You catch them looking up then reading a huge sheet of paper… circumspect, whispering, astir, mysterious and seemingly irrelevant to the hurricane that’s about to blow.
They are the lighting designers. They can make or break a show. They are the first ones on stage, the last to leave, and barely take a bow. They have a personality layout all their own.
Many I have worked with, especially in my youth, were a bit brash. In retrospect, I realize that most young creative artists face a scourge. A neophyte choreographer will be anxious about the story, steps, dancers, costumes and sets. The lights come last when the mind is exhausted. Lighting designers, therefore, are left to fend for themselves.
He is often forced to design cues with a vague concept of the ballet or drama. When the choreographer or director does not like what he sees, he tells him so, oblivious to the fact that the lights have been rigged, focused, plotted manually or computerized. A single change will take the crew hours of refocusing. Usually, for a production in the Philippines, there’s no time for that. Lack of communication brings about rancor and animosity. I learned my lesson and took a closer look at these "creatures from outer space."
Naomi Matsumoto, whom we call "Shoko" (meaning light-lady), is a Japanese lighting designer who has a string of remarkable works in the country. Little Mermaid, Luna: An Aswang Romance, Lapu- Lapu Rock Opera, Illustrado, Larawan, the Musical, and my own Peter Pan are some of the productions that have luxuriated in the dazzle of her designs. She has also worked in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, U.K., Taiwan, Germany, Hong Kong, U.S.A., Russia, Egypt, Canada and France.
Her gaunt figure is bound to fool many. Within that frail structure is dynamite focus. Funny that I mention that word. Shoko is severely professional. As I said, other designers go to a few runs and take off with tentative assumptions of the show. Not Shoko. She attends rehearsals repeatedly endeavoring to understand every single scene.
Who knows what she sees as artists strut in front of her. Motley patterns of colors and hues perhaps. She has a copy of the script on which she draws peculiar figures abreast of notes. She watches keenly trying to figure out her myriad designs. A week after, she presents them with the intensity of an army general who has planned a good battle. Well, she’s a gas and electrical welder and an electrical engineer to boot.
I am no longer a young choreographer and when Shoko sat down with me to discuss each scene of Ballet Philippines’ Peter Pan – on its umpteenth run – I looked at her straight in the eye. I confidently described to her what each scene entailed.
"I want soft oranges to indicate warmth in the Lost Boys’ scene," I said, "and a liquid blue for the mermaids."
"Yes, Yes! I see what you mean!" she smiled.
Phew. She gave me a design that danced its own little minuets and added a gentle brilliance to the ballet.
Why Shoko chose to reside in the country no one knows for sure. She has an endearing Filipino accent that can only come from Japan. This iron firefly has a mission here. She began sharing her expertise with young designers in numerous workshops giving birth to the Sinag Arts Foundation.
Negotiating venues had always been a dilemma. So Shoko and her team decided to build a permanent place for their workshops. And somewhere in the remote districts of Mandaluyong burgeoned their castle.
"Oooh," people whooped. "How daring."
Indeed. She’s iron enough to go for a dream no matter what the cost.
Now we find a permanent school for technical skills in theater in the Sinag Arts Studio. These skills are wanting in our country and there is no better qualified person than Shoko to instigate this project. She bravely transformed a warehouse into a venue for workshops and performances in any field of the arts. Here, she and her staff will mold set, costume, props and lighting designers, people from all walks of life from all over the country.
I find it generous of the Japanese master to serve the Filipinos. Shoko will share the secrets of the dark sanctuary where an extraordinary cult resides. Pretty soon a multitude of productions will enjoy the hues and patterns of Filipino designers whose creations will come with the same intensity and professionalism as that of Shoko’s.
On-stage training for actors and backstage training for the technical staff is the best way to educate neophytes. This direct participation equals professional experience, something that is hard to drive past amateurs. Target participants are artists, performers, theater crew, stagehands and crafts people. All of them will be working together, learning together.
The Sinag workshops include: Lighting Design, covering topics on safety, plan making, and operation; Theater Photography, with basic photography, light, equipment and photo-etiquette; Mold Making, that have experiments with materials like resin and plaster of Paris; Sound and Acoustics, that focus on sound equipment and acoustical room design; Costume Design and Make-up, where designs, costing and recycling of materials are taken up; Drafting and Plan Making, for skills in drawing and measurement accuracy in designs; Power Tools, intended for carpenters, electricians, craftsmen, stage assistants and personnel; and Concept to Model Making, for conceptualizing sets, plan making and model making.
Located at 664 San Ignacio St., Brgy. Plainview, Mandaluyong City is a 400-square meter studio, the birthplace of these new professionals in theater. It is accessible to people from Makati, San Juan, Quezon City and Pasig.
The building is incomplete and there is insufficient funding for its completion. I would like to call the attention of entrepreneurs, government and private benefactors to take a look at this edifice under construction. The Sinag Arts Foundation needs P2 million to proceed with the project.
It is terribly expensive for a group of artists and technicians. There are those who can toss a few shillings to nurture a womb that will incubate talent the country can be proud of. So many talented Filipinos will benefit from it. Let’s give them that light.