MANILA, Philippines — The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) will close its theaters and indoor venues starting January 2023 until December 2024 to give way to the long-overdue rehabilitation of its main building.
“We will not keep any stone left unturned. The CCP rehabilitation plan emanates from the building audit done from 2018 to 2019. We initially planned to start reconditioning the Main Building right after the 50th anniversary, but the pandemic happened and we had to make do with what we can, with the budget we have,” shared concurrent CCP president Margie Moran-Floirendo.
The renovation works have already started in Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) this year, as well as the Silangan Hall, the fourth floor, and the former Design Center Building where the offices will transfer in the coming months.
Executive offices and conference rooms will move to the Ramon Magsaysay Center, located in Malate, Manila.
While the renovation proceeds as planned, the programs and projects of the premiere art institution continue. In the next two years, the CCP will mount performances, concerts, and other events inside and outside the CCP Complex, fully utilizing its outdoor venues.
The inauguration of the Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez is a welcome development for the center. The new Black Box Theater has 320 seating capacity with flexible theater expanse, adjustable to the artistic and technical needs of any production. Named after the generous businessman who wants to give back, the experimental theater will be inaugurated on September 8, with performances highlighting its limitless possibilities as well as its inaugural artistic season offerings, including Tanghalang Pilipino’s "Anak Datu" and Repertory Philippines’ "Carousel," among others.
The cultural complex also has several outdoor venues that can be utilized as performance areas, such as the Liwasang Ullalim, which was the venue for the Cinema Under the Stars, the plaza inside the Harbor Square, and the CCP Concert Ground, among others.
Maximizing its strong cultural network, the CCP intends to expand its reach to the regions with its outreach programs and art education projects. The Cultural Exchange Department and the Art Education Department have programs in various parts of the country and will continue to do so in the coming years.
For the fourth quarter of the year, the CCP artistic season goes full blast, starting with the CCP Anniversary Gala. Celebrating the 53rd founding anniversary, the CCP presents "Musikal II" on September 10, featuring excerpts from original Filipino musicals staged from 2015 to 2021.
The Bulwagang Juan Luna (CCP Main Gallery) will have its last exhibit before the venue closes down. On display from September 4 to December 4, 2022, “Imelda Cajipe-Endaya: Pagtutol at Pag-asa” exhibits over 200 artworks and archival materials surveying the artist’s intensive practice in printmaking, painting, collage, and installation from the 1960s to the present. This is the first retrospective exhibit on the life and works of Cajipe-Endaya.
During the time when the CCP galleries are shut down, the CCP art collection will be on traveling exhibitions, starting with a print exhibit at Arthaland Century Pacific Tower on 5th Avenue and 30th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, opening on October 13. Part of the collection will be on loan with the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the National Museum.
This year, CCP Met Opera in HD returns with a screening on September 27 in Greenbelt Cinema. In partnership with Ayala Land, Inc. and Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., this program runs until March 2023, showing classic opera masterpieces such as "Carmen," "La Traviata," "Aida," "La Fille du Régiment," "Dialogue des Carmelites," and "Samson et Dalila."
Giacomo Puccini’s well-loved opera "Turandot" is coming to the CCP Main Theater on December 9, 8 p.m., and December 11, 2 p.m. This production is in cooperation with the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation Inc. and the Rustan Group of Companies.
The CCP performance season ends with Handel’s "The Messiah" on December 16. Not to be missed are the annual holiday events at the CCP, including dawn masses and facade lighting.
“The CCP Main Building might be closed, but we promise that we remain true on our mandate to promote artistic excellence, nurture our artists, create artistic and educational contents, and engage the broadest audiences in art making and cultural experiences. We are committed to remain the leading art institution in the country,” concluded Moran-Floirendo.
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