Jam Binay

BY ANNICKA B. KOTEH

THEATER IS the extrovert’s art—at least, for those who equate actress to diva. But Jam Binay (5 BFA TA/AB COM) could not be farther from that tired stereotype. Jam, as she’s known on campus and cast lists, has taken the stage for Ateneo Blue Repertory (blueREP), Tanghalang Ateneo (TA), and Ateneo Fine Arts (FA). She has even led the Ateneo theater scene as blueREP’s Artistic Director, a top officer in its 27th Company Core.

Yet, Jam is a self-described introvert. While that seems to contradict her craft, the greatest lesson of her journey arguably does too: Jam has gotten better at playing other people by embracing her own person.

Second skin

Jam fell in love with drama in high school. Her batch produced Miss Saigon (1989), in which she starred as the lovelorn Kim. That experience led her to major in theater, though Jam wasn’t part of any college theater organization at first. Her insecurities got the better of her, so she “chickened out” of blueREP’s required movement piece.

“I was like, ‘Oh no, I can’t dance,’ but now I guess it’s about being open to the process also,” Jam says, looking back on her freshman audition. “[But] it’s a big part, not caring about what other people think anymore.”

Eventually, classes and workshops from Jam’s course helped build her confidence. She got into blueREP in her sophomore year and has since had her turn in many acclaimed productions. People know Jam Binay as an actress, so they’re surprised that she’s “not into public speaking”—that she’d actually call herself “shy.” But they don’t understand how the medium of theater works for her. “When I’m on stage and I’m playing someone else, parang that [fear] just goes away,” she explains. “And for me, [theater is] really nice because I get to experience the lives of other people.”

By that definition, Jam has lived many lives. She’s been a sweet barista in blueREP’s Stages of Love (2018), the aggrieved girlfriend Mariel in TA’s Alpha Kappa Omega (2019), and most recently, Natalie Goodman: The seemingly “perfect” daughter in blueREP’s 28th season finale Next to Normal (2020). These are just some items on her résumé, which spans girls-next-door to talking dolls and ghosts to women grappling with their inner demons.

She also represented Ateneo in the Asia-Pacific Bond of Theater Schools Festival last September 2019 in Vietnam, where Jam and four other Theater Arts majors performed an original devised piece entitled A Woman’s Place. This means that the concept and script were developed during rehearsals. The piece centered on women in private and public spaces— vignettes brought to life by the actresses playing themselves.

Changing roles

Whether about mental health or subtle sexism, Jam’s performances touch on the drama of daily life. “I like to be a part of shows about everyday problems of people that don’t get talked about,” she says. “I mean, that’s what theater is about—to create an avenue for discussion for things that matter.”

The things that matter aren’t always beautiful, nor do characters act in the best ways to confront the worst. Jam has had to get comfortable representing ugly truths, like when she played a temperamental wedding coordinator in her thesis production FLUID (2018). “For the longest time, I found the need to not look ugly onstage,” she admits. “It hindered my performance kasi the thing I like most about theater is the storytelling, the truth of it. You’re kind of hindering your truth if you’re not giving everything.”

And how did Jam learn to give everything for FLUID? “Missy [Maramara] really put me in front of a mirror and said, ‘Make the ugliest faces you can,’” Jam adds with a laugh.

When it comes to theater, she has gone out of her comfort zone in more ways than one. Jam hasn’t just acted but has worked on props, sets, and lights. “These were so foreign to me before, but when I started learning about them, it was a lot of fun,” she says. She’s also mentored younger actors by being an assistant director, most notably for blueREP’s RENT (2018) and Fame the Musical (2017). If anything’s clear from her time in Ateneo, it’s that Jam is all about learning.

“Most of the time, we’re trying to get it right, and we’re trying to do what worked before,” she says. “But every show is a new show. It’s important to keep it fresh, and we do that by learning from mistakes or exploring new things.” As she plans to balance a day job with theater, Jam’s set to learn even more—the “real world” just better watch out.

Jam