Carlitos’ ‘liberating’ theater debut

MANILA, Philippines - Last October, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna was at the helm of Tanghalang Pilipino’s production Isang Pangarap sa Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw, successfully staged at the CCP’s Tanghalang Huseng Batute. The play is Rolando Tinio’s brilliant translation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tanghalang Pilipino’s artistic director Fernando “Nanding” Josef approached Carlitos over a year ago and offered him the opportunity to direct Isang Pangarap sa Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw. The latter described the experience as a “nerve-wracking challenge” he ultimately couldn’t resist.

“I’d not done a straight play before, especially a Shakespeare or a Tinio,” Carlitos shares. “From the few works of Shakespeare that I had read, I thought I could connect more readily with ‘political’ stories such as Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Richard II or Coriolanus, each of which I thought was more tightly organized than A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As it turned out, the experience was its own reward. I learned more from directing the material than from having read it countless times.”

In Isang Pangarap sa Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw, Carlitos got to direct his son, Rafa, again after Hari ng Tondo. The director notes, “I saw Rafa’s process up close, developing and finding opportunities to connect with his fellow players every moment of stage time, and adding details to his Flute/Thisbe. It was all a gratifying experience spending time with him at work, and in the daily EDSA traffic that took half as much time as every day’s rehearsals.”

Working with the talented group of actors in Isang Pangarap sa Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw, Carlitos had nothing but praise and admiration for their professionalism and dedication.

“What I really loved about the cast, whether they be the members of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company who started more recently (Lhorvie Nuevo, Antonette Go, JV Ibesate, Aldo Vencilao, Eunice Pacia, Monique Nellas, Blanche Buhia, Joshua Tayco, Ybes Bagadiong) or the veterans among them (Jonathan Tadioan, Marco Viaña, Doray Dayao) or the guest artists (Audie Gemora, Liesl Batucan, Jackie Lou Blanco, Teroy Guzman, Skyzx Labastilla, Randy Villarama, Richard Cunanan, Kristofer Kliatchko, Paw Castillo, Rafa Siguion-Reyna), is that they all acted as a true ensemble, generously sharing insights during script analysis, and supporting each other while exploring acting choices in characterization, behavior and blocking. Walang laglagan, no attitudes, no diva turns, no selfish ‘playtime’ acts in rehearsals or performances.

“Regardless of age, everyone in the cast had tremendous energy and I had a blast working with all of them… They also were very responsive to direction, listened to each other and the dramatic situations around them, knew each other’s lines, worked hard and creatively during rehearsals and performances, and acted as a tight-knit ensemble very much in the moment and supportive of each other every step of the way.”

Asked to differentiate directing a film project and a theater production, Carlitos reasons out, “The four-week rehearsal period was the most obvious luxury. You just don’t have that time for rehearsals on a film shoot, since you can’t easily get actors to commit to it. Another difference is that, in general, whereas film demands more naturalism or ‘realism’ as a style (a tree has to look ‘real’ on a film set), theater usually encourages suggestive metaphors from the production, and leans more heavily on an audience’s imagination.

“I found this liberating on this project and got away with more than I could on film (and all at a lower budget). With a branch, a leaf, the actor’s conviction and the audience’s complicit imagination, Audie Gemora as the Fairy King Oberon would crisply transform himself into a tree, a fallen log, a statue of David, a cherub, and back to a fairy, with an audience only too delighted and willing to believe the truth beneath the make-believe.”

Even before Isang Pangarap sa Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw ended, there are already talks about a re-run. But that will happen, according to Carlitos, start or middle of next year, following Tanghalang Pilipino’s next two presentations.

“Even during the successful run, there were already serious inquiries for a re-run from several schools whose students, faculty and friends had seen the show. So it looks like it will happen,” Carlitos says.

He has upcoming projects that will keep him pre-occupied next year. “There’s a film in the works,” Carlitos discloses. “Tata Nanding and I have also been talking about another Shakespeare theater project or a Filipino musical for the near future.”