanco, joining the production was a chance to do something different. She said that Pangilinan saw her in her play “The Foxtrot,” and when they spoke, they both said they wanted to work together. And when Pangilinan asked her to read the script for “Anthropology,” Blanco says: “She didn’t tell me anything about it. All she told me was it’s about four women. I said ‘Oh, how nice. Para maiba naman.’ Something different. Something I felt I wasn’t ready for and that challenged me.”
Blanco also mentioned that it was a Western play and that she had never done a Western play before. So it was all new and exciting for her.
Jamora, on the other hand, has been in an all-woman production. She played Marie Antoinette in the staged reading of Gunderson’s “The Revolutionist,” directed by Jill Pena. So I had to ask her what it was like to have been a part of a production that was primarily female-led. Jamora talked about how much easier it is, how much faster rehearsals go in an all-women production.
Chiming in, Cruz and Bradshaw-Volante talk about how much easier it is to get to a place that is vulnerable because they feel safe and supported. Cruz talks about how there’s less ego and that it feels more efficient when the female energy kicks in. Meanwhile, Bradshaw-Volante laughs, recalling how, in the middle of rehearsals, she entered the washroom and she immediately saw a pack of tampons and realized their menstrual cycles had synced.
Cruz even mentions before their press event that Jamora arrived without makeup, and she was instantly surrounded by her castmates who helped her prepare, while someone else assisted Blanco with her hair.
Women as directors
That energy was prevalent throughout the interview, and it made me think about how many plays were led by women directors.
I immediately bring up Zeneida Amador and Baby Barredo as the only prominent female directors that I was aware of from the old guard, and how Borromeo and Jamora feel like a new generation of female directors who are coming into prominence.
But I was quickly reminded of theater luminaries like Maribel Legarda and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, the latter of whom I’m of course familiar with her work as an actress, but forgot that she has also directed.
Cruz assumes that women directors don’t necessarily advertise themselves and prefer to keep things low-key, which is why I probably had a hard time coming up with names. But Borromeo has talked about seeing Jamora and Lauchengco-Yulo direct and thought that she would like to do that as well. She even opened up about actively learning how to direct from other women, having worked as an assistant director, and finding the courage to take on the mantle.
The group are quick to point out that there are more women directors coming into the spotlight and mention Sarah Facuri, “Anthropology’s” production designer, who will be directing the play “Emilia” by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm this coming April—and Jilian Ita-as, whose work they don’t want to announce, as the official announcement by the production has yet to be made.
A quiet strength that doesn’t shout
The bubbly, excited energy in the room was contagious, but it would be a mistake to call it “soft” as I originally had planned. These particular women are so strong, so experienced in the world of theater and performance, so articulate.
There’s weight there, but it doesn’t take up space. It envelops but doesn’t consume. It would be interesting to see how this is harnessed into a play that finds the intersection of grief and technology. I don’t really know much about the play yet, to be honest, and I prefer to be surprised when I come to watch.
But knowing these five women are putting this together—six if I count Gunderson, and I would because she’s an amazing playwright—is enough reason for me to be there.
