'Senaculo' still lives on in Bulacan after 91 years

HAGONOY, Bulacan, Philippines – Despite budget constraints and the proliferation of highly budgeted movies, community theaters depicting the passion of Jesus Christ known as the senaculo still thrive in this town for 91 years now.

Elsewhere in the province, similar community theater presentations are shown every night before younger audiences.

Herminio Florentino of the Samahang Matiyaga Senaculista ng San Sebastian said they almost missed the 91st year of staging the senaculo.

“We have ample budget so we try to make up with our production,” he said in Filipino, referring to the production they are staging until Friday night.

Florentino said in the past they staged the senaculo for five nights from Monday to Friday, but because of lack of funds they trimmed down the nightly presentation to three.

“We made some adjustments on the script so we could continue with the senaculo,” he said, adding that they were encouraged by the loyalty of their audience who has followed and supported them for many years.

“It is part of our community life and annual tradition since the last century,” said Isagani Giron, a local historian.

He said the annual senaculo has its own appeal to local residents.

“It is close to the hearts of the people despite the primitive way of presentation compared to the highly budgeted and fast-paced movies of today,” Giron said.

A stage actor, a director and producer of senaculo, Giron said the local staging of the passion of Jesus Christ has changed from the traditional form to melodramatic and even radical interpretations through the years.

However, the essence has remained centered on the life of Jesus Christ, focusing on His last days before the crucifixion at Calvary based on biblical accounts.

Giron said the traditional senaculo is played on stage by actors who recite verses.

However, in the modern presentation, actors usually lip-synch the parts because producers and directors have learned to record dialogues ahead. 

The manner of delivering dialogues between actors is also different as they now use drama rather than the recitation of poetry-type verses.

Even the musical background has changed which Giron and other producers like Vicente Enriquez Jr. of VSE Production said was part of the influence of the radical musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

However, they said many groups like the Samahang Matiyaga Senaculista in this town and the Tikay Senaculo Group in Malolos City continue to maintain the traditional senaculo, which has been attracting people.

One of the earliest known stage plays on the passion of Christ was played in the Bavarian village of Oberammergau in Germany in 1634.

The stage play continues up to this day with some 2,000 villagers performing every 10 years. It was staged last year in Oberammergau and will be staged again in 2020.

In the Philippines, the earliest stage play on the passion of Christ was performed in 1888, followed by the staging of the senaculo here in 1920 and in Malolos City in 1925.