Philippine theater booming — experts

With the likes of Into the Woods sold-out in all its playdates, and the likes of The Bodyguard attracting West End and Broadway Filipino stars like Filipina-British singer and actress Christine Allado, Repertory Philippines had the confidence to declare that theater is booming in the country.

“We are so honored that a lot of our children’s theater productions have been the first experience for many young theatergoers, so they always say it’s easier to fill an auditorium for the first time than it is for a second or third, because if you like what you see, you will come back and repeat the experience over and over again,” Repertory Philippines (REP) artistic director Jeremy Domingo said at the recent opening of their new offering, Alice in Wonderland, running in Eastwood in Quezon City until 14 December.

“And the fact that there are so many professional companies in the theater industry, which was a vision by our late creators Zenaida Amador and Baby Barredo, theater is now a thriving, booming industry with at least five or six professional productions happening at the same time.”

Even before the holidays have hit the Philippines, Christmas has indeed come early for Philippine theater.

“The fact that we can have dozens, up to 100 performances of our children’s theater productions puts a lot of actors in employment, proving that you can make a living doing theater,” he noted.

Since REP wad founded in 1967 and its Theater for Young Audiences was formed in 1992, it has staged Alice in Wonderland twice.

“We are doing Alice in Wonderland in a brand new script by Janet Yates Voigt and Mark Friedman… some of you may have seen our previous productions of Alice in Wonderland in 1997 and 2013. This is whole new material,” he assured,

Alice in Wonderland is REP’s last show for its 88th season, “which means that we have been in existence for 58 years since 1967, and we are on the road to our 60th year, our 90th season in 2027,” Domingo said.

“Our Theater for Young audiences continues. We are in our 34th year of existence. We began in 1992 by accident. It was, we had a whole two seasons a year, and our beloved creator decided to put on a children’s show in June when there was no other production happening,” REP Theater for Young Audiences founder and REP creative director Joy Virata shared in a speech.

“That one month of what was supposed to have been a limited run of Sleeping Beauty ran for six months, and there was such a demand it ran on to the following year. And it became the backbone of our beloved company for 34 years…”

She praised show co-director Cara Barredo, who is actually the show’s director, said Virata, since Virata is still recuperating from an accident.

Likewise, she gave credit to the show’s choreographer, Stephen Viñas, for making the scenes more enjoyable through dances, such as the Mad Hatter’s tea party and the Cheshire cat.

What makes Alice in Wonderland more memorable is REP’s advocacy to give free seats to public schools.

“We invite you to sit back, relax, unleash your imagination and take your little one,” Virata urged. “Have a wonderful trip down the rabbit hole!”