Seeing ghosts, bending time
By Walter Ang
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:37:00 02/09/2009 Filed Under: Theatre, here.
TONY Perez is popularly known as the founder of the Spirit Questors, a group of psychics who “communicate with earthbound human spirits and elementals in an attempt to negotiate for the peaceful coexistence with human beings.”
He is also known as the author of a series of books set in Cubao with eerie titles such as “Cubao Pagkagat ng Dilim,” “Cubao Midnight Express,” “Eros, Thanatos, Cubao.” Some readers know him as the author of a series of books on how to cast spells and perform Wiccan rituals.
Perez wrote segments for the movie “Shake, Rattle and Roll VI.” Students from De La Salle University-Manila, St. Scholastica’s College and Ateneo de Manila University, who have had him as a professor, know of his passion for esoterica.
Aside from being a poet, painter, graphic designer, illustrator, art therapist and fabric artist (by way of knitting), he is also known as a prolific playwright whose works are constantly staged by professional and collegiate groups.
Given his background, it is no wonder that his play “Saan ba Tayo Ihahatid ng Disyembre,” to be staged by Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta) this month, has been billed as a “ghost play.”
Metaphysical
It revolves around Lalaki (alternately played by Julienne Mendoza and Jack Yabut) and Isa Pang Lalaki (played by Lex Marcos) and their love affair with the same woman, Babae (Angeli Bayani), who is torn between her feelings for the two.
These are the characters comprising “five generations of the David clan as they attempt to complete the unfinished painting of their Lolo, on the condition that it must be done only by an artist who has married into their fold.”
But there is a fourth entity, Isa Pang Babae, who has, as Peta artistic director Maribel Legarda describes, “clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairsentient tendencies.”
Perez is quick to note that “Disyembre” “is not just about ghosts. It is really more about elements of time and space manipulation, in that time is simultaneous in this play. It’s very metaphysical.”
Trilogy
It is actually the last of “Indakan ng Mga Puso,” a trilogy Perez has written, the first two being “Oktubre, Noong Tayo’y Nagmamahalan Pa” and “Nobyembre, Noong Akala Ko’y Mahal Kita.” Both were staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in the ’90s.
Last year, Perez won the National Book Award for Drama for another trilogy of plays he’d written. Collectively titled “Tatlong Paglalakbay,” it includes “Bombita,” “Biyaheng Timog” and “Sa North Diversion Road.” The last was adapted into a film in 2005 by Dennis Marasigan.
The overarching theme for all three plays in “Indakan” is friendship, love and compassion despite complications of betrayal, jealousy and anger.
“There are two men and one woman in the first play, two women and one man in the second play,” Perez says. “In ‘Disyembre,’ the third play, all four are present: two males and two females. All three plays are about making choices.”
Challenge
While there is no need for audiences to have seen the first two plays since each of the three functions as an independent play, the fun (or challenge) for audiences in watching this third installment is the device of “time and space manipulation” employed by Perez.
“The first act is set in the 1960s and ghosts from the future (2008) are in the same setting as the characters. In the second act, this is reversed and the ghosts from the 1960s are now with the characters in 2008. All the characters are superimposed on one another,” he says. “It’s now the job of the audience to determine who is who.”
Perez has been writing plays since he was in high school at Ateneo de Manila University. His first Tagalog play saw its earliest incarnation while he was in fourth grade. Eventually it became “Hoy, Boyet, Tinatawag Ka Na; Hatinggabi Na’y Gising Ka Pa Pala” when he reached high school, and was staged by Dulaang Sibol in 1967.
He was also involved for many years with Ateneo Children’s Theater, starting out as “a monster designer” until he became its resident playwright.
While “Disyembre” was only recently committed to paper, Perez notes it has always been fully formed in his mind. It was just a matter of timing until it could be written out and, finally, staged.
“Disyembre” will be directed by Nonon Padilla. The collaboration is familiar ground for Perez since both he and Padilla started out as young artists working closely with Peta.
Save for attending rehearsals to tweak some dialogue (“I adjust the lines to follow the speech patterns of the actors”), Perez trusts Padilla’s choices completely. “I have no problems with his direction.”
“Saan ba Tayo Ihahatid ng Disyembre” runs from Feb. 6-March 15. For details, call 410-0821 or 0918-906-8083. Email petampro@yahoo.com.
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My leather-bound "Ichabod Crane" journal and brass-ferrule dip pen with peacock feathers on top of my "Virginia Woolfe" writing tablet, replete with ink holder, vintage ink bottle--and rose cyclamen ink! The tablet was especially created for me by antique dealer and restorer Gerry Esposo, father of Lady, a former college student of mine.
2006 Book-Signing at Tiendesitas, Pasig City, sponsored by Anvil Publishing, Inc. Photo by fellow-writer and colleague Boy Martin. My writing "paraphernalia," as Boy calls them, from Left to Right: portable neo-classical mahogany campaign desk organizer with miniature drawers and shelves; paraffin oil lamp; silver seal ring; goose-feather quill pen; brass Italian monogram seal; tin box of sealing wax sticks, Sailor ink bottle with orange fountain pen ink; and portable campaign writing box; all on top of my green satin gypsy tablecloth embroidered with gold stars. I bring my own cloth because co-sponsors are alarmed whenever I spill sealing wax and fountain pen ink.
In this photo I am signing a book for Boy, wearing my signature antique "vampire" bat ring with a black star sapphire from Khabul. A fan is reading a volume from my Sitio Catacutan Series in the background. Yes, I do wear glasses when I read, write, and paint, but I can manage without distance glasses.
After signing this book Boy and I had a long conversation about our country's current political and economic situation, and how the efforts of our classmates Emman Lacaba, Bill Begg, and company, who were tortured and killed during the early martial law years, seem to have come to naught.
In this photo I am signing a book for Boy, wearing my signature antique "vampire" bat ring with a black star sapphire from Khabul. A fan is reading a volume from my Sitio Catacutan Series in the background. Yes, I do wear glasses when I read, write, and paint, but I can manage without distance glasses.
After signing this book Boy and I had a long conversation about our country's current political and economic situation, and how the efforts of our classmates Emman Lacaba, Bill Begg, and company, who were tortured and killed during the early martial law years, seem to have come to naught.
