|
|
|
A different ‘Adarna’date posted: 2008-11-18 10:40:48
By Michelle Camille Correa
The Adarna story that most of us know is about the elusive bird that can cure someone’s sickness when it sings. To search for the bird is a challenge. Not only is the bird in a faraway land, but princes out to catch the bird must be careful not to sleep and turn to stone when hit by the bird’s droppings.
As the story goes, Don Fernando, the king of Berbania, got sick and depressed after dreaming that his favorite son, Don Juan, was killed by his two older sons Don Pedro and Don Diego. The two older sons tried to catch the bird, but they were unfortunately put to sleep by the bird and were turned to stone. It was only Don Juan who successfully brought the bird home. When the Adarna bird sang, the bird’s voice cured Don Fernando, the two older brothers were forgiven for their misdeeds, and everyone lived happily ever after.
That is the version we are all familiar with. But little do we know that the story does not end there. That actually is just the beginning of many more adventures.
Continuing story
The Ateneo Children’s Theater (ACT) continues the storytelling of this popular korido with its new play “Adarna at ang Alaala ng Kristal” to be shown in January 2009.
A korido is a type of Spanish-influenced poem with eight syllables for each line and four lines for each stanza. A korido is recited by way of singing.
“A lot of people don’t know that there are still two parts to the korido. We stop at the father getting better after Don Juan catches the Adarna bird and then his brothers are returned to human form. What we don’t know is that it actually has so many parts unexplored by readers, unexplored by theater enthusiasts. Talagang iba. Nakakagulat nga eh,” shares director and AGS faculty Ace Elgar.
“The storyline is so challenging that the possibilities are just endless in terms of set design, costume, and props. We really want to give the audience a visual feast,” Ace adds.
According to Ace, the second part of the korido is the love story of the brothers. The last part details Don Juan’s quest for true love, which, according to the Adarna bird, he will find at the “Kaharian ng Kristal (Kingdom of the Crystal).” In this kingdom, his true love turns out to be Dona Maria Blanca, whom he must win over through a series of challenges given by the princess’s father (and the villain of the story), Haring Salermo.
A coming together
 In the past, the ACT used homegrown talent plus a number of child actors from nearby girls’ schools Miriam Grade School and St. Bridget School. This time around, the people involved are not only current members but Ateneo alumni who are now theater professionals as well.
For one, there’s Khavn dela Cruz, an independent filmmaker, who penned the play. He also wrote the music. There’s also Allan Elgar who is tasked to arrange the music. Many other talents are being tapped to participate in the play.
“My vision for this play is … to tap graduates of the Ateneo who are now in different fields, and come together to put out a beautiful musical for the ACT. We’re looking into tapping set designers and lighting designers,” says Ace.
The play, ACT’s 77th production, opens the Sesquicentennial year in 2009—January until the first few days of February.
 With the Sesquicentennial theme “Building the Nation,” this envisioned collaboration of the AGS community, alumni and friends echoes this theme. According to Ace, teachers plan out the costumes and design the lighting. Student volunteers set the stage, do the lighting and cue the music, among other things.
“I’d like to call it the perfect example of volunteerism here in the GS because the people involved are only volunteers. Everyone just comes together to put up a good show. We’ve never really had professional help, except for this play,” Ace proudly shares.
Tapping alumni talent who are now respected individuals in their fields will also enrich the AGS community’s theater experience. As one of the oldest theater groups in the Philippines, it needs to continually update itself and to adapt to modern times. Although the ACT has a rich heritage, it hardly advertises and markets itself to the public since its audience is mainly the Ateneo community. This time around, as part of the Sesquicentennial celebration, it hopes to reach out to a larger community: the nation.
“The bottom line is that the boys and the teachers of the GS will benefit from the expertise of these so-called individuals. We’re looking into the possibility of giving workshops to the teachers and the students so that after this particular play, everyone will come out wiser and more informed in terms of how theater really should be,” says Ace.
A korido of challenges and changes
This cast of over a hundred—56 boys from Ateneo and almost the same number of girls from Miriam Grade School and Bridget School combined—are hard at work in presenting a different Adarna to the community. Just as Don Juan seeks to conquer the challenges that Haring Salermo will pose in the play, the boys and girls also have their own set of challenges to overcome.
For one, the play will be presented in the original korido. “It will be similar to a Balagtasan. It’s all patula and in Filipino so the boys are really encountering words that they can’t pronounce and that alone is a hurdle,” Ace explains with a laugh.
“It’s a very big challenge for them especially because the boys are more comfortable speaking in English than Filipino. But it will be a welcome change after doing English musicals for 5 or 6 years now. Maybe it’s time to do a Filipino play again,” she adds.
Moreover, Ace is positive that the play will bring a refreshing change to AGS’s theater culture. Technology, film, lighting effects and interdisciplinary techniques are things that the people behind the play wish to incorporate.
“These challenges actually are very good venues for us to incorporate multimedia in our play. Hopefully we’ll pull it off using short films, black lights, shadow play in our performance,” she says.
And because this particular Adarna play is extra special because of the Sesquicentennial, the pressure to perform and please is paramount. However, Ace tries to play it cool.
“I know that as always we will emerge victorious. I’m not anymore thinking about the deadlines. I’m just focusing on the fact that the children want to put up a good show and we will work towards that goal and keep in mind the theme of nation-building. This monumental task in itself is community-building because it’s really a coming together of the community,” she says with determination.
At the end of the day, the play should be fun for the kids. It is an avenue for creativity and for growth.
“It’s all for the children really. Theater does wonders for the children when they know they are a part of something as big as the ACT. It does wonders for their self-confidence and it makes them feel that they are actually contributing something,” ends Ace, true to form as teacher of theater and of life.
Photos by Jose Salvador, Assistant Headmaster for Student Affairs, Ateneo Grade School
|
|
|
