Their World’s a Stage

These plucky individuals may never get a curtain call, much less be beseiged for autographs by fans as they cross the theater lobby. But even if they work in the background and–literally–"get lost in the scenery", these "techies" deserve a standing ovation.

PATDAT is the acronym for the Philippine Association of Theater Designers, Architects and Technicians. And if any one group deserves to be pushed center stage and accorded plaudits and kudos, they’re it. Despite grumblings last year of Miss Saigon signalling the death of Philippine theater, it’s an invigorated and flourishing theater scene that we see today. Whether by virtue of sponsors or die-hard patrons (and when, can I ask, will endowments or national grants play a role?), a gamut of productions see the light of day each season.

Thankfully, the variety, range and sheer number of these "live shows" are providing the dedicated members of PATDAT a constant stream of challenges and steady work (read: income).

Theater-goers, those who enjoy the performing arts, take much for granted, especially when it comes to matters that are technical in nature. Scenery, stage and costume design, lighting are essential elements which make or break a production, or move it to a notch above all others. Yet, when everything goes as planned, we just take it in, sit back and enjoy the show, without much regard for the exacting and demanding work that went into play to achieve "perfection". But when things go wrong, we’re more than ready to fume, complain or laugh and hoot in derision. Think about it: it’s a fine line between these "technical" purveyors of the theater scene and their "creative" counterparts. And while it’s easy to relegate these aspects of production to backstage, there is in fact a lot of creativity and artistry involved in mastering these "technical matters".

Picture this: your main character Othello is declaiming, lit up centerstage; the scheming and plotting Iago has to be suitably lighted too, even while remaining "in shadow". The audience has to discern him and be cognizant of his presence yet the lighting has to maintain the credibility of Othello being oblivious of Iago’s presence.

Similarly, scenography is crucial in suggesting or evoking the various settings of the events transpiring onstage. It’s practically a science in properly planning and managing the lighting that will be utilized throughout a production. The changing of scenery and its initial execution is likewise plotted with minute attention to detail. Sound is also essentially "managed". Beyond the dialogue, there are nuances that have to be placed in exposition. Whispers and asides have to carry as effectively as monologues and screams; sound effects have to be timed to perfection or end up in bathos.

I’m with Salvador Bernal, Monino Duque and Teodoro Hilado. To say I’m with the masters of stage craft would be belaboring the obvious. They’re majorly involved, along with other stage tech-ies, in the mounting of Hugis at Hubog, an exhibition of works by professional theater designers, craftsmen and technicians, set to open on Tuesday at the Metropolitian Museum of Manila (the exhibit runs until January 5, 2002). It dovetails nicely with a visit from country representatives of the oistat, a loose international confederation of scenographers and stage technicians. Set up to stimulate the exchange of ideas and methods among those in the technical side of the world of peforming arts, PATDAT represents the Philippines and plays host in a three-day conference also at the Metropolitan Museum to these international delegates who have braved traveling in these troubled times, "for Art’s sake".

The dedication and craft which these practitioners regularly exhibit will finally be put on display. There’s even an historical perspective which will show the evolution of theater and live performances here in the Philippines. As Bernal relates, "While there are certain conventions and the changes in these conventions signalled shifts in the nuances of the relationship between performers and the audience, it’s all done with the aim of enhancing what the performance can offer. We can’t really compete with the movies in terms of spectacle or effects; but the fact that we’re ‘live’ will always mean there’s something special about theater. The immediacy, the intimacy, is something we have to continuously develop to maintain that distinction."

Hilado continues, "And now we have the new technology, multimedia applications, revolutionary equipment, computer programming–all these are means to enhance the intimacy which only the theater can provide; to be free to create different levels of this intimacy. And as we move from the picture frame stage to open stage or thrust stage, there are new considerations in lighting and scenography that come into play. That’s why it’s a constant challenge. There are no set rules that apply. While technical in classification, there’s still artistry and creativity at play."

He continues: "The misconception is that lighting is visibility. But that’s not lighting design, that’s merely illumination. True lighting design has to have all four elements present; namely, that it’s functional, aesthetically pleasing, convenient (as in easy to operate) and cost-efficient (where all the different types of lighting is considered, as with energy consumption)."

In a practical sense, these members of PATDAT are the masters of the trade which any savvy audience will know are so essential to the successful mounting of almost any type of production. Whether a theater performance, opera, ballet, fashion show or musical revue, it’s a highly collaborative activity. And while one can half in jest refer to theater as "the last autocracy on this earth", the reality would suggest that sure, the director may reign supreme, but his/her success is only as good as the people he/she has working with him/her.

Then I asked about the "respect" these technicians get within the industry, they had to break into smiles. "There is so much we can do and with the technology on call, if we are given the time for preparation; the perfor-mers, the directors, the audience would join us on seventh heaven. But the reality is we’re often given three to four days to set up. Look at the production schedule of Miss Saigon–two months for the scenery and a whole month for lighting. While this may have been extreme, any West End or Broadway production will still have at least a week for setting up the lighting designs. The reality is it costs to book the theater, and maybe we are our own worst enemy–given the limited time, we still produce, working over 24 hours per day for the three days alloted!" And the laughter was unanimous.

Another aspect of "respect" was brought up by Monino. "It’s funny, but in my experience, the more professional, the greater the artist, the easier they are to work with. The tantrums, the temper–for me they’re more myth than fact. My best example is Dame Margot Fonteyn. The first time I worked with her, she specified a color for her light requirement that I knew would not work. The director, her friends, watching the rehearsals, all noticed something was not quite right. So she came to me; said she would trust me on whatever adjustments I would make and ever since, she always asked for me when she came to town. It has something to do with their understanding our necessity."

While PATDAT is still relatively young, its aim is true. It would like to expand as quickly as possible to be truly national. Theater is also flourishing in the provinces, and through seminars and forums, the exchange of ideas, the meeting of like minds, can only improve the theater scene all over the country. Eventually, they’d also like to operate like Actor’s Equity, protecting the interests of their members. The three concurred that the majority of artists still can’t live off their craft alone; but this is true of the Arts in general. But to the extent that they can help professionalize and call attention to the industry, they’re ready to take center stage.