Joy Virata fights retirement blues

Many years in the past, before we had learned to appreciate music and the arts, we recall a friend dragging us to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to watch a play, the title of which we had long forgotten. All we could remember were the names Bibot and Baby. As we sat in the gallery transfixed by the figures and the music in front of us, little did we know that our education in the arts had begun.

Fast forward two years later, and we found ourselves a regular follower of productions whipped up by Repertory Philippines under the aegis of founder Zenaida “Bibot” Amador and co-founder Baby Barredo with Joy Virata in charge of marketing. This professional theater organization has performed the best of Western theater over the past 40 years, and our favorite remains to be Mulan, which tells of the exploits of a Chinese warrior named Mulan. When her homeland and family are threatened by an invasion of blood-thirsty Huns, the female warrior runs off to join the army taking her father’s place. It is there where she learns that through courage, intelligence and determination she can bring honor to her family. In no time at all, she becomes one of China’s greatest heroes. We hear this play being converted into a television series.

Joy in Care Divas, one of Repertory Philippines’ productions

It is a common but frightening feeling that those entering the senior category are struck by doubts as to whether he or she could face the future without anxiety. Joy is suffering from retirement blues. She has served Repertory Philippines for all of its 41 years in various capacities as actress, playwright and singer but now says, “I have been inactive for almost two years from performing. There are no roles for me. I am too old for the audience and for the plays that have been chosen.” 

We would like to tell her to try out the teleseryes now in vogue where age has nothing to do with performance. We would have suggested she watch the TV special for the Christmas season dubbed The Gift Giver, wherein Eddie Garcia plays the lead in one of his best performances yet.

As to dealing with stress and anxiety, Joy tells us, “It has taken many years. I think am just dealing with it now.” Among other things, she has tried meditation, a course at RADA in London where the relaxation exercises were most helpful, and has been researching on how to keep a positive outlook. She still keeps busy by reading a lot, and still sings. She writes and memorizes plays she would like to do someday. She has also gone back into writing. Her last work was as the author and lyricist of Miong, the hit musical based on the life of Emilio Aguinaldo, and which she humbly calls “my one day wonder.”

Joy was the writer and lyricist of Miong, a musical on the life of Emilio Aguinaldo

Now, she is bent on writing a novel after taking a novel-writing course online. She admits to having started the habit of writing again. It has been difficult and Joy has been trying for the past three years. She wants to write about just what happened in 1898 when Aguinaldo came back after the Declaration of independence. “I think that our history is so fantastic, and that what’s happening in Iran today is exactly what happened here in 1898,” she says.  

She tells of meeting a 55-year-old man who wasn’t even aware that there was such a thing as the Fil-American war. “How much more our young ones?” she muses. This has inspired her to come up with a Romeo and Juliet story against the background of 1898. It will begin with the Declaration of Independence and end with the capture of Aguinaldo. And hopefully, it will attract the younger generation to read.

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