Even cast members find themselves captivated by Irma Adlawan’s (Leda Santos) performance. Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Written and photographed
By Jude Bautista
Auntie Lili: Ang paraan para makamit ang agimat may pagsubok kang dadaaanan. Kelangan mo ng katapangan at pagpupunyagi. (The path to earning the talisman is laden with trials. You need courage and persistence).
from left: JV Ibesate (Kuya Ringgo), Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba), Kanakan, Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos) & Russel Legaspi (Aran). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Carol Bello who plays the role of Auntie Lili in the play MGA BUHAY NA APOY explains further, “Theater and all the music and the arts, all the arts in the Philippines is like that. May pagsubok kang pagdadaanan. Pero pag na kamit mo ang agimat dahil meron kang pagpupunyagi at may katapangan ka kasi.” (You will have trials but when you do achieve success its because of your courage and persistence)
from left: Kyrie Samodio (Topaz), Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos), Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba), Tad, Carol Bello (Auntie Lili) & Russel Legaspi (Aran). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
TANGHALANG PIIPINO’s MGA BUHAY NA APOY is a play by Kanakan Balintagos aka Auraeus Solito. It runs every weekend from October 2, 2015 and will run until October 25, 2015 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. For tickets and other information, call 09178763678| 09273629081
from left: Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos) and Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
The plot is deceptively simple, Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos) prepares for the homecoming of her daughter Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba). Meanwhile her son Russell Legaspi (Aran) struggles in dealing with his family and expressing himself through his art as a painter. On the surface everything seems ok but their failure to acknowledge their personal histories and how it ties with their ‘true’ culture is a source of tragedy and conflict. To encapsulate the message Kanakan quotes Auntie Lili again, “Pwede natin kalimutan ang nakaraan pero di natin pwede ibaon ang ating pinagmulan.” (We could forget the past but we could never bury our origins.)
Director & Playwright Kanakan Balintagos takes his bow; Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Auraeus Solito is a famous filmmaker who has earned international acclaim. Some years back he has taken Kanakan Balintagos as his name; meaning ‘Hunter of Truth’ in the Palawanon Language. He explained, “Palawán (with an apostrophe on the a) is the tribe even though French Anthropologist Nicole Revel prefers to use simply as Palawan. Since the people and the land are one.”
Russel Legaspi (Aran) and Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
The power of the story comes from Kanakan’s personal journey of rediscovering his roots in Palawan. The search for one’s identity is very real because he went through it himself. He considers the character of Russel Legaspi (Aran) as an archetype of himself, “If you notice I’m not a painter. Its fiction so I didn’t make him into a theater artist or a filmmaker. He’s my artist archetype.”
from left: Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba), Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos) & Kyrie Samodio (Topaz). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Irma Adlawan
Irma Adlawan, one of the most unforgettable actresses in Phil. Theater has once again delivered a powerful performance as Leda Santos. According to writer director Kanakan , “Irma embodies the stories that my mom has told me, the mythology and the magic.” Ironically her character for the most part was the one who turned her back on her family’s indigenous roots. And it had its consequences, as there are forces that took control of her near the end. Irma seems to have an ability to bring to life these ethereal characters and make them real, touching, moving.
Even cast members find themselves captivated by Irma Adlawan’s (Leda Santos) performance. Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
During rehearsals the cast would be taken with Irma’s performance. Carol Bello sometimes would be in awe that the director would catch her just watching Irma (while in the scene). She shares, “Actually inspirasyon si Irma Adlawan. I’ve never worked with such a gifted actress. And she helps us like me, chanter, vocals. Sabi ko Irma anung gagawin ko? Siya yung tumutulong magexplain din. Of course the director helps us. In terms of being on stage she helps you. She’s very collaborative. You won’t feel intimidated. I hope she comes back to do even more theater work. Sa teatro you enrich the other artists. Sana ma enrich din yung other artists, mapagpunyagi yung art scene, I hope Irma comes back and she does this more often. Ang galing nung mentoring.”
from left: Carol Bello (Auntie Lili), Peewee O’Hara (Yaya Naty), Kyrie Samodio (Topaz), & Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Bello on the other hand is the enigmatic Auntie Lili. She is an actress who had been there from the very beginning. Kanakan related the casting, “Yung thesis production ko sa U.P. MAIKILING BUHAY NG APOY which is the first of the Apoy Trilogies, she was my actress. Then I stopped directing theater. Then 20 years later I thought of Carol. It’s all connected. The chant she’s chanting is my homage to MAIKLING BUHAY NG APOY, the first chant. Then we composed a new chant based on my Palawan chant.”
from left: Carol Bello (Auntie Lili) & Kyrie Samodio (Topaz). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Russel Legaspi (Aran) and Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba) by the tree. Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Paulo Alcazaren
A huge tree in the middle dominates the set. So huge that it is able to accommodate several people climbing it and can comfortably seat them on branches. What seems incredulous as well is that the tree is actually movable. From the opening scene, the tree turns around after intermission; the reverse side of the house and backyard are shown. Kanakan reveals that the tree is ‘a metaphor for life’. Kanakan was amazed that Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director Nanding Josef was able to convince Paulo Alcazaren to design the set. “It was Tata Nanding who invited Paul Alcazaren. I was really happy an award-winning architect did my set design.”
from left: Dramaturg Erika Estacio, Set Designer Paulo Alcazaren, Musical Director Diwa De Leon & Asst Stage Mgr Lhorvie Nuevo (Diwata). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
TP
Bello also describes her TP experience, “Alam mo si Tatang at Tanghalang Pilipino pag sinabi ni Tatang na Carol kelangan ka dito. Pwede bang mag-appear ka? Kahit iba kong gigs nagpapaalam ako sa band (KALAYO). Dahil na niniwala ako sa pagiging yung mapagkalingang teatro na pinapaunlad yung pagkatao mo bilang alagad ng sining. Hindi ka ibinababa kung di inaaangat ka bilang alagad ng sining. Artistry and creativity that is nurturing; that is what Tanghalang Pilipino is for me.”
from left: Musical dir. Diwa De Leon, Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos), Leonie Calo Solito, Drector & Playwright Kanakan Balintagos, Lighting Dir. Dennis Marasigan, TP Artistic Director Nanding Josef & Carol Bello (Auntie Lili). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Bello goes on to Kanakan Balintagos’ vision, “Si Kanakan yung imagination niya grabe. I hope people, sponsors, someone who has the capacity will invest in what he sees. Taas ng creativity at imagination niya. May requirement yan e sana mapuna niyo. Kung na gawa yung na kikita niya at nakikita niya rin sa iba at na likha siya, lahat tayo makikinabang e. Yon ang soul naitn e. Hindi lang Hunter of Truth para siyang Wizard, yon ang tingin ko sa kanya. Sometimes it’s weird, but when he presents it and it becomes whole getting all the other people to help ang galing may soul, may spirit merong asim. Everything is there: physical, psychological, spiritual the whole totality of it. SO invest in people like him. We need them like Irma in Tanghalang Pilipino. We need them.” It takes a lot of courage and persistence to find one’s self, one’s roots and identity. It takes even greater courage and persistence to share it and express its truth in a play such as this to enrich lives.
The tree is a living presence in the play. Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Kyrie Samodio (Topaz), JV Ibesate (Kuya Ringgo), Peewee O’Hara (Yaya Naty) and Malou Crisologo (Selmah). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Lhorvie Nuevo (Diwata), Carol Bello (Auntie Lili) and Russel Legaspi (Aran). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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Russel Legaspi (Aran) and Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Jonathan Tadioan (Kuya Benj) & Carol Bello (Auntie Lili); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Russel Legaspi (Aran), Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba) and Malou Crisologo (Selmah). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Lhorvie Nuevo (Diwata); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Lhorvie Nuevo (Diwata), Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos) & Carol Bello (Auntie Lili). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Russel Legaspi (Aran) and Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba) by the tree. Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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Karen Gaerlan (Aurora Alba); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
from left: Kyrie Samodio (Topaz) & Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Kanakan Balintagos, Leonie Calo Solito, Kyrie Samodio & Carol Bello. Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
Jonathan Tadioan (Kuya Benj) cuddles up Carol Bello (Auntie Lili); Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Irma Adlawan (Leda Santos), Kyrie Samodio (Topaz) & Malou Crisologo (Selmah). Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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from left: Carol Bello (Auntie Lili), Russel Legaspi (Aran) & Lhorvie Nuevo (Diwata)/ Kanakan Balintagos’ MGA BUHAY NA APOY will run from Oct 2-25, 2015. The TANGHALANG PILIPINO production can be seen at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo by Jude Bautista
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