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“Artists used Fringe Manila as a springboard and platform to exercise their freedom of expression. We became sort of a safe space to their works that we feel should be heard.” These are the words of Andrei Paminutan, Festival Director and Board Member of Fringe Manila, in the press conference to kickstart its fifth year.
And Fringe Manila 2019 certainly delivered. While art is a canvas for artists to showcase their creativity, the festival delivered their freedom of expression so daringly that it left us dazed until its end. With a lineup of shows touching on themes that resonate with the times (minorities, politics, and failed justice), the adobo team had the privilege of catching a few:
Third World (Pineapple Lab)
‘Third World’ by international DJ, dancer and choreographer Diana Reyes (or more popularly known as Fly Lady Di) is a one-woman dance exhibition performed and choreographed by Diana herself, made possible by the funding program of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council. On February 17, 2019, it debuted in Manila for Fringe 2019 at Pineapple Lab in Poblacion, Makati City.
Showcasing Diana’s personal journey to find her place in the world, it was a witty and yet poignant tale about the reality of the world for children of the diaspora told through various types of dance like Waacking, Hip-Hop, Filipino folk dance and more with both hilarious and heartfelt monologues in-between.
Rites of Passage (Kwago)
Since its birth in 2018, Kwago has rapidly grown from a small book bar to a community of readers, zine makers, authors and artist-publishers. Last February, Kwago unveiled a renewed space with a more curated inventory, new programs and partners through a gathering aptly called Rites of Passage at the Warehouse in collaboration with Warehouse Eight. It was a whole day filled with poetry, music, friends old and new converging, and passion-fueled dialogue amongst creatives.
“Kwago is a space where you can exercise freedom without constraints, where you can be yourself, where you can debate with people, and find yourself through the works of others. Kwago is more than just a bookstore, it’s a community of people who love what they do and do what they love. This is the reason why I’m here to help it grow,” said Karl Gaverza, Kwago’s newest co-owner and founder/writer of The Spirits of the Philippine Archipelago.
CHAROT! (Philippine Educational Theater Association)
J-Mee Katanyag and Michelle Ngu’s CHAROT! started off with its tagline, “Wanna hear a joke?” pertained to the title of the play. “Charot” is a gay lingo used in delivering truthful or half-meant jokes, corresponding to what the play believed the present era of the country is—a joke. CHAROT! traveled to the year 2020 in the afternoon of the plebiscite elections. A group of P.I. citizens (as the play calls it) are stuck in gridlock traffic on their way to the voting station. A close similarity to the upcoming elections, it is the time where citizens are asked to vote whether they agree on shifting the constitution into a federal system of government or not.
Characters coming from all walks of life from millennials, blue-collared workers, white-collated workers, the poor, and the elite are prepared to vote. An apparent division brought by their difference in opinions regarding the matter is seen from the play’s beginning to end. CHAROT! is a playful jab at our present from key individuals in the government to altered insults that many Filipinos hurl at each other. The play presented both sides of political arguments—which allowed the audience to vote in changing the government to federalism or remaining as it is, a reference to the upcoming midterm elections.
PULA (ACT MNL, in partnership with Tanghalang Batingaw)
“Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!” (The people united, we’ll never be defeated!) These are the cries of every character desperate to fight for our country’s independence from dictatorship in Danielle Hill’s PULA.
Not for the faint-hearted, PULA might have had audiences squirming until the end, not only because of its violent portrayal of the First Quarter Storm in 1970, but also the exceptional acting and fiery revolt against the government. A young man stepped out of history to tell various stories, along with intense role-playing, of the atrocities that killed the lives of many Filipinos. Although death awaits those who revolt, he stated that it’s a choice between the country or yourself that needs to be made. This one-act play is a time travel to significant eras in 1970 from prison cells to relentless activists battling against an abusive regime.
Missed Fringe Manila 2019? You can check out their website and Facebook page for highlights. You can also bring back the fun by using the hashtag #FringeMNL2019 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
