Ateneo Children's Theater stages 'Batang Rizal'

MANILA, Philippines - For its 78th season, Ateneo Children’s Theater (ACT) stages Batang Rizal, the widely popular children’s play penned by Ateneo faculty member Christine Bellen, who weaves together elements of the past and present to bring to life the legacy of national hero Jose Rizal.

Batang Rizal explores the life of Pepe, the young Rizal, juxtaposed with the life of Pepito, the modern-day Filipino kid studying in a public school serendipitously named Rizal Elementary School. Trouble begins when Pepito accidentally damages a statue of the young Rizal donated by Mayor Rapcu and set to be unveiled during the school’s celebration of Linggo ng Wika. Pepito scrambles to find a replacement fast, his siblings’ scholarships and his own at stake. As Pepito tries to find a solution, he stumbles upon a magical book that takes him to the time of Pepe — the young Rizal. And that’s where his adventures begin.

Originally staged by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) as a traveling production that yielded 99 shows throughout the country, Batang Rizal is an apt contribution by the Ateneo Grade School, through the ACT, to the celebration of Ateneo de Manila’s sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) and its theme of nation-building.   

To prepare for the Ateneo production, Bellen visited the Rizal Room at the Ateneo Library to “feel Rizal’s presence” and to contemplate memories culled from photos, journals and old things. This revisiting breathed new life and ideas into the play.

Head director Ace Elgar and co-directors Jervy Robles, JJ Ignacio, Aids Reyes, Peanuts Valerio and Raissa Bayani, together with the cast and crew made up of grade schoolers from Ateneo, Miriam, and St. Bridget, are hard at work making Batang Rizal a success. New scenes and new songs make Batang Rizal fresh; the stage, designed by alumnus and famed stage designer Gino Gonzales, is also a sight to behold. One of the sets — an elaborate replica of the actual Calamba home of Rizal — will surely awe audiences of the ACT production. 

For Bellen, Batang Rizal is an authentic children’s play, and she has no higher ambition other than to go back to the basic values of changing oneself for the better, taking care of your friends, developing good relationships, and the like — things we learned even before we learned about love of country.

Batang Rizal will be performed Jan. 29 and 30 and Feb. 5 and 6, 6 p.m. at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For tickets, call the Ateneo Grade School at 426-6001, extension 7238 or 7239.