to play or not to play - part 3

The first show

Finally, we reached the first show on 8 September 2006. I took a day off to handle some other last minute details, buying missing props, arranging make-up, arranging transport of materials from Shalom Center to the Gesamtschule Aula. Organising the props there, preparing the notes, briefing my team, discussing last minute details, making the kids behave, the youth less fidgety, releasing the tension by making jokes and making faces. One of our miracle items that night were the new walkie-talkies that I bought just the night before that was going to help us enormously that night. And with butterflies in my stomach, the lights started to dim, the introductory remarks made and the play was to begin. As the curtains opened, I could not help but close my eyes and pray for God’s guidance. As I heard my husband utter his lines, I kept my eyes shut tighter as I pray for all the actors that night. Before long, we had to change the set for the next scene and shortly after I was banging the table, a tinny bit late, to imitate the banging of the door of Lorenzo of the church where he will find the Dominican priest, Fr. Domingo. During the whole play, I was like a soldier making sure that the backstage curtain does not move. That nobody was making any noise. That the curtains at the back were properly placed including the props we were changing while my ear was glued to the dialogue of the cast to check that they are still following their lines. All the while, the walkie-talkie was buzzing from time to time in my ear as we send and receive instructions from each other.

Unwittingly we reach the half of the play and everything felt like it was a breeze. All of the scenes were done without any problem until we reach the part where Lorenzo was tortured. I had to rush to the other part of the backstage and prepare the wet shirt that Ays was suppose to wear. Ays came rushing to me while I was holding the shirt, opening it wide where his head is suppose to go but we had problems with the sleeve. It was so wet, it was difficult to pull down, then we were also missing the other arm which was turned at the very back and while he was struggling with this other arm, I was tugging the other while Ate Loi was putting white make-up on him at the same time. I had to quickly say that we were almost ready in the walkie-talkie or they might open the lights prematurely for the next scene. Then thank goodness he was ready and he rushed out as he did the torture scene. When the lights went out, I immediately rushed to him, removed the cover of the bottle and poured water on him. He told me later he was so surprised coz the water was so cold. But out he went again for the final confrontation with Tokugawa and I tiptoed back to my part of the backstage.

It must be said that the second to the last scene where we showed a video of the canonization of San Lorenzo Ruiz, we were only able to do that night due to the video that was only finished on that very day. Therefore, it was the only scene where we had a problem. The rope connecting the artificial well was not fully taken out so that when Lorenzo’s leg came down, the well, made of carton and some wood, kipped towards him but by that time, the audience was so immersed in the story that it was such a minor detail. But the video and sounds did not work very well so it was one of the low points but when we finally closed the curtains, we were happy.

However, I was still not fully rejoicing coz we still have another night to go so I immediately reviewed the scenes and made notes where we can still improve details and the flow of work. But celebrate we still did specially with the people who watched and who were so amazed with the outcome of the play. Nobody imagined that it would be so good and powerful. A friend even called me the next day and said that she was still speechless with the play. It was a success! The challenge now is to maintain the same quality and even improve it for the audience of the second show.

The second show

Early in the afternoon, Landz, Libay, Mark and I met to discuss the details missing yesterday and finally set-up the video as it should be done as well as exchanging reviews of the people. Mark, set up all his gadgets at the right side of the stage and made sure that the video was working including the sounds. Before long, the cast started arriving as well as the crew of the backstage. We slowly set up all the materials, making sure that they are well placed. The hair and make-up team, Ate Loi and Charry, started their work. Libay was setting up the foyer for the tickets and food. I felt that the emotions were tighter this evening and that my brains were not working as clearly as yesterday.

Then an hour before the play, we were having technical problems again with the video. The tension was palpable as the issue of continuing with it or not was again a hot discussion. I looked desperately for Libay to ease it but she was occupied with the arrangement of the ticket box that I just decided to move the set-up from the side of the stage to the front and connected all the cables as best as I could. This made my thoughts even more scattered as I seem to lose concentration on the work that we would be doing. But set-it up we did and it seems to be working while avoiding heated arguments and hurt feelings. Ah! The stress of it all!

After the new set-up, I went to my crew and briefed them again. I emphasized the fact that since the show was great yesterday, there was a danger that we would lose concentration and take things for granted. We had to be as good or even better than yesterday. As we threw last minute instructions to everyone at the backstage, the play started.

What can I say? As the show progressed, it was a night of “adlibs”. In the middle of a well-rehearsed, familiar lines, a phrase was uttered, exclamations put on parts that did not use to hold this emotion before, which of course made the play better but it also made my heart miss a beat because I was afraid that they would lose the thread and might end up without saying anything.

There was the scene where Ate Carmen included “Praise the Lord” on her lines that made everyone jump. Where she turned the chair she was holding and cleaning the part underneath just to emphasize her line of “work well done”. Richie asking someone to hit him on the chest to internalize and make his character come out as mean and hard as it should. He was also walking on the sidelines of the curtain and Landz always telling me on the walkie-talkie “Jang the curtain is moving, the curtain is moving!!!!” When Ate Carmen again uttered a line that was completely new and made me wanna cry coz they might lose the thread of the script. And finally when Paul started telling lines that he should have said at the beginning of the play and made me disoriented coz it was reacting to these lines and saying “What?!? We started again from the beginning?!?!”

But rallied they did and I was so proud of them and could not help but just mimic my surprise and my emotion in front of the crew and the cast at the backstage to their amusement.

But finally when the part of the video came, I started praying so hard like never before and asking God to make it work coz everything would depend on this now. Please make it work. Every breath of the head of production was held until the image came and from that point, I just started crying… crying out all the tensions, all the hardships we’ve gone through, all the sacrifices we’ve made to finish this play in 2 months, all the emotions that ran high, arguments, counter-arguments, making-up and working together again with camaraderie and laughter. And cried, I did, for this blessing from God, from gathering all these people for this play and making it work. For the youth who were there to become part of it.

Conclusion

And now, when we talk about the play, it is with reminiscing with pride and joy in our hearts. I just hope and pray that we would be able to continue such activities and share to the people the lives of other people who inspires us to do good. That despite all the hardships, there will always be a silver-lining in the horizon to keep our hope burning. That in life, there is always a path of light... isang Landas ng Liwanag.