By Chan Sze-Wei (945 words, 9-minute read) “There are so many taboos and judgements around our bodies and the politics they carry. Let’s take the leap to talk and dance about tough questions. Let’s be unashamed. Walang hiya.” Over two weeks this February in Manila and Singapore, a group of dancers came together to look …
“At the Malasimbo music and arts festival, there are 5,000 people of about 30 different nationalities. There are Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Japanese, among many others, and like them, I am a foreigner here. I am Filipino yet I do not belong to the community of Puerto Galera nor have I been to the other municipalities …
The music festival that wants you to care about cultural preservation [Philippines] Read More »
“If you’ve ever taken a class on Philippine history, you’d know about the Battle of Manila — but perhaps not well enough. While you might picture a day of fighting that led to the liberation of Manila in World War II, in truth, the battle lasted the duration of February 3, 1945 to March 3, …
Remembering the brutal battle that changed Manila forever [Philippines] Read More »
“They could have been staging Shakespeare. Instead, this year’s batch of theater students from the Philippine High School for the Arts, aged 12 to 18, take on the difficult task of protest in a post-truth world. “A lot of our students [were] troubled and they don’t know what to believe in,” explained their directing and …
A new generation finds its voice in protest theater [Philippines] Read More »
“Queer cinema in the Philippines is going through some kind of resurgence. Although LGBTQ stories have always had a constant presence in local film — a number of iconic LGBTQ classics enjoyed mainstream success from the late 70’s to the early 90’s — the number of local pink movies released per year had dwindled dramatically. …
Coming out and breaking through: The Philippine queer cinema roundtable [Philippines] Read More »
At the opening of Art Fair Philippines in Manila last month, a young sound artist named Jon Romero was using an overseas visitor to conduct electricity between metal sheets. Each time Romero tapped on the visitor’s arm, the electrical charge created a sound. Romero began playing the visitor like an instrument. “It’s the electricity flowing …
“The Philippines and Hungary on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation that is expected to further enhance bilateral ties between the two countries. The MOU is between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) – Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) of Hungary. It was signed …
Philippines to boost ties with Hungary on culture and the arts Read More »
SEATTLE, Washington — The public is invited to a special cultural night presentation of the hit musical “Here Lies Love” on June 3, 5:30 p.m. at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Seattle’s Philippine Soiree is presented by three-time Tony and Grammy Award-winner Jhett Tolentino, in cooperation with FYLPRO. “Here Lies Love” tells the story of the eventful …
Seattle soiree for musical on rise and fall of the Marcoses (via Inquirer.net) Read More »
Written by Liza Magtoto with music by Vince de Jesus and directed by Maribel Legarda, The Care Divas revolves around the struggle of five Filipino caregivers in Israel. However, this struggle is a mere background to the real struggle with their sexual identities as bakla (Filipino gay men) in this predominantly Jewish nation. (Read more …
Dulaang UP’s current production, Rody Vera’s Filipino adaptation of Faust, directed by José Estrella, at once seeks to stay true to the spirit of and attempts to contemporize Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous Manichean drama that was resolutely rooted in the Romantic vision of its own time.
In a heated political climate, art turns radical in order to address the struggles of a society always at the cusp of a social upheaval. Art Fair Philippines 2017 highlights the work of social realists, inviting audiences to reevaluate the role of art in their daily lives. Tags: Art Fair Philippines CNN Philippines Political Art Politics
Poklong Anading is a 41-year-old Filipino artist with an unruly mop of hair and an extremely diffident manner. Featured in the “No Chaos, No Party: 28 Artists in Metro Manila” book (a project by Valeria Cavestany edited by Eva McGovern-Basa) and also participating in the ongoing 2017 Art Fair Philippines, Poklong has emerged as one the …
BAGUIO CITY — The University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) will formally open its ethnographic museum, the Museo Kordilyera, on January 31. Tags: Museo Kordilyera museum
At seven years old, Flora Mae lost her father Lindo Lupugan, one of the 58 individuals who were brutally killed in barangay Salman, Ampatuan town, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009. Flora Mae, the youngest of three siblings, was her father’s favorite, her mother Arlene told Bulatlat. Now a Grade 8 student, Arlene said that after …
Children of Ampatuan Massacre victims turn to art to demand justice Read More »
In celebration of the National Arts Month in February 2017, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) recuperates the kuwentong bayan (folk narratives such as epics, myths, legends, folk tales, etc.) as important repository of ideas, information and even knowledge through a festival billed Salaysayan: K’wentong Byan, Kaalamang Bayan (Storytelling: Folk Narratives, Folk Knowledge). Tags: …
The successful staging in 2014 of the opera adaptation of Rizal’s masterpiece by National Artist for Music Felipe de Leon, with libretto by another National Artist, Guillermo Tolentino, led to Sibal’s decision to mount another, and bigger, production under his own outfit J&S Pro ductions. And this time he is the director, artistic director, stage, …
Makati’s Central Business District (CBD) becomes a stage for the arts in February as it transforms into a living, breathing and more relatable art gallery. In a country whose attention is held captive by recurring problems and whose eyes are focused on finding ways to put food on the table and get through the day, …
Art Fair PH transforms Makati CBD into art gallery Read More »
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the comedic play that opens Repertory Philippines’ 2017 season and its 50th anniversary, has got more going for it than a chockfull of references to the despondent characters, dreary settings, and poignant stories of Anton Chekhov. “You don’t need to know Chekov to enjoy it,” said acclaimed award-winning …
‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’: An all-star family feud Read More »
In celebration of the National Arts Month in February 2017, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) through the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts recuperates the kuwentong bayan (folk narratives such as epics, myths, legends, folk tales, etc.) as important repository of ideas, information and even knowledge through a festival billed Salaysayan: …
The mere mention of “Ballet Philippines” brings one’s thoughts to ballet dancers performing a world-class production at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). But amidst the awe of such flawless performances, often, one finds himself wondering how much time, discipline, artistry, and passion is entailed to come up with one successful show. Tags: …
Beyond the Grand Plié: Ballet Philippines (via Murphy Report) Read More »
Tags: Die Beautiful Metro Manila Film Festival
Tags: Martha Atienza
Tags: Cyrano de Bergerac Sarswela
Jasmine Curtis-Smith won Best Actress for her role in the movie Baka Bukas, while the gay-themed coming-of-age flick 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten was declared Best Picture. (ABS-CBN) Tags: LGBT
The Philippine Educational Theatre Association’s The Tempest Reimagined (11 Nov – 4 Dec 2016) fuses the survivor stories of 2013′ Typhoon Hainan/Yolanda, which claimed 6000 lives, with Shakespeare’s classic tale of a catastrophic storm and its aftermaths. Read Murphy Report’s interview with Marsha Roddy, the Production Designer.
