Manila as the world’s arts capital

Manila will be virtually the arts capital of the world come May 16 to 27, when two, simultaneous global events are slated in the country, to be participated in by drama schools, theater students, directors, talents and cultural dignitaries from all over the world.

The Philippines will play host to the 31st Unesco International Theater Institute (ITI) Congress from May 23 to 27, to coincide with the World Festival of Drama Schools from May 16 to 30. This marks the first time that the two events will be held in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia for that matter. The congress is held every two years, with the last one in Tampico, Mexico in 2004.

According to Arsenio "Nick" Lizaso, theater-education coordinator of ITI-Philippines, the government has earmarked a budget of P22-M through the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for the two global events.

Nick represented the Philippines last year in the preparatory talks in Sinaia, Romania for the Philippine hosting of the ITI Congress and the World Festival of Drama Schools. He was invited as a member of the international jury that selected the 11 best drama schools in the world, which will participate in the global event that started 62 years ago. The two events are projects organized by the NCCA in cooperation with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

"We’ve been preparing for this since last year," informs Nick, who also attended previous congresses in London, Helsinki (with the late theater great Rolando Tinio) and Istanbul. "This is a good chance for drama students from all over the world to interact and have exchange of ideas about theater."

Arts and culture front-runner Cecile Guidote-Alvarez sits as the lone Filipino member in the executive committee of the ITI Congress. She has been attending the global event for over 20 years now. She will lead the Manila opening of the congress on May 16 at the historic Fort Santiago in Intramuros, where 100 indigenous tribes from around the country will perform for the foreign delegates and guests.

Over 150 students and faculty members from drama schools in China, India, Australia and Manila, comprising the Sadesytema regional cooperation program, are expected to attend the drama festival. Sadesystema stands for the names of the cities where the co-founder drama schools of the program reside – Sa for Shanghai, De for New Delhi, Sy for Sydney, Te for Tehran and Ma for Manila.

Activities related to the theater congress will also be observed in major cities around the country – Baguio, Cebu, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Zamboanga, Legazpi, Muñoz (Nueva Ecija) and Santiago (Isabela) – and will be attended by foreign participants who will visit the cities.

The major events will be held at the Manila Hotel. Unesco director-general will open the leaders’ forum of the congress on May 23. The head delegates and leaders of the congress have been invited to Malacañang on May 22 for the welcome dinner and courtesy call to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Nick shares Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and Oprah Winfrey have been invited to grace the congress. As of press time, however, there has been no confirmation yet from any of the two international entertainment celebrities.

Sixty international theater directors are coming to Manila to discuss and standardize curriculum in the Asia-Pacific. Full-length plays from eight continents will be staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Workshops will be conducted by Prof. Andrey Andreev from the Theater Academy of St. Petersburg in Russia, actress and stage director Sayoko Shirotani from Japan and Prof. Maria Horne from Buffalo University in New York, who studied method acting under Lee Strasberg.

"Filipino directors Tikoy Aguiluz and Joel Lamangan will also participate in the drama festival, as well as actress Monique Wilson, the Philippine Education Theater Association (PETA) and Repertory Philippines," Nick grants. "The congress aims to protect the best of Philippine heritage and talents."

Among the schools selected in Sinaia, Romania last year are University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University – the only schools in the country that have theater courses, according to Nick.

In between preparations for the congress, Nick took on a TV directing job, Getting Things Done! MMDA on the Road, a 13-episode tele-magazine program launched in September last year by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, led by its chairman Bayani Fernando. The show which aired on ABC 5, served as conduit for information exchange and government action between the MMDA, city mayors and the people of Metro Manila. Each episode carried different themes like development planning, transport and traffic management, solid waste disposal and management.

Nick is one of the few artists who have successfully made the transition from theater to television and film, leaving a lasting impression on all three fields. Memorable and highly-praised stage performances marked his distinguished career as a theater actor earlier on. Then he discovered another dimension of himself as an artist, this time as director, fleshing out theatrical masterpieces and infusing the classics with his own, unique vision.

His works have also helped enrich the TV industry. As director and producer, he has contributed significantly to upgrade the medium, with such trailblazing projects as the multi-award-winning classical anthology Balintataw, as well as the socially relevant legal drama anthology, Ipaglaban Mo.

Nick’s film career is no less remarkable. Aside from noteworthy productions that carry his mark as a director, he has served the Filipino motion picture industry as an indefatigable organizer and leader with a vision.

He has also shared his expertise to the academe, having been lecturer and instructor in some of the leading educational institutions in the country.