Theater 11 WFX First Semester, AY 2010 - 2011
Greetings!
What you hold in your hands right now is the solid proof that our class of 15 ordinary U.P. Diliman students staged a full-production play as our final project for Theater 11. However, between the lines and inside the pictures lies the deeper meaning of this production book. This production book contains all our memories, both bitter and sweet. This production book concretizes all the sweat, effort, money and time we poured into the production of our play. This production book is our story. We hope that through this book we get to share with you even a little of our experience in Mrs. Edna Landicho’s Theater 11 class. We simply want to make you laugh at what we laughed at, and feel sad about what we felt sad about. So, without further ado, I officially welcome you to our world of Theater 11! Enjoy and I hope you break a leg! Michael Ray E. Fua Production Manager
What happens when a class of varied personalities is given an enormous task of producing a full-production play? Produce Reasons NOT to do it. An adaptation, 11 Reasons Not to be in a Play is sort of a shorter version of the original (“30 Reasons Not to be in a Play”). It starts with a warning from the cast, telling the audience they are not going to do a play. They then proceed with their very personal 11 reasons why they don’t want to put on a play. They narrate their own experiences, showing their innermost fears, revealing more of themselves and realizing some things along the way. From 15 very unique individuals comes a play about self-expression and realization that happen one theatrical day.
Jan Erik Alejo Leizle Arlando Carlo Cabatingan Meryl Calaguas Manuel Joseph Simone Carpio Maria Socorro De Villa Rolando Domingo Mary Grace Forteza Michael Ray Fua Jeriel Manalo Sarah Jean Maniago Beverly Ramos Dale Kingsley Sy Rosario Villamor Extras: Karl Kevin
Nice Guy School Teacher Perverted/Bitch Director Popular Girl’s Entourage/ School Girl Director Barry Drama Geek Popular Girl’s Entourage Professor/ Director Sollio/ Mang Salvaje Teacher’s/Everyone’s Pet Musician Jock Popular Girl Awkward Girl Punk Nerd/Fast talker
Jock’s Friend Drama Geek’s Dance Partner
Production Manager
Michael Fua
Directresses
Simone Carino Sarah Maniago
Stage Manager
Leizle Arlando
Lights & Sounds Manager Rolando Domingo
Name
Team
Carlo Joshua Cabatingan
Finance
Dale Sy
Finance
Jeriel Manalo
Finance
Mia de Villa
Finance
Rolando Domingo
Finance
May Ramos
Logistics
Jan Erik Alejo
Logistics
Jessca Gonzales
Logistics
Leizle Arlando
Logistics
Manuel Joseph Calma
Logistics
Meryl Calaguas
Logistics
Sarah Maniago
Logistics
Simone Carpio
Logistics
Mary Grace Forteza
Promotions
Mike Fua
Promotions
Rosario Villamor
Promotions
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions: looked for a brought play, play, money
February 23, 1992 III BS Chemical Engineering JE the Rich Kid Logistics Members Contact Person for lights, helped venue, edited the reason 11 script, some props for the last part of the helped fixed the set on the day of the gave contributions as help for all the used for our play.
It was last June when I decided to take Theater 11. I was looking at the list of credited GE’s for engineering students and then I came across an AH and Phil Stud GE which is theater 11. So tried to enlist the subject and luckily I got it. I was very excited for the subject because I want to learn more about theater. When came in to class, I was surprised that we were just fifteen students in the class. I thought that such classes have high demand because of its light nature. Theater 11 was really a fun experience for me. I enjoyed and learned from a lot from the workshop we did at the start of the semester. With those workshops, as a class we learned a lot of things and we also discovered each and everyone’s capability in acting and etc. After the workshops, we had the movement piece. I loved this part because I could express myself to the one thing I love to do which is dancing. Dancing for me makes me feel relaxed because through dancing I could express all my thoughts and feelings. Well this activity helped me show my talent to the class.
One thing I also enjoyed for this class, though it was really an expensive experience, is the requirement wherein we need to watch six different plays. Though I had a difficult time going to this theater acts because of my busy schedule, I still managed to enjoy and complete this requirement. Out the six plays I’ve watched this semester, two of my favorites were Shockvalue from DUP and Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang from PETA theater. I loved shockvalue because of its comedic nature; it was a play that was very easy to understand. I also loved the Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang because I got to reminisce my childhood days because of the cute and colorful stories of Lola Basyang. For our last requirement, we had a full production play. At first, I was really excited because we got to stage a play of our choice. It all started well, everyone was coming to class helping each other. But we were kinda behind schedule because our scriptwriters had a difficult time finishing the script. When the script was done, we started script reading through class hours but we had our practices outside class hours which was very difficult because not everyone can attend outside practices because of classes and exams. We just started practicing in class around the third week of September which was really late. It was a very difficult experience. We started very excited and ambitious with this play but towards the end of it most of us were really busy. We had a lot of exams and things to do but we still haven’t finished the play. Most of us had a difficult time in our outside of class hours practices because some weren’t able to attend them. But then I think we’ve pulled it off; we had a play in which each one of us learned a lesson. I just remembered my line from the play, “I really love theater because I found new friends.” Well yeah. Theater 11 for me was a great experience. I learned a lot from my classmates and from our encounters as a class. Truly this class was amazing. For this, I would like to personally thank Ma’am Landicho for teaching us what we need and supporting us all the way. Thank you for believing that we could make this project possible. I hope that you would still continue to share the light and joy of theater to other youths who would be taking your class. Ma’am I really enjoyed this semester because of this class. Again, thank you very much.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
February 23, 1992 II BA Public Administration Leizle the Grade Two Teacher Stage Manager Logistics Member -Attendance + fines (absences and late); records of meetings/reminders and others -Schedule of practices/rehearsals -Coordination with directors and managers -Editing of script -Lights cue/script, spotlight -Venue set-up -Text brigs and E-mail brigs
I was really excited about this theater class when I got the slot in crs. I was assuming two things about this class. One, it would be really fun and exciting. Two, there’s gonna be stress and loads of work if ever we will have a production. And I guess I’m right. It was nice having this play/production project as a part of the class, though sometimes we all have a hard time on some matters but maybe it was just we have our own different personalities. The greatest challenge for me as stage manager is to make sure that all of the casts are present during rehearsals as much as possible or at most. It was very hard because we are from different courses and we have our own schedule of classes and others. We only have our class time when all of us present. Sometimes I have a hard time making a schedule because not everybody replies to my message, or they have classes or exams, etc. So we ended up rehearsing after 4pm onwards. While I was doing this, I was thinking how stage managers in much bigger productions like in DUP cope with problems and stresses (of course, the same goes with the whole staff and crew). There are also a number of first times in this class. First time I was actually part of a cast or one of the actors since I am always part of the staff once in my past plays. I’m not really good in acting; I’m more on the creative and production stuffs. I could see my hands trembling while I’m on the stage. First time I watched a DUP play and it was really awesome. Wow (right?!). It was also my first time to be a spotlight girl! – I don’t know what you call those who do the spotlight and everything. Haha! I thought it would be easy holding the spotlight and following the actors because when I watch live beauty pageants that uses spotlights, it looks that easy to move. What I didn’t expect is that it was rather difficult. My left arm aches after that. And saving the best for last – I would not forget this – I slip in front of a whole audience. It was so embarrassing! And it made a scar and bruise on my left foot. But with all of these challenges (nicer way to tell it rather than problems and embarrassment!) it was a chance for me to meet different people and make new friends. And I’m very thankful for that…it was nice to meet Sarah, Rosario, Simone, Meryl, Dale, Carlo, Yey, Mia, Rolando, Manuel, Beverly, Fua, Maria and JE. And of course, thank you to our professor who have been very understanding that we are not theater majors…
Birthday:
March 11, 1992
Course:
I BA Philosophy
Character:
Carlo the Perverted Director
Production Role:
Logistics Member
Contributions:
- Wrote majority of script
- Helped with directing
More tiring than Climbing Mt. Everest, more exciting than going to the moon, more breathtaking than riding a roller coaster, sweeter than revenge, lovelier than love-making, these are only a few things that would describe Theatre 11. I’ve been in many plays and acting stuff but I had never experienced before what I experienced in this course. At first, I thought all things would be easy in this course since we are already in the tertiary level. Ideas, funds, acting skills and many aspects of theatre would come easily but I was wrong. We ended up empty-handed. I could never tell what lies ahead of us since we cannot guarantee ourselves that we could finish our duties on time. Pressure came in and still we didn’t have the spirit. Not until I discovered something within us. Something that bound us all and helped us with our struggles, something that kept us into it and never let us down. Hope. A Genuine Hope. We all had our ups and downs but in the end we all had our head held high. Whenever we had our practices, I could see in the eyes of my companions frustrations and worry; they had a lot of things to do like reviewing for an exam, making a project, paper works, etc… and yet this subject required them to give most of their time for it. I mean it’s a huge bother to them and yet we had nothing. I pity them since I’m the only freshman in the group and I being a freshman don’t have so many things to do or to worry about aside from theater. Days passed and we were running out of time. The worst thing, one of our classmates even had a severe illness and the saddest thing about this was she was the one who was working or leading the group rather. We still continued our journey, as I mentioned earlier we all had strong hopes. We never gave up on this play and we gave our all in it. Fortunately, we were not disappointed because in the end we had it. It doesn’t really matter whether we have done it well or not. The real thing is that we never failed to stand up again whenever we stumble. We never became totally desperate. I really appreciate those who work hard for this; they became my inspiration and my savior. I’ve learned that theater is not all about acting, I’ve learned that what is important is that you give trust to your companion and not minding what you have given but mind what you have gained. The experience I gained was incomparable to all other theater experiences I had. The best part of this class was that I gained friends whom I consider the prize from the “work of art”.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
May 23, 1992 II BS Family Life & Child Development Popular Girl’s entourage School Girl director Scriptwriter Logistics member Writing of original script Directing Vision for play Props for popular girls Hair & Make-up
Writing this reflection paper makes me sad because it means it’s the official end of theater. I missed theater, I missed performing on stage and having signed up for this class, I was able to fill up some emptiness in me. I was in drama for 4 straight years in high school so you can imagine when I got to college it was, ‘hello, where are the late rehearsals? The workshops? The people?’ I got to taste that all again this semester except harder. I felt a lot of pressure to make this production good. In high school we always had a moderator and a director, so as actors we just followed the boss. This time we were all alone. Conflicts always follow when there is a group filled with different personalities but as I realized, conflicts make the production. Conflicts bring about suggestions, compromises that lead to several brilliant ideas. Conflict isn’t that bad, it’s more of a sparring of the great minds of 15 students. At the end of it all, I’m so blessed and appreciate each one of my classmates for listening, for speaking, for contributing to what we ourselves created. 11 Reasons Not to be in a Play was really based on new material. But because the original script had to be bought to be used, and because it had a real Western feel to it, we had to make it our own. We all contributed to the script and that’s what makes it so beautiful. It is truly unique because you can’t find what we did last night anywhere else. That is us, that is our Theater 11 class. And sure there could have been some improvements had there been more practices, more time, but I wouldn’t be so proud of us as I am now if I had known from the start that we could do it. Doubt followed me all around, Fua and I constantly talked about our concerns. Even in the TDR I felt that we weren’t prepared but I heard the audience react last night. I heard them laugh, I felt them connecting with the actors. And isn’t that what theater is all about? Giving on a good show, letting the audience escape their real lives for even just an hour? That’s why I’m so proud. Each and every one of us gave it our all when we staged our play. Can we have another round? I am sad that it’s over. I don’t think I’ll be taking another theater class. And even if I did, it won’t be the same. The people will not be there, their minds, their talent, their pockets, it won’t be the same. But I can forever look back on last night, the day we proved ourselves wrong. We could do it after all. So even if all this time we’ve been complaining and saying bad things about plays, the truth is we can’t live without theater..
Birthday:
July 14, 1993
Course:
II BS Civil Engineering
Character:
Barry
Production Role: Logistics member Contributions:
Wrote script for Reason 7 Managed the sounds department Acquired the venue
When I thought about the moment I first read the syllabus for Theater 11, I still could not believe that the enormous task written in the syllabus was about to come to an end. When I first got hold of that paper, my first question to myself was, “how am I going to do all this stuff?� I had foreseen the enormous cost, the long stretches of time and attention which this subject required. I could even say that Theater 11 is even harder than some of my required subjects because I am not the performing arts type. The play we presented actually expressed emotions I felt for theater 11 at the beginning.
When I finished my movement piece and report, things were almost half done, a few more plays and the final play were the only tasks remaining. However, what I did not expect was that of all the activities, the final play was the hardest, longest and most tedious of all the requirements, even more challenging than the other activities combined because aside from the practices and perfection of talent involved, there were also technical stuffs such as logistics, venues, supplies, etc. At first I considered dropping, the task was enormous and for my case, it will take a miracle just to be able to accomplish this. I felt a bit of despair because it was like I was trapped in a hole with no way out except the long climb upwards. With no one else to turn to for advice, except for Ma’am Landicho and some former Theater 11 students who were my acquaintances, I devised a general plan for myself that if I would be given a task for this subject, I will immediately accomplish it so that it will not like be a poison which will harm me in the long run as more activities and tasks poured in to my hectic college life. I could honestly say that it was the first test of my prudence. Actually, I did not even know I had this virtue because in the past, it was normal for me to accomplish tasks ahead of time simply because I work fast, efficient and early. Yes, Theater 11 has led me to discover some essential working habits which I would be able to use in the future. As a sounds technician and actor, I had to pay attention to the smallest detail even the lag time of my laptop, my voice which should sound like a dummy and even my facial expression and gestures which should like someone who suffered from Bell’s Palsy and Down Syndrome combined. The challenge was all worth it. Being able to conceptualize what is to be done is very different from putting the plan into motion. With some help especially from Kuya Rolando, I was able to know what is to be expected from every task. Thanks to his knowledge, I was able to make a foresight of what is to happen given that I should take this certain series of actions. If it was detrimental to my mental health to think of the details, It was even a heavier burden to my physical health. As I am writing this reflection paper, I am currently suffering from Asthma which is a result of continuous stress brought by the long practices and the unforgiving weather. Should I quit just because phlegm is overrunning by throat up to my nasal cavity? I don’t think so because for me, an absence in one of the practices will deal a huge blow not only to my grade but also to my performance in the actual play so even if I am sick, deprived of sleep and rest, and even feverish, the show should go on. For the first time as well, I have never seen myself driven to accomplish a task. Lastly, to summarize all this up, I have learned that Theater 11 is not all about performing arts and gracefulness. It is also about the attitude, passion for excellence and drive to accomplish a task that one should achieve his purpose in life. For me, Theater 11 is a course which broaden my knowledge not only in the performing arts aspect but also in some other parts of life. Even if this course were not required, it will still be worthwhile taking it.
Birthday: September 16, 1992 Course: II BS Business Economics Character: Simone the Dramatic Production Role: Director Logistics member Contributions: Wrote reason 2 Edited the script Directed Hair and make-up Brought some props for the play Helped look for a venue Shelled out money for the play I have been decided on taking Theater 11 ever since I knew about it. Why? Simply because I love acting! It’s my way of self-expression. And this line is very true. It’s one of the reasons why I started doing theater. On stage, I could do whatever I want and be whoever I want to be. I could live out my dreams and fantasies and simply just make-believe. I could experience things I usually couldn’t in the real world and that is what theater is for me, a whole different world. I already had some theater experience when I was in high school because I was part of the drama club and whenever there are activities that involve plays or theater or simply just performing, I would always be part of it. Even as I entered college, my passion for acting never faltered that is why I was so glad to find out that there were theater classes I could take. Last semester, I took theater 10 since I wanted to take all three theater GEs in order. I learned a lot and it was the first time I experienced working on a play where we had to do everything without guidance or much help from a teacher since I was used to having a moderator to at least just give us our script and we just have to memorize and follow directions. Given that I already took theater 10, I thought this was going to be easier and simpler but I was wrong.
I already had some theater experience when I was in high school because I was part of the drama club and whenever there are activities that involve plays or theater or simply just performing, I would always be part of it. Even as I entered college, my passion for acting never faltered that is why I was so glad to find out that there were theater classes I could take. Last semester, I took theater 10 since I wanted to take all three theater GEs in order. I learned a lot and it was the first time I experienced working on a play where we had to do everything without guidance or much help from a teacher since I was used to having a moderator to at least just give us our script and we just have to memorize and follow directions. Given that I already took theater 10, I thought this was going to be easier and simpler but I was wrong.
I admit it was hard. We had a bigger class in theater 11 and we all had different suggestions and views in what our play should be. Also, it was difficult to coordinate with everyone, as well as to always be complete in rehearsals especially because of sickness and varying schedules. As the production date grew nearer, we all came to compromises, improvements and the like. I felt we still weren’t that prepared though, even just before the date itself. But I think we were able to pull it off. That night, we all did our best and I gave everything I got. I could say that our production was a success and it felt so good to hear the reactions of the audience. Like I said, it was hard but because of everything we had to go through, we became closer and more bonded with each other. Because of the structure of our script/play, it was nice that we all had our own parts and almost of all us had an opportunity to shine and show our talents. I’m so blessed and appreciate each one of my classmates for listening, for speaking, for contributing to what we ourselves created. I am also so proud to see our growth as a whole and individually as well. As always, the thing I love most about putting on a performance, about dancing, about being part of a show is the prospect of being able to move people, to make them see and appreciate – In whatever ways that Art can. I would especially like to thank Ma’am Landicho for giving me once more this opportunity to do so! Her caring presence and encouraging words have been a source of faith and optimism through out the whole semester. We would not have done it without her. I will forever cherish the knowledge, the joy, the stories and lessons she has imparted with us. I would also like to thank her for believing in us. To Ma’am Landicho, Thank you! Our theater 11 experience is over but I will never forget the times we had and I will miss every moment of it. I will definitely continue taking theater classes and I hope that more people will experience the love and joy of what theater can bring.
Birthday: Course: Character:
June 9, 1990 IV – BA Linguistics Popular Girl’s Entourage Ditsy Highschool Actress Production Role: Finance member Contributions: Minor financial assistance with expenses Lay-out and editing of production book Photographer for poster Assisted with cast’s make-up Mabigat sa dibdib ang pagpintig ng pusong ginigising sa pagdalak ng bawat eksena sa entablado. Malinaw sa isipan ang mga emosiyong dali-daling dumating at lumisan sa bawat salitang ibinigkas ng mga tauhan. Hindi kumukupas ang epekto sa akin teatro. Hindi nawawala ang kabataang uhaw na makaranas na makapanood at makasama sa mga makukulay na buhay na pinaglalaruan ng katotohanan at kathang-isip. At tulad ng lahat ng pagmamahal na nakatanim sa pagkatao, ninais kong malinang ang aking kaalaman sa isang sining, na bagama’t binubusog ng gigil (passion) ay nangangailangan ng mas malawak na kaalaman at karanasan. Dito ko ninais tahakin ang landas na inilatag ng Theater 11.
Lahat ng mga bagay na nagsisimula sa aking mundo ay balot ng kaba at pagdadahan-dahan. Nasa likod ng isipan ko ang posibilidad na dalawang bagay ay kahihinatnan ng pagkuha ko ng g.e. na ito – magiging puno ito ng mga masasyang alaala’t kaalaman o kaya naman ay mananatili itong isa sa mga panahong mahihirapang sariwain tuwing magbabalik-tanaw sa buhay sa kolehiyo. Sa unang araw ng klase, halatang isa na ako, kung hindi ang pinakamatandang mag-aaral na naghihintay ng simula ng oras ng leksiyon. Natuwa akong may kakilala na akong dati kong kasama sa eskewela, ngunit naramdaman kong mahihirapan akong makibagay sa mga batang mukhang magkakakilala na. Sa paglipas ng mga araw, at sa pagtapos ng mga naunang aralin tungkol sa mga uri ng dula, dumating ang bahagi ng klaseng palagay ko’y nag-uugat sa tunay na diwa ng teatro – ang pagbuo ng mga relasyon sa kapwa. Hindi mapag-kakailang marami akong natutunan tungkol sa mga teknikal aspeto ng teatro, ngunit sa klaseng ito, namulat ako sa kahalagahan ng kapwa. Sa mga naranasan ko nang pagsali sa mga dula noong hayskul, nagiging sentro ng atensiyon ang mga minsang katulad kong binibigyan ng mararaming linya. Ngunit sa entablado, ang tunay na kahalagahan at kagandahan pinag-kakaugatan ng sining na ito ang pagkilala at pagbibigay-pugay sa kakayanan ng bawat isa. Lalo na sa uri ng kwentong piniling gawan ng script, ang aming nagin produksiyon ay naglayon na bigyan ng pantay-pantay na pagpapahalaga ang bawat isang miyembro ng klase, pagka’t lahat ng tao ay kanyang insipirasiyon para itaguyod ang mga dula.
Malalim ang aking pagpapasalamat sa aking mga kapwa-magaaral ng Theater 11 ngayong semestre, sina Fua, Meryl, Leizl, Simone, Saji, Beverly, Carlos, Manuel, JE, Rolando, Rosario, Dale at Yey dahil kahit noong una ay hindi naging bukas ang aking isipan, nagawa nilang mabuksan ang aking puso sa posibilidad ng pagkakaibigan sa pagitan ng magkakaibang taong may iisang hilig – ang teatro.
Birthday: October 10, 2010 Course: V BM in Music Education Character: Professor, Direk Sollio, Mang Salvaje Production Role: Set designer Finance Member Contributions: Props Directing Background drape
The experience of being able to function in chaos, to be gifted with results you never expected, to be in the moment of realized potential of people who metamorphosed ever so slightly during the semester- these are just some of the lessons and moments that I’ve acquired from this whole semester. Everyone’s performance level the night of our play took a quantum leap. It was amusing to see our hard work bear fruit. Let's enjoy the moment and don't you dare ask (sounds familiar, Elly? ) Maam thank you so much for everything that you’ve taught us. There are always new things to learn about- let’s live curious! Forever!
Birthday:
March 23, 1993
Course:
II BA Anthropology
Character:
Maria the Suck Up
Production Role: Publicity Member Contributions:
Wrote the awkward girl’s story.
Made one of the Posters Helped with prod book Lyrics of awkward girl’s audition piece Make up artist
Different kinds of arts have marked deeply in me. It is one of the ways in which I express myself. That is why theater has become one of my top passions since it includes visual arts and performing arts, being the most obvious. I took this theater class not only for me to develop my theater skills but also to widen my knowledge about theater, especially the theater of my homeland. It really excited me to know that there will be our own theater production at the end of the semester. Wow! It was only back in high school when I had our last production. I missed theater. However, our Theater11 class was not able to decide early what to stage so we then had some conflicts afterwards. Behind that, Ma’am Landicho, our professor, kept her support to us especially through her comments and suggestions for our play. It was so pleasant to see how Ma’am Landicho smiled during our performance proper. We are very thankful that she appreciated what we did, though there were many unkempt parts of our production. It made us happy to know that the audience understood the play, to hear their laughs at funny scenes and to see them smiling at us at the end of our play. The making of this production was not easy as most of us were very different from each other when we started but those differences even contributed to the success of our production. Through this theater, certain friendships have been made and other perspectives have added to vision. Thanks to theater, I have met such wonderful people. These people gave me another chance to perform, show, and share what I have. Thanks to this requirement Ma’am, you are a blessing.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
February 20, 1991 II BS Business Administration Fua the Music Guy Production Manager Publicity Member Organized logistics, finance and publicity committees Script-writing and script-editing Conceptualized and directed Created the production proposal Prop-making Created final poster Promoted the play and got people to come and watch Documentation of the play (pictures care of Tin Silvoza, my coursemate) Prod book design and layout Prod book printing and layout
At first, I couldn’t even imagine myself being part of a theater group. Acting, singing, and dancing were never my strongest assets. In fact, I pretty much suck at all of those things. Growing up, my passions and hobbies included only sports and visual arts. In an all-boys school like Ateneo, it isn’t a very macho thing to be involved in theater, nor in other performing arts for that matter. I guess I enlisted for Theater 11 because, despite my lack of talent and experience, I secretly had a “crush” on theater. I realized that one semester after I enlisted in this class, my interest and curiosity for theater had turned into love already. Before this semester, I considered theater as one of things that was very out of place in my life. Now, I know that the reason why it seemed so out of place was because theater wasn’t close enough to me. Its place in my life shouldn’t be distant. Theater belongs near me. I belong near theater. I mentioned that at first, I couldn’t even imagine myself being part of a theater group. Now, I can’t believe it’s over. I already miss the rehearsals that lasted till late at night on a school day. I miss the stress. I miss the clash of minds I had with the other directors. I miss my classmates – all of them. I miss acting. I miss theater. I’m sorry if this is turning out to be very whiny and cheesy, but it’s all true. I can’t put into words how much I grew as person in my experience in Theater 11. It wasn’t just about staging a show, nor getting the spotlight for once. For me it was about, surpassing what others think of you. More importantly, it was about surpassing what you think of yourself. It was about meeting and working with 14 other people whom you never knew nor were close with before theater. It was about being someone different, for once. Someone you can’t be outside the stage because you’re afraid or embarrassed. Theater 11 was the toughest subject I had this semester. That’s a big deal, considering I was taking up three majors, including accounting! However, Theater 11 was also the most fulfilling. I found theater so fulfilling that I actually just pre-enlisted in Theater 12 for next semester! I even dragged a couple of my friends to pre-enlist with me (one of which was inspired by our production). So, with that said, I will stop with all of this “goodbye theater” stuff. I hope to have theater in my life next semester again! Thank you once again, Ma’am Landicho for providing an avenue for ordinary and non-theatrical people like me to experience and express themselves through theater.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
I can’t believe our semester in Theater 11 is over. We have finally finished our final exam/class project! After only spending 3-4 weeks of practicing, we were able to produce a full production play. We held our play on October 6, 2010 in Palama Hall room 116118. I had so much fun in our play that I actually want to do it again!
September 8, 1991 III – B Sports Science Jock Finance Member Suggested ideas for the initial script Co-wrote reason number 10 and scenes that included the ‘Jock’ Assisted in funds management Assisted with set management
I had to admit, at the beginning, I had not imagined that it would be a success since our class really made a play from scratch. We only followed the idea of the original play, “30 Reasons not to be in a play�. But for every scene, each and everyone in the class had to come up with their own scene and original idea. It was hard at the since none of us were professional script writers so all our scenes seemed to be boring. But as the semester went we always brainstormed on how to make the scenes better. Since not everyone had actually attended all the meetings and almost everyone was late when there was supposed to be a practice, it was hard to practice let alone get the feeling of being in a play. That added to my own fear plus the fact that it would be my first time to act on stage. As time went on, I got my confidence from my classmates because they always encouraged me and always had something to say about the way I act. Though there were a lot of rough times, confusion and heating debates toward one another in class because of conflicting ideas, we were still able to understand one another and meeting half way in all our ideas. In the end, after everything that happened, we all became much closer friends, treating this as a whole a memorable experience. As my parting words (since this would be my last reaction paper), I want to thank Fua, Carlo, Meryl, Mia, Simone, Dale, Saji, JE, Rosario, Maria, Leizle, Elly, Manuel and Rolando for this experience without whom, we would not have been able to do the play as it was. I would also want to thank Tin for taking cool pictures during our play, Kevin for dancing with Simone during the play and Karl who replaced Manuel in one of my scenes. Lastly I would also want to thank Prof. Landicho for giving us this opportunity and for helping us become better people, pushing us to be creative and imaginative.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
July 15, 1992 II BA Broadcast Communication Sarah the Popular Girl Co-director Logistics member Wrote and revised several versions of the script Downloaded and edited sound effects and songs Provided props Assisted in stage set-up Financial assistance for expenses
Looking back at our first few meetings in this Theater class, I felt regrets coming to me. I regret those days that I wasn’t able to mingle with my classmates that much and never had the chance to know each one of them well. I admit that as soon as I stepped foot in this class, I found a mixture of totally different personalities in all of us. I didn’t know how to get along with them. We can’t work with people we don’t get along well with. Well, at least for me. And I thought that was a problem we had to face. As days went by, I was beginning to get along with them really well. I learned how to work with different people with different personalities while still being who I am. Suggestions, comments, reactions, tastes, views- everyone had a different one. Conflicts arose during our whole preparation but these made the preparation worthwhile and fun. Our differences, in fact, helped us in making our play better. Our play was an almost original piece of ours. Well, we didn’t intend to infringe the copyright of the author. The concept was adapted from the original non-play “30 Reasons Not to be in a Play”. We found this play cute and we thought that we could execute it on our own ways.
When we selected this play, a variety of ideas came popping in and so we couldn’t agree what would be the best for our play. So we decided to adapt the concept but create our own story line and ending. Yes, we’re so brave like that. We preferred to make our own script than to use a tried and tested one. And we never thought that it would be that hard! Sure, we almost gave up. Making a sensible script with a witty plot and even giving justice to what we’ve made were a different story altogether. The first critiquing of Ma’am Landicho almost made us hopeless. Yes, it’s heartbreaking when you know that you’ve devoted much of your effort for something that, sadly, failed to be pleasing. But no, we considered it as a challenge. I thank the pressure that made us closer to each other. The pressure that everyone felt was a big factor that made us really tight. We cheered each other up – always reminding that we just had to enjoy the whole play. Right now, making this reflection paper makes me want to go back to those days when we were just about to start this class. At first, I wanted to have theatre class just so I could see how far I could go in theatre acting. In the end, I didn’t just discover my potentials as an actress. I also enjoyed the whole production and gained new friends. At this point, I think I can relate myself with the ending of our play. It was also kinda true. Theater is so much fun! Theater is amazing! Ending this reflection paper makes me miss the people I used to spend late hours with just to rehearse, brainstorm and even fool around with. Those people I learned to love even just for a while. This part will tell you that I truly salute everyone who acts on stage. But I salute more those behind every performance. They’re the skeleton of every beautiful play. I now realize how much effort they exert in order to come up with an effective play. It’s never easy. Believe me. Take it from someone who knows. ;) Right now, I am very thankful that I was able to get in Ma’am Landicho’s class. It’s a relief that our professor for this course is as motherly as her. Had it not been for her, I think we already gave up and lost hope. She’s caring and she really knows how to bring out the best in every student. I am forever grateful to her for all the teachings, plays, knowledge, workshops and even stories that she shared. I wish there was another semester to spend with her as well as with my wonderful Theater classmates. But as they say, all good things come to an end just as how our Theater 11 class is about to end.
Birthday:
December 24, 1992
Course:
II – BS Civil Engineering
Character:
Awkward Girl
Production Role: Logistics member Contributions:
Assisted in stage set-up Provided trash bags and art materials Financial assistance for the expenses
The reason why I enlisted in theatre 11 was that I needed Phil. Stud. Subject and I wanted it to be something fun. Theatre 11 sounded fun, but back then, I had no clue what it was except that it was a Phil. Stud. Subject. I thought it was going to have lectures and maybe some cool activities. Actually, I did not think about it much, I was just happy I got it on CRS. It did not occur to me that I might have to perform or be a part of a full production play. Although I’m not that shy-type-person, I am not comfortable around people, especially if I have to perform in front of them. I thought I won’t be able to do it and just drop the subject. But before I officially decided to drop, I was already having fun with the workshops. So I gave myself another chance, and continued with the movement piece. And before I knew it, Theatre 11 taught me to be confident enough to face the stage, the lights and of course, the audience. At first, I thought we won’t be able to build a team from our class. There were walls among us. We were individuals, from different colleges, from different walks of life, with different personalities. Each of us is unique. We were almost through with our movement pieces, but I could still feel the solitude of each one of us. I thought we won’t be able to make it in time for the play, but slowly, we overcame the walls, we built a team without compromising the uniqueness of each one of us. And that is what our play highlights, self expression and uniqueness of each of us when it comes to theater. We actually had a hard time with our material because we had to have our own version so that the setting would be that of a college here in the Philippines, say UP. In that way, our audience would be able to relate to our play. But because of that, we had to constantly change our script. We actually had a LOT of “final script” files in our Yahoo!Groups, the bad thing was that so much time was spent on it. The good thing? There were always improvements with each new script until we had the final “final script”. For me, I’d say “11 reasons not to be in a play” was a success. We had fun. And I’m pretty sure that the audience, from their resounding laughter, also had fun.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
March 18, 1991 II – BS Community Nutrition Punk Finance member Assisted in stage set-up Financial assistance for the expenses Managed finances
Theater 11 was one hell of a ride. At first, we had some workshops and studied about the different kinds of Philippine Theatre. To prepare ourselves for a full production play, we first started with a very interesting Movement Piece. I really enjoyed making a fool of myself trying not to laugh at the same time. The final production had a pretty rough start. We were all taking things slow. It took us quite a while, maybe even a couple of weeks, to finally decide on a story. It took us another week to create a script and tweak it to make it just right. Rehearsals started as soon as the script was done. We each had our own roles and started to build on the characters. I played the punk in the play. I was the “bad-ass” of our show.
When rehearsals started, we just used the time in class and did not really rehearse so much outside class hours. We weren’t really going anywhere with the one and a half hour rehearsals. As time passed, more rehearsals took place and the play started to take shape. I started enjoying what we were doing because I felt that we were meant to make a great show. During rehearsals, a lot of things have changed. The lines of some characters were changed to roll more smoothly. During our runs, Maam Landicho had several comments which actually helped me play my role better. She was able to guide us to properly characterize. Maam’s comments were able to really prepare us for the show. When the show was about to start, I was really worried about the play. We weren’t able to rehearse with the lights because they came in late. There may even have been errors in the lights, but I don’t think they were that noticeable. While the girls were helping us make up, I realized how difficult it was to put it on. When Sarah put eyeliner on me, it literally made me cry. I guess we all have to suffer for the sake of art. Right before the play, we suddenly decided to add an additional introduction. I made an introduction warning as a punk telling the audience to put their phones on silent and not to leave in the middle of the play. I think it helped establish the character that I was playing. I believe the play went really well. We were able to fill up the room. I think we even had a standing room due to our number of guests. I was really happy with the result of the play. I think we all did great and had fun while doing it. I guess that’s what’s important in doing the production.
Birthday: Course: Character: Production Role: Contributions:
May 28, 1992 III – BS Industrial Engineering Fast-talking Nerd Publicity member Suggested story lines Co-wrote Reason no. 5 Financial assistance with expenses Purchased art materials for set
Theater 11 has taught me a LOT. I only got this class thru prerog. Though my friend recommended it, I didn’t really know what to expect from this class.And so I didn’t. Anyway, if ever I had expectations, no matter how high they were, what I experienced in this class would have exceeded them. I had not only gained a bunch of lessons on acting, but I also had gained a lot of fun memories in our activities. When it was time for us to produce a full-production play, we were all revved up to do it. I had done plays before in high school but I had not expected that it would be this hard to start from scratch. We had to create our own script (though we had based it from another script we got online), create our own lines, and visualize everything that was going to happen in the play.
The plays that we were required to watch were very much helpful in our production of our play. We had incorporated some of what we learned from what we watched in our play. Also, I had been able to engage my other friends to watch those plays with me and enjoy theater too. Revisions were always made as we did our practices. Even around a few days before our play date, we still had to edit some lines here and some scenes there. I thought when we were done with the script, that’s it. I had not realized that there are always going to be changes to make the play as presentable as we could. There were a lot of bumps along the way but in the end, we had overcome them and succeeded. Our play had might not been as epic as the six plays that we had watched this semester but I’m very proud of our play because we had poured our hearts into it. We had dedicated our time, money, sweat, everything to make this play work. Looking back at the things that we had done for the whole semester, I saw how we had all developed not just the intellect but also the confidence to act out on stage and to give it all. I had gained new friends and experiences which I will greatly treasure.
I think it all boils down to this. It’s not enough to have acting skills to survive in the theater industry. I think that in order to succeed in this business if one were to pursue a career in theater, one should also have the ability to feel around other people and to have empathy. And that is what makes a great theater actor. Ma’am Landicho, thank you so much for imparting your theatrical knowledge to us. Thank you, too, for offering this course. Without Theater 11, we may not have had a whole semester of fun memories. We may have had a rough start but it was all worth it with you guiding us with your critiques, whether positive or negative. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity for us to show our talents and express ourselves
Name
Aug.18 (class)
Aug.20 (class)
Aug.27 (class)
Sep.1 (class)
Sep.3 (class)
Sep.6 (mon)
Sep.8 (class)
1. Carlo Joshua Cabatingan 2. Dale Sy 3. Jeriel Manalo 4. Mia de Villa
excused late absent
absent
5. Rolando Domingo
absent
6. Beverly Ramos
absent
absent excused excused excused
7. Jan Erik Alejo
absent
8. Sarah Maniago 9. Leizle Arlando
Sep.13 (mon) excused
absent
absent
excused excused
late
late
10. Manuel Joseph Calma 11. Meryl Calaguas
excused
excused excused
12. Simone Carpio
13. Mary Grace Forteza 14. Mike Fua 15. Rosario Villamor
excused late
absent
absent
excused excused
Name 1. Carlo Joshua Cabatingan
Sep.15 Sep.16 Sep.17 Sep.22 (class) (thurs) (class) (class)
Sep.23 (thurs)
Sep.24 (class)
Sep.27 (mon)
Sep.28 Sep.30 (tue) (thurs)
excused absent
3. Jeriel Manalo
absent absent
5. Rolando Domingo
absent absent
late
excused
8. Sarah Maniago
absent
9. Leizle Arlando
excused excused excused
excused late
10. Manuel Joseph Calma
excused
11. Meryl Calaguas
excused
excused
12. Simone Carpio
15. Rosario Villamor
absent absent
late
7. Jan Erik Alejo
14. Mike Fua
absent
excused
6. Beverly Ramos
13. Mary Grace Forteza
Oct.4 (mon)
absent
2. Dale Sy 4. Mia de Villa
Oct.1 (class)
absent
excused excused absent excused
absent
absent absent
absent excused
late
excused
absent
Oct.5 (tue)