The last two shows for Kultura’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest are today. Since my camera is in the shop, I don’t think I’ll be taking any more pictures. Besides, I’m still stuck in the tech booth. In any case, below are all the pictures in my gallery for the run of the play. I might still add some soon, but don’t bet on it. I’ll probably only get to shoot more when we resume rehearsals for Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo. That will run starting February 21. Enjoy!

Tags: Kultura, The Importance of Being Earnest, gallery, Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo, Canon, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM, EOS 350D

Kultura stages Oscar Wilde’s

The Importance of Being Earnest
&
Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo

On the heels of its successful staging of Yazmina Reza’s Tony Award-winning play Art, Kultura presents another ground-breaking theatrical experience: a double production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The original play in English will be presented alongside a new Filipino “transplantation” of the same play, entitled Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo. “Earnest” will have a 10-show run from Feb. 10 to 17, while “Seryo” will have a 10-show run from Feb. 21 to 28. Both plays are co-presented by JVC Everio Hard Disk Camcorder G Series.

Subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” The Importance of Being Earnest is Wilde’s most popular and successful work. It became an instant hit when it opened in London in 1895, and went to be generally acknowledged as one of the greatest comedies of all time. The play tells the story of two wealthy young gentlemen who escape responsibility whenever possible. Both masquerading under the name of “Ernest” (or “Sergio” in the Filipino version), they manage to win the love of their respective sweethearts, who both claim they could only love a man with that particular name. As expected, chaos breaks out when the truth is revealed, and the characters become entangled in a series of uproarious mistaken identities.

[more…]

Tags: Kultura, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo

Due to recent events, the following showdates of “The Comedy of Errors” have been cancelled:
February 24 (FRI), 7:45 p.m.
February 25 (SAT), 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.

The play’s run will resume next week, with the following playdates set:
March 1 (WED), 7:45 p.m.
March 2 (THU), 7:45 p.m.
March 4 (SAT), 7:00 p.m.

Please wait for announcements on possible extra shows.

Thank you, and for any inquiries, you may contact 0917-8334564.

Marie Puyat
Audience Development & Marketing Officer
Office of Student Affairs - Kultura Desk
University of Asia and the Pacific
637-0912 loc. 380 (telefax) / mpuyat@uap.edu.ph

Another couple of hours have passed and now my mood has swung again. I’ve been ignoring the drama in the streets, but now the drama has reached out to me and stuck its ugly head in front of my face. I thought I had found sanctuary here in my room, but I’ve been proven wrong. I’m now tempted to tune into the news broadcasts on TV.

Once again, though, I’m playing the exhaustion card. I refuse watch the news. I’m tired of hearing about the mess this country is in. I’m tired of people whining and marching in the streets. I’m tired of all the grandstanding, finger-pointing, and mudslinging going in government. I’m just plain tired.

That being said, I will rest once again.

Catch Kultura’s next major theatrical production: Eugene Ionesco’s “THE LESSON”, directed by Tinette Villanueva, which opens on November 9 (Wednesday) for an 8-show run until November 14 (Monday).A young Pupil (GABRIELLE REYES) arrives, excited for her first lesson with her new tutor - a tightly-wound and timid Professor (EDGAR ALAN ZETA-YAP). At first, the student seems promising and bright. However, as her limitations become evident, the professor’s frustration and aggression grow. Though an obsequious Maid (MARIE PUYAT) warns the professor not to get carried away, the professor’s exasperation leads to his increasingly ridiculous teachings, and the day’s lesson takes a perilous turn.

Ionesco’s 1951 classic one-act comedy helped usher in the Theater of the Absurd, a movement in dramatic literature based on existentialist philosophy. The playwrights loosely grouped under the label of the absurd endeavor to convey their sense of anxiety and wonder in the face of a bewildering universe. The surreal situations portrayed in their works aimed to shake viewers out of their conventional lives of everyday concerns. The movement’s development was strongly influenced by horrors of World War II, which showed the impermanence of values, shook the validity of conventions and highlighted the precariousness of human life.

“THE LESSON” is the 11th major theatrical production of Kultura, an arts center lodged in UA&P’s Office of Student Affairs. In addition to the shows, discussions on the Theater of the Absurd will be conducted on the play’s opening date (November 9, Wednesday), for those who are interested in learning more about the movement.

Playdates:
Nov. 9, 2005 (Wed)
1:00 p.m. (Show #1)
2:00 p.m. (Discussion on the Theater of the Absurd)
4:00 p.m. (Show #2)
5:00 p.m. (Discussion on the Theater of the Absurd)
7:45 p.m. (Show #3)

Nov. 10, 2005 (Thu)
7:45 p.m. (Show #4)

Nov. 11, 2005 (Fri)
7:45 p.m. (Show #5)

Nov. 12, 2005 (Sat)
6:00 p.m. (Show #6)
8:00 p.m. (Show #7)

Nov. 14, 2005 (Mon)
7:45 p.m. (Show #8 - last show)

Venue:
PLDT Lecture Hall
4th floor, APEC Communications Bldg.
University of Asia and the Pacific
Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Free admission for UA&P students, faculty and staff (please present your valid UA&P I.D. at the entrance).

Tickets at P150.

For inquiries, contact the Kultura Audience Development Officer at 637-0912 loc. 380 or mpuyat@uap.edu.ph.

They came. They sang. They conquered.

The UA&P Chorale, the first and only Asian entry in the recently concluded 11th International Choral Competition of Sacred Music, claimed the gold medal and the highest marks in all three categories they joined - Mixed Choir, Mixed Youth Choir, and Mixed Ensemble Chamber Choir. They also won a prize for best folklore performance for their rendition of Ruben Federizon’s Gabaq-an. Overall, the UA&P Chorale was the most awarded choir in the festival.

The competition, part of the 23rd International Choral Festival of Preveza, was held from July 7 to 10, 2005 in Preveza, Greece and participated in by over a dozen choirs from all over Europe.

The UA&P Chorale will be back in Manila on Friday, July 15, and will be performing again the next week. Their homecoming concert, Amazing Greece, will be held on July 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Li Seng Giap Auditorium.

for ticket inquiries, please contact Ms. Marie Puyat at +63.2.63710912 local 380… but do so after the 15th.

I haven’t been able to get online for quite a while, so this is a bit delayed. As of this post, two of the shows are already over. Anyway, here I go…

Be one of the first to watch CLYTEMNESTRA, Kultura’s 10th year season-ender and, incidentally, also its 10th major theatrical production. The first show will be this Saturday, February 26, at 8 p.m., Dizon Auditorium, UA&P.

Written in Filipino by UA&P alumnus and Palanca award winner Christian R. Vallez, and directed by Tinette Villanueva, CLYTEMNESTRA is a retelling of Aeschylus “Oresteia.” Set after the Trojan War, the play recounts how Clytemnestra murdered the victorious Agamemnon as he arrives home and how Orestes, their son, murders Clytemnestra to avenge his father.

We’ve had shows on the 26th of February, and earlier this evening. Upcoming shows will be at 8:00 PM on the 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th of March at the Celestino Dizon Auditorium in the University of Asia & the Pacific. Please check the poster or scroll down for more details.

CAST:
Frankie Pascua, RJ Torres, Carlo Jimenez, JR Magboo, Jose Miciano, Alessa de Rivera, Elaine Tan, Shara Jacinto, Eds Agapito, Wanwan Rapisora, Angel Santos, Tricia Fermin, Powie Espineli, Katt Manso, JJ Rimando, Jardy Adolfo, John Montoya, Roni Balbieran

PLAYDATES:
February 26 (Sat.), March 1 (Tue.), March 3 (Thu.), March 5 (Sat.), March 9 (Wed.), March 10 (Thu.), March 11 (Fri.), March 12 (Sat.)

ALL SHOWS BEGIN AT 8:00 PM.

VENUE:
Celestino Dizon Auditorium
University of Asia and the Pacific
Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
* You may avail of FREE PARKING along Pearl Drive, or use UA&P’s pay parking lot along Escriva Drive (formerly Amber).

Free admission for UA&P students, faculty and staff. Tickets for non-UA&P guests are sold at Php 150 each.

For inquiries, please contact Ms. Marie Puyat at
637-0912 loc. 380, 0922-4959340, or
mpuyat@uap.edu.ph.