Theatre is a field often overlooked in the art scene of Cebu. Reel-life scenes from the cinema, however, can never be a substitute for real-life drama from the theatre stage. As a craft that is centuries old, theatre is a standout, spellbinding art. It stirs deep emotions in the audience and captivates its followers with the fluidity of natural human movement. Theatre often depicts deep-seated truths about the human psyche and delivers these truths with great impact. After every good stage play, we are left stirred, shaken and we don’t ever think quite the same way again.
To shake Cebu theatre, Ma Gimo Productions has brought world-renowned director Dr. Anton Juan Jr. to Cebu to conduct an advanced theatre workshop and to direct the company’s upcoming play “Doon Po sa Amin”, which will be staged in August in Ayala OnStage. Juan was the writer of the familiar play “Taong Grasa”, which was produced recently in Cebu. “Doon Po sa Amin” is a large-scale production that has gone through tedious actor screening and heavy planning. It revolves around two neighboring families in San Roque, Rizal: the Durans and the Mendezes. With a folksy, storytelling stage manager as the guide, we find that young Delfin Duran is a stellar basketball star while Celia Mendez is a serious-minded student. The two grow up together, fall in love and get married. Then they face tragedy and after a surprising death, there is an even more surprising rebirth. What transpires in this rebirth cum reawakening process are scenes so moving and beautiful that the audience may be left stunned in their seats. What’s surprising is that the play has no props. It relies solely on the physical movements of the actors.
Who else could pull off this minimalist prop arrangement other than Dr. Juan? Internationally recognized for his work that often challenges convention, playwright and director Anton Juan is a tenured professor and theatre director at the University of Notre Dame du Lac in the USA. To honor his contributions to the arts, Juan has been knighted twice by the French government, receiving Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1992 and the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de Merit in 2002. In 1997, he received an Alexander Onassis International Award for Theatre (Playwriting), an honor conferred by the president of Greece.
Anton Juan was named one of the 100 Philippine Artists during the Philippine Centennial as one who has contributed greatly to the evolution of Philippine drama and theatre. His works have been seen and lauded in his motherland (Philippines), in Asia, Europe and the USA.
Every expert at something was once a beginner. Dr. Juan also had his share of theatre baby steps. He shares his experiences when he himself was once rigorously trained in Japan, where he’d kneel six hours straight in trained discipline as he’d await his scene. “Some actors there even train for 40 years and don’t act till they’re 60 or so. That’s why you see in Japanese theatre that the actors are usually quite old.” He divulges active training in Thailand, where his neck and eye movements were tested to their limits at neck-breaking up and down angles, and as sideways as possible.
Juan is talkative and enigmatic in person. Despite his many achievements, he carries himself in a dignified but humble manner andgets along with the new faces he meets. You cannot help but like him instantly.
Juan says of the Cebuano artists of the “Doon Po sa Amin” play, “Cebuanos are very vibrant, expressive people. I also like the seriousness of the production team behind the play.” He further advocates, “For culture to continue, it must be sustained economically. It needs support from the masses.”
With our pool of expressive Cebuano talent, a dynamic group such as Ma Gimo and a world-class director such as Dr. Anton Juan Jr. gracing our theatre scene, we have much to look forward to in up-and-coming stage productions. More than entertainment or a pastime, theatre is a unique experience that evokes raw human emotion and brings us to terms with hardcore truths. In our modernized, high-tech era, theatre is like a breath of fresh air. May we see more theatre development and support in our local arts scene soon!
