As the writer and actress in the new groundbreaking LGBTQ-themed stage production Choosing which will be staged in celebration of the Pride Month, Liza Diño said that she and husband Ice Seguerra have actually been wanting to do a theatrical project like this for a long time.

“Matagal na namin gusto gawin ni Ice na gumawa ng play. Our last play was nung 2013 pa nung nag-propose si Ice, 11 years na and then we’ve been trying to put together something. Finally ayan na siya with the help of sir Anton (Juan, the director). And we were able to revise and create something personal and it’s actually our story and collection of LGBT stories that we’ve been shared with us through the years,” LIza shared during the presscon for the play held earlier this month at the Fire & Ice Productions office in Quezon City

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The play, which was written by Liza (with additional monologues by Ice), is a story about a transman and a woman who memorialize their journeys and track the crucial points of their sexual consciousness, obstacles, being, and relationship in search of the barest truths about themselves, to find happiness and commitment to the choices they make. During the presscon, LIza got mysterious about just how similar is the play si to their real-life marriage.

“Secret! Yes that is the mystery of the play. You won’t know where the reality ends and the fiction begins. It’s live experiences plus the narratives we have heard about the LGBT. Kayo ang manghuhula  kung alin dun,” she said.  

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While rehearsing for the play, Liza said that the audience will definitely be affected by the raw emotions she and Ice will be sharing during their live performances.

“I would say this is the most vulnerable that Ice and I since we got together. Makikita niyo kung paano kami as an LGBT couple. We always stand for our truth. Makikita niyo that we are very assertive, but in this play you will see our fears, our journey together, kung ano yung nangyayari sa likod na hindi niyo napapanood,” she admitted.    

After performing a scene from the play during the Choosing presscon, Liza shared how meaningful it is to her and to the audience she wrote it for.

“It shows tthe innocence of growing that breast and the deprivation of innocence kay Stella (her character), dahil at her age of 10 years old, pinaramdam sa kanya ano ba itong dede na to sa ibang tao. It’s tracking all of those sexual awakenings, whether its fun, forced, traumatizing, exciting, thrilling, as you grow up. Lahat tayo may ganun tayong experiences sa buhay natin, may sarili tayong kwento paano tayo unang nahalikan etcetera.

"In life kasi, marami kang magiging traumatizing experiences. May mga times na you were forced to do it na kahit na ayaw mo. Maraming pwedeng paghugutan. Yung experience ni Stella at 10 years old na nakaka-relate ako, the times where I felt na you can’t touch this pero pinilipit ng ka-partner mo,” she revealed.

Through her play, Liza hopes to shed some light on some of the challenges that LGBTQ couples go through and face everyday all over the world.

“The main conflict of ‘Choosing’ is the decision of a trans couple if they are ready for a medical transition, this is something thats not really talked about, even if for supportive couples i have a lot of fears and I’m still dealing with it now, the unknown. Paano kung di ko na siya kilala? I guess dahil artist kami, it was a therapeutic process in a way. Transphobia is growing in a conservative parts of US, it’s very active,” she explained. 

Choosing is written by Liza Dino-Seguerra (with additional monologues by Ice Seguerra) and directed by Dr. Anton Juan. The show will have a limited run from June 29 to July 7 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox theater in Circuit Makati. Tickets are now available through www.ticket2me.net.