Filipino forum. [volume], February 17, 1961, Page 7, Image 7

About Filipino forum. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1928-196?

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mm AS SEEN In sum
- from Page 4)
“222:1 lortisimo. Rizal
calmly between two bat
fartinpry, There was a,
in front. and another cav
ml. with a big troop of
forming 1| big quadrangle
the multitude hack. Span
' and “gentlemen", in
attire and festive moods
the execution. as if it
c“mural - a thunderous
{or the Spanish Empire
Indios.
.e hero of :1 great trag
as Oedipus Rex, King
mlet, and Macbeth, the
. were wrecking on their
.ds the forces of retribu
ging about catacylsmical
ything they had wanted
out by executing Rizal.
in which other actors
'g to play major roles,
dV kicking: in the womb
:while the. Spaniards
iva Espana! ! !"
tional and international
50 stupendous that the
eater in New York. Lon-
Moscow could not depict
, But the unseen parts
.ossal scone—the Philip
un of the calvary can be
_gested by remarks and
on and off the stage.
.ers could be heard giving
, offstage. A series of
Messengers could be made
from time to time to the
upremo Commander on
relative to scenes and
‘ - took place off stage.
:.tacting' was performed
r Dela ("ruz' son. Roger.
ed the role of Father
‘ Mulamhu is praised for
I m, but as it has been
the drunmtist—direetor
‘ 'es of elvnn-ntury blun
l' uellort or lavk of effort
‘ her part with the. fabric
5;
1 ‘igthzit they had only
‘ lee romplete rehearsals
fiftrien minutes before
' led time of the pro
,'\\’t‘n‘ :~till practising,
d er-dirmtnr-‘iuthor ex
" v.l in (‘Hlll';lg‘(‘, for it is
‘ rt the hem of heroes
- haw ln‘l the nerve to
1 . a performance.
' “mun" .‘ Luv“. Luna“-
nnvrt‘nm, a labor loader
fullm‘mg nbsox’vatiun:
a driwr who haul no
who smrtml driving
.lu-art of town right
ut an imtnlctor by
Wur)’ to stan- that
is murh harder than
drive. \merk-an nudi
lhe cultural descendants
m uhn saw Sopho
in Alhrn‘. Sonocn'n In
(I? Vouu‘a In Madrid.
's in anlun, Mollier'x
(300“ vi in Gornmny.
Mhu :m- much mori‘
{than Filipino nudi
nfidvnt dramatiut or
3' not nwvt truffiv ac
hv mu) arrange and
VIII thmlrit'al funeral."
I-Uf t‘m :u‘tivlo, pub
‘hk‘ prm-lmg iSSIIO of
“'9 mmphmentod Cup~
Us .w vloquent ora
10g :mi us a singer.
Cflmnmnity uf Scuttle
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Every Wednesday 8- Thursday
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should be grateful to him and his
fellow officers for generating in
terest in dramatics.
But as a. dramatist-director-pm
ducer it is evident that he has not
bothered to observe the A. B. 0.5
of dramatic technique and the
basic facts of Rizal's character,
and thus distorted basic historical
facts which he frequently substi
tuted for non-dramatic fiction.
Practically every one in the
play .is a. dear friend of ours, in
cluding Captain Dela. Cruz, who
hails from my province, and his
gracious wife, Asuncion Buyson,
sister of Carmen, Philippine Min
ister to Rome.
A correct and impressive por
trayal of Rizal, the greatest hero
of the Malayan race, and the
prestige of the nation, should be
a common concern. It cannot be
done by white washing ourselves,
and our friends all the time.
We have, therefore, taken the
time and trouble to offer an ap
praisal of the Rizal play, presented
in Seattle last December, hoping
that. if it should be presented
again on any Rizal Day. they
would remove its gross inconsis
tencies and improbabilities.
We are fully aware of the diffi
culties in preparing a dramatic
production. As stated elsewhere.
professionals on Broadway and
University Drama. Departments
spend at least three months for
the production of a Three-Act
Play. Professor Glenn Hughes,
Head of the Drama Department
of the University of Washington,
said in a class that it takes as
much time and energy to produce
a three-act play as to train a foot
ball team for a gridiron combat.
He was too modest to say that it
needs more brains and talent.
To present a two-act play after
two or three rehearsals, indicates
a serious underestimation of what
it takes to produce it. A promi
nent leader from Narvacan. Ilocog
Sur, who is related to a priest
dramatist-composer. said.
“It the producers and actors are
not willing to put up the needed
time. energy. patiemm. persistence.
talent. and funds to produce a
good show. it would be better for
them not to present a play at all."
I am informed that Dominador
Fabian was supposed to be the
narrator. It In {or such omen-gal
cles that double. for participants
{lra tmlned by the director.
I understand that the charming
hostess. Mrs. Gloria. Landero, con
tributed the idea relative to the
concluding scene of the play. But
just as a publisher of u‘newspaper
is responsible for every word
printed in his paper. even if he
were not the author, .a. director
producer is responsible for his en«
tire production. As such. he has a
serious responsibility to the com
munity, to Rizal, to the Filipino
nation. not to say. to dramatic art
and technique. even if he is donat
ing his services as president of the
Filipino Community just like
other presidents before and after
him.
While we compliment our lead
ers for their philanthropic, fre
quently thankless, services. they
must know that their volunteer
work does not immunize them
from public criticism of their per
formances to which even the RUS-
FILIPINO‘FORUM
sian Dictators 'and U. S. Presi
dents are subjected.
Needless to State, one of the
indexes of the culture of a nation
or age is the quality of its drama.
Being a young nation, and lacking
intelligent critics, the Philippines
is way behind in dramatic develop.
ment, in spite of the fact thati
community interest is real, deep,
and widespread. ’
Us u all y, Filipino dramatistsi
want to hear nothing but praise.
This encourages their flatterers to
bury them with a heap of roses.
We can spea’k'from experience
when we say that premature suc
cesg and unwarranted praises can
ruin a dramatist or producer much
more surely than an adverse but
honest criticism. i
For six years, at an average of
about three times a year, we
wrote, directed and produced com
munity plays. The fact that we
rendered our services completely
free and. that we exerted our best
does not absolve us from any de
fects of workmanship and delinea
tion of the characters in our plays.
We would have done much bet
ter if, instead of the enthusiastic
and loud accolade of our undis
criminating audiences, a capable
critic had given us honest and
intelligent criticism of our boy
hood performance.
Years later. we realized that our
“best" donation to the public was
sophomoric, that good vplays were
written and rewritten, not with
sheer impulse, ambition and in
spiration. The dramatists talents,
however phenomenal, must be dis
cipiined. cultivated and trimmed
with a lot of hard wank. self-study
and criticism, both self-criticism
and those of others.
At the risk of stating what is
so obvious that it needs no demon
stration. we say that the scene on
“Miss Philippines" and her galaxy
of pretty girls gave needed variety
and glamour to the show. For
that, we give credit to Mrs. Lan
dero. and the “Miss Philippines"
(Alberta Landero), “Miss Luzon"
(Betty Gerosaga), “Miss Minda
nao“ (Linda Ajeto), and "Miss
Visayas" (Lorie Sarusal). and. to
a certain extent, to the director
producer, for accepting the de
lightful contribution.
But it must be stated that the
dramatist failed to integrate the
scene with the whole play in a
natural and logical sequence. He
fused the scene with Rizal‘s ex
ecution, making it an obvious
machronism. Aristotle, in Poetics.
says that a beautiful thing must
have. not only certain magnitude,
but well arranged parts.
VII.
RESUME
At the risk of being tedious, I
repeat that In a play a lapse of
time or a division of scenes and
acts is marked by a blackout or
curtain or some visible device, just
as a hook ls divided by chapters,
pump-twins and sentences.
A novelist can write, saying.
“Five years have elapsed.” But
a dramatist must lower his cur
tain, or have a blackout to indi
cate such a break of time, whether
it is ten minutes or ten years.
There are at least a dozen ways
of incorporating the Queen and
Princesses Scene to the play. with
‘out doing violence to well known
historical facts and to the prin
ciples of probability and psychol
ogy.
“After a blackout following Ri
nd's execution. it may then be in
order!» reatum the Rizal Day
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Royalty. For instance, when the
lights are on again, we may see a
monument of Rizal, painted or
drawn on a paper, canvas, card
board or plywood, of which Rico
Prosperso is adept. The Rizal Day
celebrities featured in the play
may then place the wreaths at the
base of the monument.
If the producer does not want
the bother of a monument, he can
add, if he desires, 3a whole third
act, a full fledged Rizaleay
Coronation; wwhich is historically
authentic‘pnd symbolic of the fact
that RWs‘death'was a physical
destruction. mbut ‘ a trainendous
moral “triumph- for ‘the Filipino
nation.
The" range of alternate inexpen-I
sive possibilities is almost limitless
for an imaginatiVe and realistic
playwright.Z
We understand that it would
cost $20.00 to move , the grand
piano in front of Rizal's cell from’
the platform to the floor—about a
foot below.
It costs money to produce a
play. ~When Leo Domingo was a
Rizal" ~Day ‘chairman, we paid
$15.00 for a stage electrician from
the Drama Department of the
University of Washington to cre
ate an artificial sunrise as a back
ground for the execution. ’
That was in 1933—9. depression,
year. Fifteen dollars then must bel
equal to the purchasing power of‘
$40.00 now. But in those days, the
standard for a Rizal Day program
was very high. For instance, inl
one year the declaimer of Rizal’s‘
“My Last Farewell" won his right‘
to recite the world famous poem.
in competition with 15 other en
trants. He spent at least one{
month of rehearsing. E
To go back to the grand piano.‘
on the premises of Fort Santiago!
as staged. it could have been hid-l
den from sight without actually:
moving it. Potted tropical plants
could have been placed around it.'
Versatile Rico Prosperoso or Jose
Yumul could have been asked to
put a card board screen painted
like a wall in front of the piano“
The least that could have been!
done would have been to cover thel
piano or screen with some brown‘
cloth or paper, camouflaged as :11
mound of earth or wall. 1
How about [pushing the piano;
further back and putting Rizal‘s.
cell in front of it? 1
The anomaly of a. piano in the‘
court yard of Fort Santiago might]
have been justified by mere words;
in the script. such as: 1
“The night before. there was akawuke." 7
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((Lfin‘gyy Pon and l‘r‘ncil Sets
. " IMPORTED TOYS
I~ FRANK'S JEWELRY
program in honor of Spanish Gov
ernor General given by the Com
mander of Fort Santiago. They
have not yet moved the piano in
front of Rizal’s cell."
This is an example of what I
mean by an acceptable minor in
vention in a historical play.
But to present a Rizal play as
an inconsistent melodrama where
the hero appears desperately agi
tated, is to misrepresent Rizal's
character and the significance of
his death.
, A dramatist-director-producer
,may use any (materials from any
‘source, provided he can integrate
them as organic parts of the en
tire structure, and not just pile
them up in a hedge podge fashion,
without due regard to order. de
sign, symmetry, proportion, and
well known facts of history.
While the dramatist can invent
minor details, even in a historical
play, his invention must not dis
tort publicly known essentiai facts,
especially in cases when the truth
is more interesting, more dra
matic, more significant 'than fic
tion, and easier to stage.
We do not expect that a per
formance of the Filipino Commu
nity of Seattle will approach a
professional production. But we
have a right to expect that it
‘should be at least as good as a
mediocre performance in the vil
lages and barrios of the Philip
pines and an average performance
of the Filipino children's clubs in
San Francisco and New York.
We regret to state that in the
town of Santo Domingo, Ilocos
Sur, as early as 1916, we saw a
Rizal Day play that could eclipse
the 1960 Rizal performance in Se
lattle, as easily as the moon
leclipses a tiny, pale, distant star.
I Ever since 1919. and perhaps
ibefore that, the Seattle Filipino
irommunity has been rated among
gthe most highly cultured Filipino
{communities abroad. Let us earn
iand protect that prestige. We can
ido it; for we have now far more
‘talents in our community than
.when Leo Domingo staged a real
i istic sunrise.
l
I Our leaders should spend the
[time needed in finding them and
‘ in persuading them to participate.
1 After they have done their very
ibest. donated their time. energy
and money, they must expect crit-
Eicism of all kinds.—~ pro and con.
i They. who cannot stand criti
-Icism, should not lead. should not
,perform for the public. much less
jshow a play on Rizal. who says,
“‘We need criticism to keep us
7