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Dulaang UP to offer 'hybrid' theater shows in its comeback season

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Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photo from Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/10/16/dulaang-up.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Photo from Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - More than two years of lockdown paved the way for Dulaang UP, the official theater group of the University of the Philippines, to innovate ways of showcasing their stage productions for its diverse audiences.</p><p>During the launch of its 45th season themed &#x27;Balikwas: Tanaw, Tugon, Tindig&#x27; on Saturday, Dulaang UP&#x27;s artistic director Prof. Issa Manalo Lopez announced they will be offering &#x27;hybrid&#x27; performances, wherein plays will not be limited to the physical theater.</p><p>Lopez said they are venturing into putting the shows on livestream simultaneously with live face-to-face performance through a partnership with Ticket2Me.</p><p>This is a development brought by pandemic restrictions, where stage plays were put online as theaters temporarily closed its doors.</p><p>While the company is yet to detail mechanics as to how the &quot;hybrid&quot; theater setup will roll out, their artistic team says their art will be more accessible on the digital space and they will experiment on other ways to create.</p><p>&quot;Artists contribute to nation-building and this is our platform, at together with our students, inaangkin namin ang hamong ito,&quot; Manalo-Lopez told the press.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dulaang UP, the official theater group of the University of the Philippines, will be launching their 45th season with a post-humous tribute to National Artist Antonio Mabesa tonight <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABSCBNNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/GrHXipjl0q">pic.twitter.com/GrHXipjl0q</a></p>— Jervis Manahan (@JervisManahan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JervisManahan/status/1581224885975625728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Now on its comeback season, Dulaang UP has two offerings: the highly political &quot;The Reconciliation Dinner&quot;, which will run on Nov. 18-20, and &quot;Kung Paano Nanalo sa Karera si Rosang Taba&quot;, which will run early 2023.</p><p>The highly-anticipated &#x27;The Reconciliation Dinner&#x27; is a one-act play by Floy Quintos, directed by resident director Dexter Santos. It tackles the aftermath of the highly polarizing 2022 national elections.</p><p>The first offering will be staged at the UP Theater.</p><p>Dulaang UP is currently &quot;homeless&quot; as the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, its official performance venue for the past decades, is under renovation.</p><p>&quot;Makasaysayan ang theater season na ito ng Dulaang UP kasi kayo ang magbubukas ng entablado sa mahalagang yugto ng kasaysayan ng buong daigdig,&quot; UP President Danilo Concepcion said during the launch.</p><p>Concepcion also highlighted that the reopening of Dulaang UP&#x27;s doors signals the university&#x27;s recovery from the pandemic.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/rolljervismanahan/posts/pfbid02ccjwU4uCeqiDjAos6KbMFrSMxHiT36wVUVEaismHfzXLwDQEGx8VPq9vBJZ3cD73l" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Aside from venturing into the hybrid mode of theater production, DUP is pioneering various projects, including the creation of a Dulaang UP digital archive, where scripts and other materials may be opened to public access.</p><div><strong>TRIBUTE TO MABESA</strong></div><p>The launch of their 45th season was also a tribute to Dulaang UP founder and National Artist for Theater Antonio Mabesa, who passed away in 2019.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/05/19/tony-mabesa-a-pillar-of-philippine-theater-dies">Tony Mabesa, a pillar of Philippine theater, dies</a></li></ul><p>Mabesa helmed not only Dulaang UP but the study of theater as a formal academic discipline.</p><p>During the event, officials of the university and veteran thespians recalled their fond stories of Mabesa, who was a &quot;lion&quot; in theater but has a soft heart.</p><p>The highlight was veteran filmmaker Joel Lamangan&#x27;s testimonial for his dear friend. Before passing away, one of Mabesa&#x27;s last projects was the film &#x27;Rainbow Sunset&#x27;, directed by Lamangan.</p><p>&quot;Sa mahigit 100 pelikula na nagawa ko, 90 nandoon siya! Siya ang taga feedback na nirerespeto ko. Si Tony Mabesa, kapag nasa set na, kesehodang nandiyan si Nora Aunor o Sharon Cuneta, lahat sila nagbibigay pugay kay Tony,&quot; Lamangan said.</p><p>Lamangan said that despite Mabesa&#x27;s prowess in acting, being one of the best theater artists, he had one weakness: playing the role of a poor person.</p><p>The director shared his fond memory of shooting a scene in the slums of Manila where Mabesa is supposed to play a sickly poor father character.</p><p>&quot;Lumabas siya naka-pajama, silk! Sabi ko, &#x27;Tony, hindi pwede yan!&#x27; Hindi siya sanay maging mahirap na character, pero lahat ng mayaman, kayang kaya niya,&quot; Lamangan said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/10/20/dulaang-up-uploads-bagong-cristo-on-youtube-for-holy-week">Dulaang UP uploads ‘Bagong Cristo’ on YouTube for Holy Week</a></li></ul><p>Mabesa trained several generations of theater actors, dramaturgs, and directors. Every UP theater student has a memory of Mabesa&#x27;s strict but loving discipline in the Guerrero theater.</p><p>&quot;Halos kalahating siglo ng kaniyang buhay ay nilaan niya para makalikha ng mga bagong artista at direktor ng bayan,&quot; said Prof. Jimmuel Naval, dean of UP College of Arts and Letters.</p><p>Mabesa was honored as a National Artist in 2022, three years after his passing.</p>

More than two years of lockdown paved the way for Dulaang UP to innovate ways of showcasing their stage productions for its diverse audiences.

Dulaang UP to offer 'hybrid' theater shows in its comeback season

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Dulaang UP to offer 'hybrid' theater shows in its comeback season

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 16, 2022 03:11 PM PHT

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Tony Mabesa

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