Leo P. Olobia
Home
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Journal
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Pinoys in the High Seas
Hauntings By the Polish Spirit
Classical Music in
Your Being
Searching For My Own
Theater Group 1 and 2
A Traveler's Diarrhea
Coming Home, Indeed
Philosophical Lessons
in Life
My Romance In Miami
High School Memoirs 1
and 2
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About the CD:
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I have un upcoming CD eintitled "Piano
Potpourri", a selection of my favorite classical, broadway and
standard music. It is currently being edited and mastered in Vancouver,
Canada. As soon as the final product is released it will be posted here for
your listening enjoyment.
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Searching For My Own
Theater
Group
I remember my own orientation
day at the Student Center in U.P. A bunch of neophytes gathered around to
listen to boring speeches from faculty members about elite education and how
to survive in a competitive environment, supposedly the hallmark of UP
education. Then, in the middle of these braggadocios, an impeccable
performance from the university's theater group caught my attention. I was
stunned, dumbfounded to watch an exceptional group of talents showcasing an
everyday life scenario in Tacloban which prompted me to join them or at
least meet these fine actors and actresses.
It wasn't too long before I got myself into the circle as my own friends became admirers as well. My first meetings were filled with self-punishments as I was insecure and introverted being around talented people. I couldn't even afford to crack a joke or simply say anything for fear of being despised or rejected. Certainly enough there was one guy who had the luxury of ridiculing us neophytes, up to a point where some of us had to bail out to avoid his wrath. There was always tremendous pressure on my part having to deal with his condescending look which adversely affected my adjustment process.
So many tasks were laid down upon us probationaries. I was a propsman or clean-up guy but sometimes peripheral acting had to be done to fill in for someone. Of course, those endless rehearsals mounted serious concentration even if your brain was about to explode from repetitions until perfection was achieved. It didn't matter if you were on the brink of failure from academics. However, I trudged on, determined to fight my fears and reservations. I simply had to overcome all these hang-ups and then everything would be fine.
Sure enough the camaraderie was outstanding. We enjoyed hanging out together especially on certain occasions where we had spontaneous performances. Collaboration was vital to our successful performance and the senior members became helpful to us. I spent so much time learning about movement on stage, eyeline, delivery, audience rapport. As the group expanded, so was demand for more performances. We stayed late for so many nights brainstorming or refining some scenes or just simply enjoying the company.
The shows we did were unique creations and mostly based on local folklore, very personal indeed. Sometimes we would adapt musical skits as my skill was more on providing music. So my friends studied all kinds of possibilities, songs, dances, storylines from different towns in Leyte incorporating them all into one performance. I was mostly encharged with songs so heavy research on local music became my priority. Chantings from Lenten passions or Christmas caroling or simply from a balot vendor were instant favorites. Joey Ayala played a great role in shaping our musical identity. We even performed some of his songs but later dropped them to preserve our originality.
My presence was becoming important and I must admit I went far beyond playing the piano. There were instances when my classical background was put to a test when I arranged folksongs with contrapuntal effect as in Bach's music, or a kulintang concerto with utmost speed even if it was my first time to play the instrument. Or somebody would compose a piece on a theme of intervention with the idea of a rat crossing the stage or a dancing Geisha in the middle of a dialogue. But these were only images in our minds. The genius of this work performed minimally but we took her to frontstage to deliver a breathtaking performance.
There were acting workshops seasonally where prominent speakers were invited. During summertime, our talents were shared with children who delivered acting recitals at the end of the workshop. In one of our sessions, 'haiku' interpretative acting became my indulgence because we had to act it out. Or a radio show with each one representing a station acting out a scene. It was a visual radio show. Creative madness was unstoppable. Because we had to perform the show, it required wild imagination and great sense of humor to top it all. One performer delivered a legendary monologue playing on different Waray-Waray accents. She had this innocent aura on stage but her voice was the sweetest you could hear, just like Nora Aunor in her puberty. Because she came from a remote place in Samar, we adored her stories and the songs she contributed became a legend.
These were but some of the enduring moments we shared in that span of time. Even when we drifted apart, we always tried to be around and give more performance or crash someone's party, which ultimately became my favorite. I didn't find a job for almost a year just so I could be around.
Friendship was infallible. There was always time for healing when situations came along. But money was always our last problem, we just cared about performing and the thought of being together. All that mattered was that our togetherness brought us courage to achieve big goals like being a Foundation or building our own library. We accumulated records, instruments, costumes from different sources and we made a gallery of all these possessions. Our patrons grew. There was a rush of donations based on the performance we did. At some point we even achieved celebrity status when our humble group was featured in the Inquirer magazine. I bought twenty copies of the magazine because my name was mentioned twice in a national magazine. It was one ordinary Sunday when all of us were on our way to a town performance and at the pier, all kinds of cheers and smiles were printed on our faces as we read all the good things about us.
With all these fortunes in our midst, we utilized an old building to house a library of books and records, etc. One senior member was the librarian and caretaker after winning a scholarship sponsored by a philanthropist. Two hundred pesos was the fee for maintaining the place.
As time went on the older members left for the big city, as such my responsibility was more pronounced. I was not only encharged with the theater group, but as Vice-President of the Foundation, that was something to put on my resumé.
It will take a lifetime to finish my story. In many ways I became a wholesome person and I owe it all to the laughter and serious passion for art and all the people around me. It was an adventure of the mind and spirit. Great things were achieved, relationships were strengthened until one day when IT ALL HAPPENED.
next...
(Part 2)
Posted at BQR 10/19/04.