20 August 2003 | 0800H | Pasig
Drama in the Girl Scouts of the Philippines
Text by: Jean Azucena| Photos by: Jean Azucena
Face it, Filipinos are into drama.
They cannot get enough of it in TV. It is most likely that if you turn on the boob tube at prime time, you would be seeing a soap opera of some sort. Although drama has always been a significant part of the television media, you need to be aware that there too, is drama outside the television, such as dramatic plays in theaters. Theater drama is a lot more different from the drama in television because the people deliver lines with exaggerated actions, _expression, and passion. So where can we find these theaters that hold complete productions?
If you happen to be a college student in a DLSU-Manila and have taken up several Religion subjects, then chances are that you have been required to attend one of the plays that are held at the Girl Scouts of the Philippines theater-auditorium. The auditorium is located at Pope Pius, Padre Faura Street. It offers various plays that are performed by The Tanghalang Batingaw Incorporated. It is an organization that consists of college students from the University of the Philippines in Manila. An equivalent organization in DLSU is the Harlequin Theater Guild.
Being a college student myself, I have already witnessed two of the productions that were held in the Girl Scouts of the Philippines theater—Ang Pipit, and Homeward Bound II. The two drama plays have two things in common with their theme, God and empowerment. Elaine Roxas, the stage manager of the production, explains that these sort of ideas come from their major screen writer and director, Albert Guevarra Angeles, a Cum Laude graduate of Political Science in UP Manila.
The plays that are held there by the Tanghalang Batingaw will usually have characters that are activists. If you are lucky enough at the end of the play, you might find yourself being dragged across the theater and onto the stage by an actor or actress. The plays in the theater always make a point of having audience participation as part of their production. Maybe it’s their own way of involving them in their message of activism.
The productions may not be compared to Broadway any time soon but it sure will make you appreciate theater drama. Plays that are held in the theater will not just be any rushed production because there are usually entrance tickets and the organization will ensure that whatever they perform should be worth your money.
So if you are interested in watching dramatic plays, all you need to do is find out the schedule of the next event at the Girl Scouts of the Philippines Theater-Auditorium. After watching a performance of the Tanghalang Batingaw Incorporated, you just might find yourself being driven to become an activist—or not.
