Nurturing the future audiences of theater

“It’s been a dream come true, my experience at the Met and I felt honored to see the show that our National Artists created, especially Alice Reyes and Ryan Cayabyab. To witness their greatness and the cultural history of our country’s arts made me feel so happy!” said a student from Southville 8B National High School in Montalban.

It was his first time to watch a play, along with almost a thousand first-time musical theater audience students and teachers who attended the tech-dress rehearsal (TDR) of Rama, Hari at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. The hit Filipino rock opera ballet featured direction and choreography by National Artist Alice Reyes, with music by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, lyrics and libretto by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, production design by National Artist Salvador Bernal and translated by National Artist Rolando Tinio.

The event brought the National Artists closer to the students. The young audience were fanscreaming in excitement, an emotion usually reserved for pop artists. Their active and enthusiastic participation, especially during the talkback with the cast and crew of Rama Hari, was so inspiring, Reyes said.

Through the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)’s Sining Alamin program, the participants were able to witness the process of a TDR and watch the full show. Sining Alamin is an arts appreciation program under CCP’s Arts Education Department, designed to develop the participants to appreciate the arts and art making.

“When I entered the theater it was filled with wonderful noises and colorful costumes, I was astounded by the scenery… I knew that someday I want to be a part of a show in a theater. I imagined a lot of things as if they were real,” said another student from Montalban.

The TDR engaged the young audience to participate in a similar experience of viewing a behind-the-scene show. More revealing to them was the process in doing an excellent artistic performance. They saw the National Artists at work, calling the shots, stopping the show to fine tune a technical flaw, i.e. lights, mic, sound.

The event was an enriching experience for the participants, specially the students of the Raja Soliman Science