Philippine Stagers Foundation founder and director Vincent Tañada recently bagged the Grand Prize of the Full-Length Play Category, Filipino Division for Ang Bangkay at the 62nd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. 

Ang Bangkay is a period tale that tells of the darkness that unravels after the death of a family matriarch. It is a 180° leap from any of Tañada’s previous works that I have seen and by far, the best of the lot. The play gives us access to the dark recesses of the mind of the same man that authored the inspirational Enzo, Ako si Ninoy, Cory ng Edsa, and Joe: A Filipino Rock’sical. 

Tañada is also a recent awardee of the Aliw Awards and the Broadwayworld Awards. 

Joe: A Filipino Rock’sical tells a story of a group of artists who are pooled together to create a show about Rizal. It is a creative journey that tries to get to the core of the country’s foremost hero with the characters ending up seeing the essence of Rizal within themselves. 

Joe was launched last July 15th at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. It is the 11th season offering of the Philippine Stagers Foundation. Here are some reviews posted about the preview performance:

http://www.jobonsol.net

What’s most unforgettable throughout the play was the character of Turing played by Gabby Bautista. He was brilliant and he exuded the discipline and behavior of an adult actor at his age. I really loved his performance and he is one character in Joe: A Filipino Rock’sical you should never miss. I will definitely recommend the play to all students in search of answers about Rizal or simply wanting to enjoy a well-prepared theatrical performance. It is definitely prescriptive to better understand Rizal in our lives at present.

I first saw Cory ng Edsa as it was presented to the Cojuangco family for critique before the actual launch of the show last July. Having seen shows by bigger and more established theater companies, I did not expect much from the obviously junior group. Add up the fact that the subject of the EDSA revolution has been tackled time and again by masters and mediocre directors alike in film and Cory being the centerpiece of the show just seems mundane.

Performing in nothing more than uniform printed shirts, some jeans, and an imaginary moving backdrop, the group started what I expected to be the longest two hours of my theater-viewing life. I was wrong.

From the opening number in a room that can barely hold almost 50 members of the ensemble, to the perfectly executed intimate and dramatic scenes among the main cast, the 15 or so members of the audience, myself included, held our breath and from time to time wiped our tears as we witnessed what could be the most important theater event of the year.

When the applause died down, the much-coveted endorsement of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation was easily given and the stage-musical event that is a must-see for every Filipino was set to begin its series of shows.

Aliw Awardee for Best Director, Vince Tañada plays the reporter that chronicled the life of the former President (Cindy Liper plays Cory with Glory Ann Nacional as alternate, and Patrick Libao alternates as the reporter.)