Tanghalang Pilipino present' Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw

William Shakespeare’s PANGARAP SA ISANG GABI NG GITNANG TAG-ARAW (Midsummer Night’s Dream) in a Reimagined, Provocative Staging

Carlos Siguion-Reyna, director of TP production “WalangSugat” and known for his films “Azucena,” “Kahapong May Dalawang Bata,” and “AngLalakisaBuhayniSelya,” brings his thought-provoking creative interpretation of Shakespeare’s Pangarap Sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw (Midsummer Night’s Dream) translated by national artist Rolando Tinio for a limited three-weekend run from September 30 to October 16, 2016.
Presented by Tanghalang Pilipino, the company behind “Mabining Mandirigma,” “ZsazsaZaturnah,” and “Himala The Musical,” the production’s strong cast will be led by Audie Gemora, LieslBatucan, Teroy Guzman, SkyzxLabastilla, Richard Cunanan, Kristofer Kliatchko, RafaSiguion-Reyna and Jackie Lou Blanco, with the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors’ Company.

We experience a juxtaposition of two worlds—Athens, the home of the powers-that-be, all rigid and structured vis-à-vis the home of the enchanting creatures, the forest, a place where unbridled passions run free.The double entendre of Shakespeare's comedies lends itself to bouts of mild sexual humor.  “The rich text from both Shakespeare and Tinio has allowed us to use a mishmash of English and Tagalog –using these two languages to reflect the conflict between order that has gone fascist and the idea of passion gone chaotic,” says Siguion-Reyna. There is a study of contrasts: ‘fakery vs. authenticity,’ ‘reason and sanity vs. emotional lunacy,’ and ‘ego vs. evil’ among the revolving theme of the play. Siguion-Reyna shares, “We’re going with that kind of schizophrenia and it’s coming out organically.”

THEME and MOOD
“Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw is not a whimsical story for me. It’s not about harmless fairies having fun, nor a Victorian-setting / Peter Pan type of story. There are lots of dark elements in this play. We went for thematic manifestations and the suggestion of fascism and passion instead of constricting the play to a certain period. In fact, I even thought about setting it in a mental hospital, a 19th century Spanish precolonial period, traditional Philippine mythology, or a totalitarian state – but that was reducing the play. ,” shares Siguion-Reyna.

SETTING
Siguion-Reyna continues, “We are keeping the woods – its sense of wonder and magic in the woods’ acts.” The foggy woods bring that certain kind of lunacy distinctly found in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and its otherworldness. “This allows the audience to analyze the play – which is abstract enough and open to interpretation. They can read the circumstance that’s relevant to themselves – politically or from another point of history.” See what the woods are in your life; what the court is in your own life. With costumes not period specific, this play crosses time and culture. It’s a think piece that allows your imagination to run wild. “It’s very liberating.”

CHARACTERS
Theseus is the force of order in the first place, bringing that cold, sterile feeling. Puck and Oberon will do anything to enforce certain magic. Free-spirited Puck is an assemblance of the courtlife. In the woods, the characters are unpredictable in what they will do.

CAST
“I went into rehearsals as if the two great playwrights, Shakespeare and Tinio, were in the room with me. I had so much fun exploring this play with the cast and I’m enjoying the fact that I can’t fully grasp the entirety of the play. We’re finding it out together. Here, we are exploring the roles of men and women, and sexual and gender politics, among others. I’m working with a great cast,” Siguion-Reyna fondly shares.

WHAT TO EXPECT
Between the horror and the comedy, the mix results in to a provocative staging where you can find yourself in your very own “woods,” a place filled with uncertainty, magic and wonder - anything can happen there; and when you come out of the woods, how does it change you?

Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw opens on September 30, 2016, 630pm at the Tanghalang “Watch Pangarap and experience virtual love, rejection, and emotional transformation,” invites TP artistic director Nanding Josef.

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Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream from Rolando Tinio’s Filipino translation, follows one of Shakespeare’s most controversial works.

Notable members of the Artistic Staff are: Rody Vera (Dramaturg), Toym Imao (Set Designer), John Batalla (Lights Designer), TJ Ramos (Sound Designer), and James Reyes (Costume Designer).

Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw runs at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on these dates and times:

September 30, 2016 (Friday) – 8PM
October 1, 2016 (Saturday) – 3PM & 8PM
October 2, 2016 (Sunday) – 3PM
October 7, 2016 (Friday) – 8PM
October 8, 2016 (Saturday) – 3PM & 8PM
October 9, 2016 (Sunday) – 3PM
October 14, 2016 (Friday) – 8PM
October 15, 2016 (Saturday) – 3PM & 8PM
October 16, 2016 (Sunday) – 3PM

For more information, contact Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation, Inc. at (02) 832-1125 loc. 1620/1621| Direct line: (02) 822 6920 |Lorelei Celestino: (02) 915 607 2275