My first taste of theater was in my freshman year at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. I saw a play by resident UPV theater group, Teatro Amakan, which I think was entitled “Baloy” or something like it. I enjoyed it immensely, even though it was dialoged in pure Hiligaynon. No matter, I enjoyed it and the storyline and humor hit all the right notes. I had a blast and was raving about it for weeks.

I never thought a PETA production would be as enlightening as they said it would be. An invitation by Gibbs Cadiz to a Pinoycentric-sponsored PETA tour proved to be the best theater experience I have ever had. The lovely Cecille Garrucho, PETA President, guided the tour and proudly showed us the fruits of many years of hard work and theater passion.

At first I thought it would be nothing more than a show and tell of the PETA-Phinma Theater. Just another guided tour with a little trivia to keep the boredom at bay. How wrong was I! From the PLDT-Smart Hall, we were greeted by a woman in fancy garb who keeps looking for her son. I almost forgot, this is theater and she’s an actress. Nice touch to spice things up I thought.

On the second floor, we were shown the Lino Brocka hall, which serves both as an extension of the lobby and entrance to the main theater second floor. This was our first activity. Ms. Garrucho promised us that we would all be treated to an interactive/living theater experience. Wow! So this made me all the more curious.

A music teacher (so sorry for forgetting your name) taught us a Kalinga song, to which we all sang with her. (Dang dang ay sila ang ilay, in sina liduma-aay…) I’ve always been shy about singing but since everybody was so immersed in the moment, I hit a few high notes until we all chorused in sync.

It’s good to know that their library is open to the public. PETA has made its resources, books and videos included, available for room use to those who want to do research in theater studies.

After the library, we were shown the roof deck, where they hold experimental theater performances. The rain discouraged me from appreciating the nice view of Eymard Drive below.

Then the fun began. We were treated to an interactive activity that gave me a pretty good idea of what actors go through during workshops. It felt like kindergarten all over again! We got into costumes then acted out everyday gestures and were asked to come up with our dialogues that went with our chosen costumes. I just donned a simple black veil over my head and shouted “dvd! dvd!” producing ripples of laughter from the other bloggers. Noreen donned wings with a small crown posing as Thumbelina. Later in the tour, we were asked to do this onstage! There weren’t any people, but the feeling of being on stage and being watched can be really scary at first. But I found myself enjoying it and later other bloggers were giving it their all. I guess I was no different. In between laughing myself silly, I guess I unwillingly conjured the actor in me. And it was fun!

Icing on the cake was the play “Batang Rizal.” We saw the play along with some private school students and their parents. On the surface, it seemed like a children’s play about a boy traveling through time meeting the young Jose Rizal and paving the way for a history lesson sugar-coated with song, dance and humor.

But Batang Rizal was more than that. It was a showcase of PETA’s best actors and singers. It gave me more than a history lesson, it was an eye opener of sorts. I honestly never knew about the story of the monkey and the turtle until that moment. Shame on me indeed. Noteworthy was the song they sang in the finale. Witty lines, reminiscent of the Dulaang UP plays I love so much, had me in awe as actors evoked laughter using the most inane lines, great for nuns and children under schooling age.

After 40 years, PETA has become the home of some of the country’s greatest actors, entertainers and national artists. It is only fitting that the cornerstone of Philippine Theater be housed in a building designed by no less than the Leandro Locsin Partners. I highly encourage everyone to add a little culture to your diet. Come see a show at the PETA-Phinma Theater.

This is the PETA brochure they give away when you enter the building. I just posted it because it had a good picture of the building’s facade.

This is the dressing room area. The couple hugging is not a couple. One of them is a blogger and he saw an old friend who was performing in the play. Why did I have to explain? Looking at the picture, I felt I owed you one.

One of PETA Theater’s important rooms is its library. It is open to the public, Mondays thru Fridays. All resources may be used, including videos, within the library. Here, the theater buff will find all kinds of theater-related books, journals and even PETA’s archive of their own productions.

Singing Kalinga for the first time at the Lino Brocka Hall. Here I learned my first Kalinga song which prompted me to search the Internet for other songs like it. Click here if you want to listen to song we learned.

Ah, Noreen’s two minutes of fame! I’d say it was less than that. But this was indeed a fulfillment of her dream of joining theater. She always wanted to do that in college. So now, here’s her chance. And she enjoyed every minute of it.

Noreen with PETA President Cecile Garrucho. She answered all our questions and flashed her sweet smile. Many many thanks to Gibbs Cadiz and PinoyCentric for this rare opportunity.

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