In line with the 4th season
of Artist Playground, the stage is all set to open the company’s first Original
Pinoy Musical “GEE-GEE AT WATERINA ANG MUSIKAL” on August 18, 2018 – 8 pm at Arts
Above, Artist Playground II, 112 West Venue Bldg., West Avenue, Quezon City.
 |
| Roeder Camanag/Norman Penaflorida |
GEE-GEE AT WATERINA ANG MUSIKAL will
feature an all-new original music composed by Jesse Lucas, based from the
story, book and lyrics by J. Dennis C. Teodosio, and will be directed by Andrew de Real and choreography by Lezlie
Dailisan .
The roles of GEE-GEE AT WATERINA will be
portrayed by Roeder Camanag as Waterina, a ‘comfort gay’ during Japanese
Occupation in the Philippines and one
of Gee-gee’s Golden Gays. Norman Penaflorida will essay the role of Gee-Gee, an
entertainment actor, radio host and a councilor of Pasay City.
The ensemble of Gee-Gee at Waterina
are as follows: Bench Ortiz, Joseph Dela Cruz, Nel Gumalog, Romeo Palma Jr.,
and Sean Nolasco.
SYNOPSIS
Waterina
eagerly waits for his gay politician friend, Gee-Gee. He soon arrives, bearing
with him a check – the payment for the film rights to the life story of
Waterina, the soon-to-be-famous “comfort gay”.
Waterina
distresses, “Would the people cry or laugh when they watch my movie? Would they
feel pity or admiration? Would they think the movie is worth their money? Who
would I be to them? An aging homosexual?
Just that?”
In
the final assessment of his life’s worth, Waterina swears that he is what he
is: no more, no less. He again contemplates on the check, only to be distracted
by the sight of a beautiful young man with a radiant smile.
SYNOPSIS
Dala ni Konsehala ang isang
tsek. Super excited namana si Waterina, ang pamosong comfort gay noong Japanese
Occupation. Sa rooftop ng isang seven-storey building, pagninilayan nila ni
Waterina ang kabayaran sa kuwento ng buhay niya.
Sa pagitan ng mga litanya,
laitan, at landian, masasalamin natin ang isang katotohanan paano nga ba
nasusukat ang naging silbi o kabuluhan ng ating mga buhay. Kung iisipin, may subyang nga sa
himutok ni Waterina kay Gee-gee. “Yong mga manonood ng pelikula” ng buhay ko,
matatawa kaya sila o maiiyak? Maaawa kaya sila o hahanga? Paglabas kaya nila ng
sinehan, pakiramdam kaya nila sulit ang ibinayad nila o hindi? Ano kaya ako sa
kanila? Matandang bakla? Gano’n lang? Sa kabuuan, ito ay isang kakatwa at
nakakatuwang kwento ng tamis at pait,
pagtanggi at pagtanggap, pagpapakumbaba at pagmamalaki, pag-iisa at
pagkakaibigan, datung at bagets na may beautiful smile!
GEE-GEE AT WATERINA was first presented
at the CCP Virgin Labfest in 2005. A short film version was produced for
Cinemalaya in 2006.
J. Dennis C. Teodosio writes for TV,
cinema, print, advertising, and the stage. He was a fellow in the UP Likhaan
(for poetry in Filipino, 1996, and for one-act play in Filipino, mid-career,
2007) and the Iligan National Writers Workshops (for one-act play in Filipino,
2002). He was one of the scholars of the 1st ABS-CBN2/Ricky Lee Course in Soap
Writing and was part of the Star Cinema Concept Development Group.
His works were anthologized in “Likhaan
Journal 10” (UP Press, 2016), “Transfiksyon” (UP Press, 2014), “Mga Piling Dula
mula sa Virgin Lab Fest, 2005-2008: Unang Antolohiya,” (CCP, 2009), “Ladlad 3:
An Anthology of Philippine Gay Writing” (Anvil Publishing, 2007), “Writing to
the Future: Poetika at Politika ng Malikhaing Pagsulat”, (UP-ICW & NCCA,
2008), and “Writing to the Music of Pestle-on-Mortar:
The 9th Iligan National Writers Workshop,” (MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology,
2003).
He garnered prizes from the Don Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (screenplay, teleplay, one-act play, and
essay), NCCA, Gawad Ka Amado, the PBBY-Salanga Writer’s Prize, Gawad Teatro Bulawan,
CineManila International Film Festival, Star Cinema, Viva Films, Philippine
Pink Film Festival, Film Development Foundation of the Philippines, Film
Academy of the Philippines, the Aliw Awards, Migration Advocacy & Media
Awards, China-Southeast Asia-South Asia TV Arts Week, and the Asian TV Awards.
He has 40 stage plays to his credit. His
Virgin Lab Fest portfolio includes 11 works, namely: ‘Gee-Gee At Waterina’
(VLF1, 2005), ‘Baka-Sakali’ (VLF2, 2006), ‘Payb Siks’ (VLF2, 2006), ‘Bagahe’
(VLF3, 2007), ‘Pobreng Alindanaw’ (VLF3, 2007, independently produced),
‘Gumamela’ (VLF4, 2008), ‘Asunto’ (VLF4, 2008, dramatic reading), ‘Salise’
(VLF5, 2009), ‘Carmi Martin’ (VLF6, 2010), ‘Totong Hilot’ (VLF8, 2011,
full-length play), and ‘Rosas’ (VLF14, 2018).
He was commissioned to write by Gantimpala Theater Foundation, PETA,
Tanghalang Pilipino, and Artist Playground.
Currently, he is based in Yangon,
Myanmar. He develops and writes TV series and programs for Forever Group Co.,
Ltd. and designs and conducts training programs for Myanmar Media Development
Center. In 2014, he founded the Yangon-based independent film group, ‘The
Creative Playground’. He was challenged to write, direct, and produce short
Myanmar features (narrative and documentary).
His short Myanmar features were screened and recognized in film
festivals in Yangon, Manila, and New Delhi (Human Rights Human Dignity
International Film Festival, Youth Film Festival, Wathann Film Festival, CCP
Independent Film & Video Competition, and Jeevika Asia Livelihood
Documentary Film Festival).
He and his M take care of a cute brown
poodle named Jade.
Jesse Lucas ……
Andrew De Real is a writer, comedy
director and entrepreneur known for Hay, bahay! (2016), Bossing & Ai (2017)
and Stardancer (2007).
Roeder Camanag is a two-time ALIW Best
Stage Actor and recognized by the prestigious film critics group with multiple
URIAN nominations. A former member of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Actors Company, he
has performed in over 100 plays and musicals. He is currently a board member of
the Gantimpala Theater Foundation and the artistic director of Artist
Playground and the Valenzuela City Center for the Performing Arts. He has
facilitated acting workshops for Tanghalang Pilipino (2003-2010) and Gantimpala
Theater Foundation (2004-2012).
Norman Penaflorida is a theater actor, event
host, production designer, entrepreneur, event and image stylist of THE CLOSET.
The Production Team of GEE-GEE AT
WATERINA ANG MUSIKAL is led by Kimberly Claire Somoza (Production Manager),
Joselito “Toots” Tolentino (Publicist), Rowena Jarito (Stage Manager), Jayson
Batoto (Deputy Stage Manager), Melanie Lao (Lay-out Designer), Jayson Santos
and Kimberly Claire Somoza (Photographer), Christian Silang & Beaulah Mae
Saycon (Assistant Stage Managers), Wenzel Kyne Fernandez (Assistant Lighting
Designer) and Glenn Caspe (Spinner).
For further inquiries, please call or
send SMS to Ms. Kimberly Somoza at 0975-9193179.
