This article discusses on the many factors of how theatre is underappreciated in the Philippines, which is one of the main struggles the theatre scene in the country is facing.
This article discusses the views of Contemporary Philippine theatre. How the media is more accessible than theatre. How economic status of the Filipino people can limit spectators’ ability to witness a play, which can pose a challenge to its popularity, and how theatre also lacks support from its locals.
By: Cora Llamas, Vincen Gregory Yu Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:00 AM April 04, 2020
This article written by Llamas and Yu tackles the business side of the Theatre industry in the Philippines.
“Theater is a time-bound, time-sensitive art form. It’s now or never for very few productions, which is why “The show must go on” has come to be associated with the performing arts, says Pangasinan Rep. Toff de Venecia, managing artistic director of The Sandbox Collective. “However, COVID-19 is a completely distinct creature. Everyone in the industry has been caught off guard by it.
This is the critical assessment of Ms. Katrina Stuart Santiago in the status of Philippine Theatre in Manila. One of the main important issues tackled in the critical assessment is about the status quo of neo colonialism and inequality wherein it talks about the effects or products of colonialism on the Philippine Theatre. Also, it talks about how the two languages which are English and Filipino divides and how it divides two different classes within the theater sector and also what is the effects of it on the difficulty of the text and on how it limits the audience.
The coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines caused a widespread postponement of events, including months-in-the-making theatrical plays. As we assume the death of the Philippines Theatre during the Pandemic. Theatre Performers and Theatre Production learn to adapt base on what the protocol needs. Thousands of theater artists who depend on live performances for their livelihoods have been left abruptly jobless. There were no ways for performers, designers, production workers, or technical team to make money during the crisis. They are exposed if there are no developments in the near future. Theater artists keep their spirits up by shifting the medium of storytelling from onstage to online. Thus, having this change with the medium used the feeling and the chills that the live theatre gives is not there anymore.
Brylle Tabora’s article posted on Philippine Daily Inquirer described our local theatre scene as “theatre in its death throes” (naghihikahos in tagalog). This published material presents the lack of support from the Philippine government unless someone efforts to apply for a grant from people in theatre industry. Also, the urgency of theatre vitality with the theamtic concerns of Filipino Playrights was also discussed by various people.
An-depth article of Rappler’s JC Gotinga focusing on theatre situation of the Philippines during the first months of pandemic on 2020. They set an example particularly about Stella Cañete Mendoza, a renowned theatre artists that has the same exact saddening story with all of Filipinos in theatre industry.