Monday, October 29, 2007
Theater Talk, Atbp. with Floy Quintos
The gist was this: 20 bloggers got to attend a seminar on theater appreciation with renowned playwright and director Floy Quintos, provided we blog about the experience afterward. Given the agenda, I thought this was pretty brilliant.
While I have little experience in performing arts, I've always wanted to learn more about it (or as tone-deaf Kristine of A Chorus Line put it, "What I lack in pitch, I sure make up in power!"), so I decided to go for it. I signed up using my Multiply journal, which is admittedly written more for my personal circle of friends than for the Pinoy blogosphere. Why then is the Theater Talk recap appearing here rather than there? Simple: Theater Talk was the much-needed defibrillator shock that brought this blog back to life, because I think the plea for the Philippine theater cause needs to reach a wider audience. In other words, I'm back, bitches!
The experience was really intimidating, since this was the first time I'd attended an event where I didn't know anybody at all -- not even online. For the first fifteen minutes, as we waited for the staff to finish setting up the seminar room, I did my usual wallflower routine of sitting on a bench and texting. (Yeah, I'm not as snarky in person as I am online.) I kinda wished I'd brought Micmac along, so he could give me the kick in the pants I needed to start talking to people, like that time he dragged my reluctant, chicken ass to get my picture taken with uber-cutie Felix Rivera. =))
Me to Micmac (text message): "Dude, I'm nervous! 'Di ako marunong mag-mingle!"
Micmac: "You look at the person next to you, make a stupid joke, laugh, then introduce yourself. O diba, 'di na strangers :P"
I meandered about the lobby and then went back upstairs to get over my minor case of xenophobia and just introduce myself to these people. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys telling strangers stupid jokes, so I just went straight to "Hi." Yay, new friends. =D I'd known of Shari before through Sir Martin; I was, of course, familiar with AJ through his site (I met Bakla of BaklaAko! And he was fierce!); and being around a guy as friendly (dare I say fabulous?) as Walter could make any shrinking violet feel a little less nervous about themselves. :D We actually got to talk to Floy Quintos himself beforehand, and I explained the six (or less) degrees of separation I had with him: my English Journalism class watched his play, Shock Value, but I didn't get to as I was violently ill that day. I think I still have my unused ticket here somewhere.
For the session, we were asked to remove our shoes, and I realized I picked the wrong day to wear boots. For a more relaxed and interactive session, we would be sitting on mats on the floor, and I realized I picked the wrong day to wear a skirt. ...Yes, I am an idiot. Sartorially and otherwise.
Another noteworthy thing about this session was that we girls were vastly outnumbered by a ton of out-and-proud gay men, which made my inner fag hag jump for joy. Hee-hee. You have to understand, the severe lack of out boys in Batch '08 has made me a little frustrated. I want someone to be the Justin to my Daphne, damn it! [/Queer as Folk reference] Or for a reference closer to home, the Ada to my Didi! I'm really just a gay boy in a straight girl's body, I swear!
At 17, I was the youngest person there, which led to my being branded "the highschooler" and "the virgin." I actually didn't mind. It's a nice change from always being the oldest damn person in the classroom. Anyway, I introduced myself as "Jules," a contraction of "Julie," which in turn is a new nickname I contrived from my name, Jeanne Louise (just transpose the U and L), because I've decided that the nickname "J.C." is both banal and gender-ambiguous, and like "Jeanne," people still manage to misspell it ("Jaycee?" Come on!). I have a plethora of nicknames (Jules/Julie/JC/Jeanne/Jan/Janjalani/JAAAAN!), so just take your pick.
For the getting-to-know-you activity, I was paired with 23-year-old Med Tech major James, and at this point I was already sort of over the "I'm a newbie" nerves. It was really fun talking to you, James! I must say, I was overwhelmed by all the pink on your blog (me: "Did I get the wrong address?"). In case you're still wondering whether or not people can "smell your gayness," let me just say, I didn't. The sporty shirt threw me off! Although in retrospect, I probably should have taken notice when you said you felt old at 23. Hee-hee.
Loved Floy Quintos. Actual topic aside, I admired how engaging he was with the whole room, and I made a few mental notes from this for the next time I speak in public. See, while I can nail the diction and projection just fine in class, I always feel like there's a glass wall separating me from the audience. When Floy talked, he really made a connection with each of us, interacting with us as a room full of individuals rather than a mere sea of faces. If all my teachers could discuss their lessons like this, I'd enjoy school a lot more than I do.
This was, of course, a seminar on theater appreciation, so Floy -- I have a feeling he wouldn't appreciate being called "Mr. Quintos," considering that he's touchy enough at the mention of his age, LOL -- made a compelling case for Pinoy theater. For the vast amount of effort put into each production, theater reaps little rewards in comparison to other industries such as film and television. Theater also has limited appeal for many reasons, including: "The tickets are too expensive," "I'd rather watch a movie," and "Eww, theater? That's so gaaay." As someone who shelled out P1,250 (and an extra P750 for Micmac XD) of my own money to watch Avenue Q, I've got to say it was worth every cent. Even if you hated it, Floy. Hee. Theater provides an entirely different experience; as Floy said, it creates an "alternative world" that, when well-executed, completely reels you in.
Among my peers, I often feel alone in my appreciation for performing arts (excluding Micmac, Jam, Miggy, Sam, etc., you lovely, oh-so-sophisticated beeatches :D), and it would be great if more people could see and love theater for the beautiful, bastard daughter of the arts that it is. On Floy's behalf, I'm asking you readers to please, see a play sometime. If you find one that's really good, it'll leave you hanging on the edge of your seat with goosebumps on your forearms. It's the greatest mindfuck that money could buy.
There was a raffle after the seminar, and yay me, I won 2 tickets to Dogeaters! I admittedly tend to glaze over at historical plays, but since Floy told me na bagay daw sakin 'to (naks, recommendation!), I'm really looking forward to it. Shempre I've invited my theater buddy Micmac to be my plus one as a "thank you" for helping me through my wallflower-ness and scoring me a picture with Felix Rivera. Oyess. (Speaking of the lovely Felix, I'm totally catching Fiddler on the Roof to see him again! Haha stalker!) It's at the RCBC Plaza ulit, so you'll know which streets to cross this time! XD
I wish I could have stayed longer and mingled at the kainan after the seminar, but unlike most of them, my parents were driving me home, so I couldn't keep them waiting. Heh, I feel nerdy. :P
My biggest thanks to Gibbs Cadiz, Migs and Karla for this great event!
Things I learned today:
- Philippine theatre is terribly underappreciated, and even in this realm, we take a backseat to the Western world.
- Never wear boots to a performing arts seminar unless you're absolutely sure that you won't be required to take them off.
- In that vein, never wear a skirt if they're going to make you sit on the floor.
- Gay people are awesome. Wait, I already knew that. :)
I walked into the PETA Theatre an inexperienced but curious Broadway fan, and I walked out with a heightened appreciation for Philippine theater. And I'm suddenly itching to get my hands on a copy of Zsazsa Zaturnnah.
