Finally, the real challenge begun!
Yesterday, we kicked off the mobile play, Ba Be Bi Bobo
(better called Ba Be Bi Bobo ‘08), together with the students, faculty,
and staff of the Lyceum of the Philippines - Laguna (LPL). Against all
odds, the show went on, we we’re applauded, and best of all, the
advocacy gained a foothold in the LPL community.
Changed Overnight
From
the Ba Be Bi Bobo ‘08 crew perspective, the first show was really a
great leap forward. Just last Mon, Tue, and Wed, the performers were
battered with bone-crushing comments from the guest audience during our
practice. First, there was Maam Jenny, the play director, who was very
good at pointing the mistakes committed and suggesting more suitable
lines. She kept emphasizing on the importance of "energy." Sir Glenn
also gave ’striking’ comments. While most comments were easily
forgotten, some were too important and not to be ignored. One of which
was said after our Wednesday run: this play will never be a success
unless the actors will change overnight. It should be because the show
was set on Friday and we still feel its not well polished.
It
turned out that it did happen during the play. Our actors gave their
best, the one we didn’t see during our practice. The days of torture
and nurture paid off when the audience applauded the performance.
Celebrity Facilitators
Part
of the program was to facilitate the LPL Literacy Training Service
(LTS) students. Right after the show, they proceeded to their
respective rooms and waited for us to enter. We rested for a while and
then entered the classroom. We had a lecture, workshop and fun session
with the LPL students.
The great thing was that the students
were very attentive in our discussions. While we spend most of the time
relating to them the play they’ve just seen, its difficult to ignore
the feeling when they recognize us and the character we portrayed. In
other words, we were like celebrities and they are our fan base. But
unlike the celebrities we know of, we are just ordinary people who, in
diligence, perserverance and luck, happen to be part of the play.
"I Hate Technology"
All
was well except for the lapel mic, perhaps the most important piece of
technology in the play. What happened was horrible and hopefully that
history will never repeat in our future performances. The play, its
story, and its message was so good but the technology "sucks!" The
night before the show, we did some polishing in some crucial scenes.
Maam Jenny asked for a song and the laptop used was processing the
command so slow that she said, "I hate technology." What a coincidence
it was when the lapel mic did ruin our show.
Another thing was
the lighting system we used but its pretty much understandable. The
play was held at 2:00 pm in a covered court so the lighting effects
(and cues) we practiced were simply impossible to notice.
Thanks Lyceum Pipz
Honestly,
we really feel sorry to the LPL community because we were not able to
deliver fully what we’ve been practicing the whole time and what they
would have surely enjoyed. Although we heard a number of positive
reactions, lots and lots of lapses were done. At the same, we are also
thankful for being considerate to all of those difficulties. We did
enjoy performing with them as they absorbed the story and its message.
The rounds of applause we received were a sign of their support and
also serve as inspiration to us to do more in our future performances.
Lastly,
theater, as the medium used in presenting the Pahinungod advocacy, was
proven to be effective in communicating with other people, especially
in this country where theater is not so common. We saw how interested
the audience were. Perhaps its not always easy to forget first
experiences.
I was invited to play with Ate Trish for Ate Jenny’s Booklaunching last Feb 7. The event was full of fun and excitement and I should say I enjoyed every minute of it even if our (me and Ate Trish’s) presentations were “darna productions.” The guests were, oh well, mostly also alumni of UPLB and UPD and they really were guests of honor–professionals, artists, photographers, writers, theater people way back decades ago who continue to support, especially in dire economic conditions, the “guerilla-style” endeavors led by our dearest Ate Jenny.
And there was a surprise visit of a Pinoy rock legend, Bobby Balingit from the influential punk band The Wuds, who played for us using my guitar, Sirius.