Ateneo Entablado Exposes Martial Law Atrocities in Desaparesidos
In its 34th season entitled “Ginugunita Kata,” Ateneo ENTABLADO begins its year-long advocacy to “recollect the past through a sympathetic portrayal in the present” with Guelan Varela-Luarca’s theatrical adaptation and direction of renowned contemporary writer Lualhati Bautista’s novel, “Desaparesidos.”
This adaptation serves as the first production featuring one of Lualhati Bautista’s novels. Through this, Ateneo ENTABLADO wishes to expose the events that transpired during the Martial Law, which runs the risk of being concealed or abolished from our history by the combined forces of the Marcoses and miseducation. The production presents the importance of revisiting the past in order to move on and attain progress in the future, similar to how Anna and Roy revisit their past in order to claim a future that their family deserves.
Through an immersive theatre experience, the production exposes the audience to the harsh experiences behind the beautiful facade that has kept the people from seeing the true nature of the Martial Law era.
SUMMARY OF THE PLAY
“Desaparesidos” discusses the harsh experiences during Martial Law, and the difficult years that follow after. The first part of the play narrates life under the rule of Martial Law, where the characters Anna, Jinky, Karla, and Roy struggle as part of the guerrilla forces against the Marcos administration. Unfortunately, they find themselves separated after a military raid. The second part of the play focuses on the years after the EDSA Revolution. Anna and Roy are now married and have a daughter named Lorena. Though reunited as a family, Lorena remains distant from the shadows of trauma that continue to hover over her parents. Anna is also reunited with Malaya, her first child who she lost years before, a reunion which brings with it the memories of the pain of the past. At the end of the play, Lorena and Malaya share a conversation, symbolic of the bringing together of the past with the promise of hope in the present.
Show Details
The show runs on the following dates: September 27-30, October 4-7 and 11-14 at 7 PM, and October 1, 8, and 15 at 2 PM and 7 PM, at the Rizal Mini Theater, Faber Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.
Contact Details:
For tickets and inquiries, please visit the Ateneo ENTABLADO Facebook page or contact Mich Pama at 0917 701 1753.
