Layeta Bucoy’s ‘May Isang Alamat’ to be staged

May Isang Alamat, a play by Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Hall of Famer and multi-awarded playwright Layeta Bucoy, will be spotlighted this November. The one-act play will transport the viewers into a post-apocalyptic world where a vicious Pinuno is determined to uphold violent traditions. A young girl called Batang Walang Silbi stands firm in her fight against human selfishness and greed.

The 80-minute gruesome tale will shed light on the realities of environmental, political and social issues and their repercussions on the well-being of citizens. It will likewise present the consequences of apathy and the hope of rediscovering empathy amid societal disruption.

May Isang Alamat is produced by Aninag Theatre, a group of Theater Arts students from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Arts, Culture and Performance. Under the direction of fiction writer, eleven-time Palanca awardee, and BenildeFilm professor Joshua Lim So, it is co-directed by Benilde Theater Arts student Heleynah Galan.

“Aninag Theatre aims to illuminate the intricacies of the human psyche through modernist plays,” the group shared. “Through May Isang Alamat, we explored the devastating loss of humanity in the near future, wherein survival challenges morality.”

The budding artists likewise utilized their platform to amplify the message and call for environmental consciousness among their audience.

“We must not take our planet for granted,” they stressed. “Our world has continued to experience environmental phenomena that threaten our very existence and the play tells us of the dangers we have been warned about.”

May Isang Alamat will premiere on 22 November with shows at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. It will likewise be staged on 23 November at 11 a.m. and 26 to 29 November at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the sixth floor, Black Box, Benilde Design + Arts Campus, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila. Tickets are priced at P350 for regulars, and P400 for VIP. Discounts are available for students at P300, and for senior citizens and persons with disabilities at P330. Access to the gala is at P500. Register through https://bit.ly/4flhcKh. For more information, visit facebook.com/aninagtheatree.