Theaterf survival

As it turned out, he didn’t do anything wrong. His teacher had noticed some acting abilities and had him to do a mock clean-up, to see how he responded to orders.

"I thought I was being punished for something I did or didn’t do," he reveals, "but it turned out that it was just an audition. I guess I passed with flying colors because from then on, I became part of the annual school play. It’s funny because it was an all-boys school and I did the female roles. My mother, who was a dressmaker, made costumes for me. That was my first introduction to the world of theater."

And it was definitely the start of something big for Tony, the guiding light of the Gantimpala Theater Foundation. He is chairman and founding artistic director for the company, which kicked-off its 26th season earlier this month. Gantimpala, which relies exclusively on ticket sales, has battled many plights and almost skidded into the pit of financial ruin. But it somehow survived the years of hardship and hung on, cautiously adapting to whatever fate had in store. And the man behind it all was naturally in very high spirits a few weeks ago. He gamely talked about his life, the upcoming plays, projects and the local theater industry over a glass of dalandan juice and cottage cheese pizza.

"I’m really excited about this season. Our play this month, Ibong Adarna, was very well-received critically. And I’m sure all of the other subsequent plays will be just as good. I just hope it is also a commercial success. It has to be or else we wouldn’t be able to afford it," Tony says.

Five of the eight plays this season will run for a month. This means through mid-February 2004 and Tony Espejo will be a very busy person until then. He will be on top (administratively) of such classics like Florante at Laura, Kanser (Noli Me Tangere) and El Filibusterismo. Others included in the line-up are Parting at Calamba, Wanted: A Chaperone, Silang Magigiting and Grethology (an English play).

"It’s going to be tough, as it always is for Gantimpala financially. As you know it has been a struggling 25 years for us. But I’m still excited after all this time, you know. Every season gets me going and it feels like I’ve just begun in the field every year," he admits.

It is quite an odd thing to say for a 55-year-old man who had spent more than half his life in the theater, but Tony makes it sound lucid. He chews on pizza, takes another sip of juice and smiles. "I wouldn’t lie, you know," and adds, "If I did I wouldn’t have made it this far."

Perhaps not, but he still would have achieved quite a lot. Because Tony Espejo is a simple man who knows what he wants and goes for it. Of course, the addition of brilliance and talent on and behind the stage didn’t hurt either.

Spanning nearly three decades of theater experience, Tony earned his degree in Liberal Arts and Education at De La Salle University and took up his masters in theater at Ateneo de Manila. He then honed his theatrical skills in England, first as a student of English Literature at Gonville College and later at Cambridge University. He also became the first Filipino to receive a diploma in production and stage management from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (rada).

"There were about 200 applicants and only five of us were accepted at rada," he shares. "I was thrilled but I didn’t have enough money for the tuition, which was very expensive. So I asked then Ambassador (Jaime) Zobel de Ayala to help me get a scholarship there. He did and I was on my way!"

He continues, "I owe a lot to him (Zobel). He gave me monthly allowances out of his own pocket just so I could keep up with the steep prices in London. And so I had to make good there and prove to him that his money was well-spent."

Tony, who speaks German, made sure that he did not waste such an opportunity. He directed several plays in the language while living overseas. He also worked in a variety of positions in the theater in England, including being on the management staff of the original West End production of Jesus Christ, Superstar. He accomplished plenty in his four years abroad, but then it was time to come home.

"Although the pay was better in Germany and England, I felt it was payback time so I came back to our country. I thought I owed something to our people and I did. Besides, I felt that I had a bigger chance to improve here artistically," he says.

"It is very unfortunate that there are still a lot of racial discriminations abroad. I had thoughts like ‘how can I, an Asian, direct an English actor?’... that sort of stuff. I could be a great stage manager abroad, no question. But as a great director? It’s very hard because of that."

When Tony got back, he dipped his hands into several adaptations before he realized that while other countries were doing plays in their own language and written by their own people, most Filipino theater groups did Broadway shows instead of those by local playwrights.

"So I went to a library and started browsing through several catalogues. I suddenly came across a manuscript of award-winning pieces written by our fellow countrymen. Ayan naman pala eh! Nandoon na lahat. So I used them. Hence the name Gantimpala," he says.

"We decided to do Katipunan and our first night at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was sold-out," he says with pride. "Most were filed with Filipino-Chinese students and one of the teachers said to me that they have been looking for a play like this that taught students the history of our country. It opened our doors to the public."

Although the Gantimpala Theater Foundation has had its bumps and bruises along the way (it survived after it was booted out from the CCP, ironically when Tony himself was its artistic director), it is still considered one of the top theater groups in the country not only because of longevity but also in terms of significance and impact.

It is now an independent company residing at the Concert at the Park Auditorium in Luneta. It is also, quite impressively, the only theater group that exists solely on ticket sales and not sponsorships, which is how others survive in the business.

Gantimpala also launched this season the highly-touted "TheatreNow", an alternative stage for its mother company, adopting the "laboratory style that encourages fresh experimentation and daring explorations."

"TheatreNow offers a great opportunity for amateur playwrights and actors," explains Tony. "This is because it is always open for auditions, both for company members and outsiders as well. And the material audiences will see here is not regularly in Gantimpala. It will tackle something new and different that people will learn and enjoy."

Despite his obvious love for the theater, there was a time when Tony could not stand seeing one. It was during the 80s, he says (probably after Gantimpala was again booted out from its venue at the Manila Metroplitan Theater), when he just totally burned-out.

"I was just tired. And I did not occupy myself with directing or other nitty-gritty stuff that can drive one mad. It sounds nutty, however, because even though I wanted to get away from it all, I felt that I still had to be involved with Gantimpala somehow. And so I just held on to administrative duties," he says.

It is no surprise then that Tony got back on his feet in a little while and began doing what he does best– again. As a director, Tony has always been "cool and complacent"unlike many other stage bosses who shout at actors whether they like what they see or not.

"I’m usually just very calm. Oh yes, I do get mad, and when I do, I can’t create anymore. I lose my composure and creativity and I just stop. I get what I want from the actors through persuasion or repetition or whatever, but not shouting. I can say I’m quite different from other directors kasi hindi ako nananakot. As a director I always want the play on a bird’s eye view to get the idea of the overall thing," he says. "But I need to love the play that I’m doing, otherwise it just won’t work. Everytime I direct, I try to find something in it that I love. If not the script, the costume designs. If not the stage, the actors. Because if you just force yourself into wrapping up something you hate, it will show. And the audience will kill you for it."

Tony gets hurt when some of his actors, particularly the young ones, fall in love with the theater too much and drop out of school.

"I always advise them not to forget about their schooling. But sometimes they just don’t listen. And the sad part is that I can’t do anything about their decisions. So I just try to make the most of their talents. And although they earn visibly well, it’s still not a permanent job. That’s why I want them to have something to fall back on just in case we close shop," Tony shakes his head.

Fortunately, it doesn’t look that way for the Gantimpala Theater Foundation and its guiding light. It has weathered numerous storms and survived the unpredictability of the theater-going public. And Tony himself promises that they will create more productions "that bring an air of excitement that will invigorate the Philippine contemporary theater scene."

Queried on how long it might be before he finally gives up his directorial chair and retires, Tony laughs, "Most probably five years from now. But hey, I’ve been saying that since I was 30 years old–so I just might change my mind!"