‘Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet’: three one-act plays that set ‘forbidden love’ amidst modern-day issues
A high school student pursuing a teacher she is crushing on. A ‘dark’ encantada that writes about a romance that her tribal elders have decreed against. A love triangle that pushes the boundaries of a close friendship being tested by sexual fluidity. These different situations, challenges, and settings have one undercurrent theme running through them: forbidden passion. Yet underneath the mixture of heartbreak and titillation, societal issues and current problems, especially of today’s youth, who are the audience of these plays, will be explored.
Each storyline and its issue are tackled in a one-act play that runs roughly from 45 to 60 minutes. All three one-act plays in turn fall under the banner of one production, Mapanakit! Mga Dulaang Bittersweet. Written by Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by BJ Borja, the three-in-one show promises the unpredictable rollercoaster of emotions that surge through a love affair: the pain and poignancy, the agony and the ecstasy. And while all plays will bring up a lot of questions, not all of them will be necessarily answered.
Ultimately, Deldoc said during the press conference on July 17 that he hoped the production would also encourage the audience to be more empathetic to the people who fall in love—and then appear to do crazy or unconventional things. “Iyung mga characters na umiibig, madali i-judge,” he said. “Pero sana kapag napanood mo itong magkakaibang kuwento, [magkakaroon] ka ng room na intindihin kung saan sila nanggagaling – bakit niya gusto ang teacher niya, at bakit gusto niyang ikasal.”
Mapanakit! was first staged in Biñan, Laguna by the Biñan Youth Performance Council Inc. (YPC). Its restaging at the IBG-KAL Theater at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City from July 25-August 9 is part of the company’s overall long-term plan to go into the mainstream. Borja, who founded YPC 20 years ago and remains its artistic director, is also a UP Theater Arts alumnus. He readily found support from his fellow alumni, old classmates, and friends, some of whom are part of Mapanakit!’s cast and crew.
“We are the official performing arts group for theater of the city government of Biñan,” Borja said. “A lot in this production [consists of my} classmates who know the work that we are doing for Biñan.”
May-December in campus
The production’s origin can be traced to one of those close friendships. Needing material for a new production, Borja asked his old friend Deldoc for material that he had written but not produced. The playwright then let him know of a book that he was publishing which would contain four one-act plays; three of them became the pillars of Mapanakit!
The first play, Ang Liknayan ng ating Mga Katawan, centers around a controversial research paper being written by senior high school student Hershey Mae (Jury Sanchez). The study, which is about romantic relationships, has been deemed dangerous by her own teacher Sir Banakon (Ross Pesigan).
Jury Sanchez and Ross Pesigan in rehearsals; Photo Credit: YPC Stage
Hershey Mae wants to prove that her paper has scientific backing – and with it the sexual tension that has been brewing between the two of them.
Deldoc admitted he did decide to flip the conventional script on the May-December romance. “What if baliktarin natin – na ang bata ang aggressive? Iyun ang nangyayari ngayon – mas expressive ang mga bata.” He said that this play also poses another serious question: “Sa educational system, sobra ang pressure sa teacher [tungkol sa] mental health ng mga estudyante. Pananagutan ba ng teacher kung ma-in-love sa kanya ang student niya?”
An enchanted kingdom
The second play, Ilihan at Kalingaw, is set in a mystical realm where two Buringkantadas, who are the dark equivalent of the fairy-like Engkantadas of Bicolano lore, defy traditional matchmaking and fall in love. Worse, one of them, Ilihan (Gab Pangilinan), the tribe’s poet-historian, writes love poems for her lover Kalingaw (Euden Moje), breaking age-old rules about documentation.
Euden Moje, Gab Pangilinan in rehearsals; Photo Credit: YPC Stage
“She’s writing the history of the Buringkantada and their culture,” says Pangilinan of her character. “Pero, may secret relationship siya with a fellow Buringkantada. Technically, that’s not allowed.”
Deldoc said that, woven throughout this love story, is the importance that literature and freedom of speech play, regardless of the kind of world one lives in. At one point, the playwright had asked himself, “What if dumating ako sa point na hindi na pwede isulat iyong gusto kong isulat?”
Three friends and a wedding
According to its cast, the third play, Ganito ang Pinangarap Kong Kasal, will keep the audiences guessing at the end: what is this dream wedding, and who will be the ones getting married?
The love triangle in the play is a bit complicated but does reflect the signs of the times. France, a gay guy (Phi Palmos), and Kris (Loudette Barias) have been best friends since high school. The besties meet Noel (Kokoy de Santos) who Kris immediately crushes on. As it turns out, Noel has his own crush – on France.
L-R: Kokoy de Santos, Phi Palmos, and Loudette Barias in rehearsals; Photo Credit: YPC Stage
Deldoc explained the dynamics: “You have a guy guy, then a confused and undecided guy, and then the best friend who is a straight girl.”
Palmos untangled the web of complexity. He described Noel as “pansexual. Wala siyang pakialam sa gender.” When the heartthrob finally declares his feelings for France, the gay guy is thrilled. As Palmos broke it down, laughingly, “Noong sinabi niyang crush niya ako, aarte pa ba iyong bakla?”
As to the disappointed Kris, she becomes the new couple’s “confidante and the perennial third wheel.”
Deldoc said the titular dream wedding refers to more than just an aspirational walk down the aisle, but will reflect an unspoken dilemma confronting many members of the LGBTQIA community who still consider themselves Catholics. “Isa sa mga bumabagabag sa akin, naiintindihan ko kung bakit nila pinapangarap at nilalaban ang church wedding,” he said. “Kasi ang church mismo ang nag-inculcate sa kanila na kapag nagmamahalan kayo, dapat magpakasal kayo.”
One other thing that audiences can look forward to is the interaction between the established known actors usually based in Metro Manila and the YPC’s ensemble. Borja clarified that the Biñan actors will not be playing minor characters but will go toe to toe with their Metro-Manila-based professional colleagues. This was a lesson he learned from his mentor, the late Tony Mabesa. “Ang ginawa niya, kaming mga estudyante nakapag-work sa mga professionals para matuto kami.”
Pangilinan applauded the venture. “Manila is huge, and it’s filled with so many talented artists, but it can get echo chamber-y because tayo-tayo lang,” she said. “But we don’t realize how many more theater practitioners there are outside of Manila.” She appreciated “having the opportunity to bridge that gap for a community like YPC and the people of Biñan.”
Borja said that if the production succeeds in the National Capital Region, it can help open doors for “other community groups and other local talents to cross over to the Manila stage.”
Mapanakit! Mga Dulaang Bittersweet, written by Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by BJ Borja, will run at the IBG-KAL Theater at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City from July 25-August 9.
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