Stage play for social transformation

The power of a theatrical play to reawaken our soul and inspire societal change has been proven once again. “Sa Ngalan sa Amahan”, a Cebuano play inspired from “Sa Ngalan ng Ama” by Roberto Jose de Guzman, a Palanca Award- winning play for Literature that I recently directed at the Performing Arts Hall of the University of the Philippines Cebu last March 24 and 25, 2023.

It was the pinnacle of my teaching career at the institution, and I was very proud and honored to have the support of the administration, professors, retirees, students, alumni, and supporters of the arts. As I have been giving myself to the communities in the area of empowering the youth through artistic expressions reflecting the reality of the society, even if this includes the maladies and excesses of those in authority, it is an honor that I will bring with me even beyond the frontiers of UP.

The play's title refers to the main character, a retired military general turned politician whose voice has the ability to manipulate and influence the family and his constituents, encompassing both minor and significant decisions made at home, such as children’s choice of career and spouse, and the strict adherence to them. The play showcased the father’s great power and dominion that led to abuses, oppression of women, corruption, and other ill-doings in his own family and regime as a politician and a former military officer.

All human cultures have a tendency to distribute authority among the most powerful members, which takes many subliminal and covert forms. The majority of institutions naturally favor men over women; patriarchy is no exception. It separates society into men and women and maintains that men are stronger, more intelligent, and adept at nearly everything than women, they ought to hold positions of authority.

Although contemporary society and cultures have made some efforts to reject patriarchy, some vestiges still exist and probably will for some time to come. While the custom of adopting one's spouse's last name has come under scrutiny, women have started to hold executive and leadership positions in various organizations, and they have taken on more responsibility as decision-makers and breadwinners in their own households, there is still much work to be done to combat the blatant sexism that exists in patriarchal society.

Three of the most notable and influential people in theater --where the world is a stage-- have had a significant impact on my career as a theater educator. The first is Brazilian playwright Augusto Boal, whose work on the theater of the oppressed inspired me to comprehend and use theater as a tool for social change. The second prominent person in theater is German playwright, director, and poet Bertolt Brecht, whose mission is to transform the bourgeois values of theater and effect political change. The third is Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who promoted the pedagogy of the oppressed as the key to liberation and the awakening of critical awareness thinking process in the individual. As a result, analysis and questioning are preferred to acceptance and providing answers, and using the body to act rather than just talk encourages the audience to become "spect-actors" rather than merely spectators.  The play is ultimately both an epic and a dramatic theater because it allows the audience to be emotionally involved as they sympathize with the characters while also keeping them removed from the play's action to enable them to freely focus on the play's bigger social themes.

Padayon ta mga artista ng bayan! Mabuhi ang Bantawan!