Jasmine does monologue in ‘very now’ play

MANILA, Philippines – “No one will help you if you have a problem remembering your lines. You’re on your own. You have to be able to handle a mistake and keep your composure.”

That’s Jasmine Curtis-Smith sharing her thoughts on doing a monologue rather than a dialogue in the “very now” play titled No Filter, directed by Toff de Venecia, which is playing its 2.0 version at the Power Mac Center Spotlight, Level 2, Circuit Lane, Brgy. Carmona, Makati City.

No Filter is a discourse about a group of individuals, who belong to the Internet generation or Gen Y as described by a popular definition. They are techie and social media savvy. Their culture, encompassing values and norms (a well-defined set of behavioral rules), is told in a narrative structure the young and the young at heart can enjoy and navigate with ease.

All throughout the play, Jasmine will have around four monologues, telling her character’s personal issues, which makes the role relatable and three-dimensional. It is through this interaction between the actors and the audience that one understands the play’s multiple voices.

“What we do is we start with the introduction of each other together,” Jasmine shares. “Then, we go out on our own. Sometimes, there are two or three cast members in the scene, miming and playing the action being said. Then everyone gets to go on and we have improv segments. We go back to our solo parts and we go together again.”

Jasmine’s monologues are different from the others. She says, “One monologue is just about being able to compose yourself in a job interview for the first time, battling with anxiety and your inner voice, and what you want to say.” Then, another monologue will have her character talking to her future self and past self through letters, asking questions “like what do I want to become? And how do I start that?” Another one is seeing her character “coming of age,” and on the verge of reaching adulthood. Again, Jasmine’s set of monologues is part of other monologues No Filter presents to the audience, which is challenged to see the monologues as one voice about millennials. 

As an artist, Jasmine likes the collaboration that is present in the creation and production of No Filter off and on stage. “You’re having thoughts running through your mind 24/7. If you’re working on the creative field, especially you have new ideas (on how) to attack a certain piece, whether it be a painting or an acting piece or whatever art form it is, you always have thoughts like what if I do my character (this way or that way). And it’s so hard to improve or even better (your performance) when the person you’re working with is not collaborative. So here, with (The) Sandbox (Collective), people are willing to hear out your opinions, your views on a certain monologue or a certain outfit.”

 According to Jasmine, anyone’s idea or suggestion is given a try. If it works, then the idea will be incorporated in the performance. “If they (the people behind No Filter) don’t feel it the first time or even the second time, you just have to compromise, kasi hindi mo na gawa yung idea,” Jasmine says.

Aside from delivering the monologues and taking part in the ensemble portions, Jasmine is challenged to perform before a diverse audience night after night. She has to be on her toes to establish a rapport and a connection with them. Jasmine is not there to “spoon feed” the art and the message that comes with it. She is there to let the audience discover what the play is all about — and the world millennials inhabit and thrive.

“I hope this is something (the next generation will) remember or it will be staged more in the future, maybe not by the original cast members,” ends Jasmine. “With the next generation, we hope they can stage their own No Filter show. Maybe they have to change the monologues, maybe they can create their own monologues for us to understand why they are the way they are. Or if they stage our monologues, they make their generation understand us.”

(No Filter runs until Oct. 25 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight. For ticket inquiries, call 585-6909, 0917-8996680 or 891-9999.)