XPRES : Entablado's first ever applicants' production

photo taken when i went back to the RMT for the strike-set. Meaning, we had to take out the stage, clean up the backstage and rehearsal room.

What's special about this production is that everyone is a newbie. The actors aren't the only people new at this. Entablado picked out newbies too to head the different committees. Everyone was new at this game. So were the directors.

The planning of this production took Entablado two years. And i think this is the most perfect time to put up a production like this, now when there are lots of newbies in ENTA. The good thing about it too was that the newbies from last year got to audition too. :) That was my batch. I was a newbie last year. :)

Jika Regala, my dear jikapoop, was also invited to join XPRES.
Old members who didn't really act during their stay in ENTABLADO were invited to join.
Thus Riz Paras as Dulce, Geoc Battad as Balae 1, Kayzee Fama as Manang, and etc.
(picture taken during one of the rehearsals. we were lipsynching "JUST STAND UP")

It's now December 3, 2008. Exactly 4 days since XPRES ended. and usually, it takes a week for everyone to heal from the prod fever. everyone has been blogging about XPRES and how they're bidding farewell to it. I've been thinking about how i'm going to blog about mine, and so this is it. This blog took me two days, and a gazillion of drafts to create a shorter but meaningful blog about XPRES. :)

photo by Cam Ronquillo, when i tried on St. Anthony's halo. :)

this is the shortest i can get, so forgive me if it seems lengthy. :)


I remember last year when they announced that the newbie production rehearsals were over the sembreak. This just broke my heart, as i was going to prepare for my debut that semestral break. It was an unfortunate news though for most of the people in ENTA when they learned that the newbie production could not be pushed through. For me, i was hoping that i'd be given a shot at this newbie production.

During the first semester, I remember during that EB (executive board) and deputies meeting when we were giving updates about the projects of each committee. When they brought up the newbie production, they were planning on allowing only the newbies of this year to join the production. Well, some of us didn't agree, and demanded, fought, spoke up that the newbies of last year should be allowed to audition for the newbie production.

Thank God, He let the stage welcome me.

XPRES poster

The newbie production was called XPRES, connoting how quick instances can be a catalyst and change our lives.

The whole production featured plays from the PETA Writers' Block's 10x10x10: Sampung Tigsasampung Minutong Dula ng Sampung Mandudula (Ten 10-minute plays by 10 playwrights)

I remember that day when i auditioned for the role of Eileen in Alvin Dacanay's Eyeball.

I wanted the role because i felt that should be easy for me. I believed i looked the part. I believed i could pull it off. I was so ready to be Eileen.

my good friend dianne scored the role of Eileen. and i must say she did a good job. :) Opening Night photo by Kevin Tatco

But instead, i saw this on the bulletin board the following day:

St. Anthony, Pray For Us ni Liza Magtoto
Toinette - Emelou Therese Gorecho

i quickly picked up a copy of 10x10x10 at the ENTA Room and scanned through toinette's lines. sure, i skimmed through the play, and even wanted to audition for the role of Angel in that play. But i didn't notice how long and monologue-ish toinette's lines were. This intimidated me. Perhaps because i was never good at memorization, and the whole thing was a monologue for me. I got through the first script reading, and the first script analysis before finals week started. After that, i left my script somewhere, and has not touched it till sembreak began. I tried memorizing the prayer so that it would appear "automatic" when i orate it on stage.

first day of our rehearsals. we still had our scripts.
we rehearsed at the Colayco Pavillion.

We kept rehearsing and rehearsing. I kept on postponing my rehearsals because i wanted to distract myself from depressing myself. I stayed for a whole month in the dorm, all alone. I stayed over the sembreak to rehearse for this newbie production, which, at first, didn't seem appealing.

one of the days when we used the SEC FOYER for rehearsals.

our director, Kuya Kalil, decided to put lipstick on our faces everytime we did something wrong. miss a line, wrong blocking, forget blocks and stuff. and yes. that was how messed up i was. HAHA

I was re-thinking if it was all worth it. I had to do something to distract myself from feeling depressed being away from my family, missing out on vacations and stuff. This went on for almost a month.

during the XPRES photoshoot. everyone was waiting for their turn.

with my co-actors, John Carlo Dulu as the Angel and Gabby Gonda as St. Anthony

When we moved in the Rizal Mini Theater, things began to change.
The date of our Opening Night moved closer and closer. Tension was in the air.

we each had our own spaces in the long table. and if you know me well enough, you'd notice my spot over there. where my inhaler is. :)

a few times during the production i've probably lost passion in what i've been doing. I probably have said a few times that this was a wrong move, that i should've never stayed in the first place. And that probably, theater is not for me. i've been through good runs, and bad ones... i've lost my voice, got sick, had petty misunderstandings, and problems and stuff. before opening night, i still didn't really understand how i've managed to stay up to that point.

Opening Night photo by Kevin Tatco St. Anthony, Pray For Us was the first play of the opening night. technically, the play opened the production. pressure. but i think i handled it quite okay. haha

during the ENTABLADO plevsem, we were asked to write a one-liner "blog" on paper and have people comment on it. my last phrase was: "...i hope it's all worth it." and people who commented on the blog seemed to have a common theme... that because i chose to do it, it means it's worth something.

Like Toinette, thank you for letting me find myself too. XPRES. photo by kevin tatco

"...thank you sa lahat ng tao na kasama ko ngayon sa bilog na ito. salamat sa pagpapakita sa akin na ang lahat ng ito ay totoong worth it..." (thank you to everyone gathered in this circle... thank you for showing me that all this is truly worth it.) - this was the first time i spoke in a BILOG althroughout my stay in enta... this was also during XPRES' last show.

XPRES, thank you for proving to myself that i can be more. photo by Kevin Tatco

"...sa pangungulila, higit na nadarama ang halaga..."
- Sir Jethro Tenorio on my PLEVSEM blog


Thank you XPRES for being my family.

photo taken after the first gala night. everyone was in bliss. it was a succesful night. :)

During the sembreak, i've been desperate for some family loving. I've stayed over my tita's house, traveled to and fro Tandang Sora to visit my other tita, and worry sick about my lola who got hospitalized, and my sickly little sister. I've been desperate for some family loving, that i have failed to see you guys as my family too.

"...eh minsan naman kasi nasa harap na niya, di pa niya makita!!"
- Angel, St. Anthony Pray for Us
My family. :)

Thank you XPRES for making me feel at home. for making me feel secured and safe in the corners of the stage. Thank you for making me feel that i belong. Thank you for every single day that we have spent in preparing this production. This is the prod that we can truly say it was "ours". Every 10 minutes spent during the preparation of this production has been special. People have put in their efforts, time, talent, passion just to create this. XPRES is OURS. :) It was OUR TIME.

the whole XPRES team.
it was OUR time. :)

Most people think that theater is a lair of lies. People go on stage to pretend to be someone they're not. It's all fictional. Nothing is real.

The XPRES stage set design by Jesus Joseph Ignacio (http://jesusignacio.multiply.com/) photo by Kevin Tatco

No, i don't think so. I think theater is a beautiful avenue for expressing the truth. People just want to see what they want to see. That's the beauty of it all, that theater is able to send across it's message subtly. It's not just a hobby, or a sideline, or something to do with your free time. It's a lifestyle. It's not a joke having to juggle academics, theater and one's own life altogether. But i guess it's what theater people get from this love and passion for this art that makes them stay.


It was a fun journey. Now i'll always know that wherever i am, the stage is always my home. That ENTABLADO will embrace me for whoever i am or for whatever i chose to be. That despite the lack of an intimate relationship with the opposite sex, i will always be contented with my life, with my family, my friends, and theater. :) Thank you for showing me that, XPRES. :)


Thank you to everyone who have made XPRES a very memorable experience.
I cannot believe it's all over.
But i guess this is just the beginning of something better. :)


Thank you
Kuya Kalil, Dolly, Gabby, Jose, Fred, Ekha, Harald, Geoc, Ryuji, Jika, Riz, Judge, Pedro
Leinard, Danica, Papa Z, Kz, Miguel, Karl Louie, Yves, Terri, Jen, Meeyo, Pam, Portia
Pat, Dianne, Robert, Mich, Cute, Vian, Omar, Ia, Bruce, Cam, Condom, Tonio, Lem
Sir Jet, Sang, Miko, Dick
Pao S., Nicole, Aaron, Karl Beki, David Beki, Bianca, Say, Andrei, Sam, Kaila, Mike

if i forgot anyone, forgive me. :) i love you all.

XPRES. :)

we just had the best show ever!!! ever since we started a week ago. :)
and i'm very very very proud to say that although sick, i did quite well, even better during the show awhile ago. :)

(gahd. by blogging this, it only means i'm procrastinating again, with the million of stuff i have to do. and i need rest.)


Balang Araw did a great job on stage.


I hope St. Anthony can top that. :)


i'm positive we will. :)


and in desperation, i finally went to the doctor to have myself checked up. it has been a long time since i last visited my doctor. haha. i like going to tito rey's clinic because he doesn't make me feel bad about my condition, unlike some doctors there. and he explains to me everything i need to know about my condition. which is. wonderful. :)

and so. here i am again, on medication.
he put me on steroids for 2 weeks. (dianne and gabby, quit insisting that i'll grow an adam's apple and have a deeper voice, because it doesn't make sense. i don't think steroids work that way. HAHA) and he said, if the symptoms of my usual allergies don't go away, i'll have to continue with the steroids. not only that, i'm back on seretide. seretide is just the expensive inhaler that i used to have. i like seretide because i don't get asthma attacks in like, 4 days. so yeah.

(this is educational) coz he explained that asthma attacks go in two ways: the blocking of the airway, the swelling of that membrane of the airway, which simply makes one have difficulty in breathing. the other one is the late phase of the asthma... there's inflammation and stuff involved... not only does the membrane around the airway swell, there are stuff in the airway that clogs it. swelling+clogging=hep hep hooray! making air difficult to pass through. and apparently, that's what's happening to me now.

i've been using my ventolin inhaler for maintenance. as what i've always known, i'm supposed to use it WHENEVER I NEED IT. apparently, my doctor thought "that's bad." because the ventolin pump should be used only every 4 hours. and taking it 3-4 times an hour is really. bad.


so tadaaa. :)

hey, a plus to why i can never be a nursing student. baka ako pa inurse ng pasyente ko. :) haha



Atty. Nick Pichay watched the show today, and he loved it!!!!!! :) Thank you for watching!
For a newbie production, i must say, WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL. :)
(newbie actors, directors, committee heads, etc)

i heard a few other playwrights are watching our remaining shows, and i hope the other plays do well too. GOOD LUCK TO ST.ANTHONY PRAY FOR US! gahd.

i've been thinking about this for awhile, i've shared it to others as well.
how a playwright must feel seeing his/her play being brought to life. :)
putting myself in the shoes of a playwright, and maybe i will be more biased because i'm a newbie at writing plays (no, my hs plays were. a blah. haha),
i'd feel honored and consider it as a favor for me, that these people are staging my play..
i'd be ecstatic seeing the characters born out of my imagination, coming to life on stage, seeing them in the flesh... hearing them...
i'd be roused hearing the background music, the sounds, the lights of the play i've written..
i'd be thrilled to see how the director understoof my play, and how he/she brought it to life.


this reminded me of the play i was writing for entablado's writers' bloc. :)

(i love this photo. this is going to be the cover)

i'm actually more excited seeing it on stage than finishing it. HAHA.
i'm not yet done, not even halfway, not even 1/4. HAHA.
scene 1. that's all i have. out of 8? i forgot.
it's a short one act play. a psychothriller. watch out for it. :)

to be able to see it on stage, i have to actually finish it. so yeah, i WILL finish it. :)


gahd i love theater. :)
it rouses me. :)

ano nga ba ang pwedeng mangyari sa loob ng 10 minuto?

hindi ko hiniling na mahalin mo ako.

Kahit ilang electric fan, stand fan at aircon ang nasa bahay mo, mahirap palamigin ang isang mainit na ulo.

Kailangan mo pa bang magkape sa umaga kapag ang headline naman ng iyong araw ay sobrang shocking talaga?

Ano ang halaga ng isang pangako kung wala naman itong anumang bahid ng katapatan?

Buhay ka bang talaga kung puro lihim na lang ang bumubuo sa pagkatao mo?

Wala na ang lahat sa iyo. Kanino ka pa tatawag kung puro answering machine na lang ang sumasagot sayo?

Maghihintay ka ba hanggang sa taong 3000 para lang iwanang muli?

Paano mo ipapakita ang iyong pag-ibig sa isang taong hindi naman tumitingin sa direksyon mo?

Maaangkin mo pa ba ang bahagi ng buhay mo na nabili na ng iba?

Aaasa ka pa ba sa katotohanan kung ang katotohanang iyon, pag nagpakita na sa iyo, ay hindi mo pala gusto?

Hanggang saan mo madadala ang sarili mo para lang makakuha ng trabaho?

***

Xpres
Nobyembre 27, 28 (7pm)

Nobyembre 29 (3pm at 7pm)

Php 120

Rizal Mini Theater

Ateneo de Manila University

xpres2008.multiply.com

ANG TANGING HILING KO LANG AY PANOORIN MO ANG DULANG ITO.

St. Anthony, Pray for Us ni Liza Magtoto

alam ko.

manood ng XPRES para malaman mo rin.

burara ka ba?
palagi bang may nawawala sayo?
kaw kasi, kung saan saan ka tumitingin, anjan lang naman sa harap mo.
(andito lang naman ako sa harap mo. BILANG PERSONAL TRUTHS. hahaha!)

ST. ANTHONY, PRAY FOR US
ni Liza Magtoto

patron saint for the recovery of things lost.

panoorin para malaman kung pano sha icontact.

bahagi ako ng play na ito, bilang si toinette,
ang single mother na burara.
tulungan si toinette na mahanap ang totoo niyang hinahanap!!!!

INIHAHANDOG NG ENTABLADO
ang XPRES
Nov 27, 28, 29 7pm
Nov 29 3pm
RIZAL MINI THEATER, AdMU

tampok ang mga dulang

St. Anthony, Pray For Us (ANDITO AKO!)
Balang Araw (ANDITO RIN AKO!)
Isang Libong Tula Para Sa Dibdib ni Dulce
Eyeball
Trabaho Soliloquies
SBF (Single Brown Female)
Walang Iwanan
Over A Cup of Coffee
Tingnan Natin ang Mukha Niya
Nang Dahil Sa Init

10 PLAYS
5 PERFORMANCES PER SHOWDATE
8 SHOWS

sa halaga ng P120.
OH DIBA. MURANG MURA LANG!!!!!

KUNG GUSTO MO AKONG MAPANOOD, ay nako, nagtanong pa ako, i know you want to.

ito ang showdates ng St. Anthony, Pray For Us:
November 27, 7pm
November 29, 7pm

showdates ng Balang Araw:
November 28, 7pm
November 29, 7pm

SUPPORT ENTABLADO'S NEWBIE PRODUCTION!!!!
for tickets, CONTACT ME!!!!
timee gorecho iamtimee@yahoo.com

visit www.xpres2008.multiply.com for more details

XPRES behind the scenes

i don't know how to blog this, so. i'm just gonna post pictures and stuff. :)


so the reason why i haven't blogged was because i was busy with XPRES.
It's ENTABLADO's first ever applicant's production. :)

i'm part of the play BALANG ARAW written by Chris Martinez

CAST:
Pumpkin - Jose Tanjuan
Mama - Ekha Villasanta
Papa - Harald Tomintz
Balae 1 - Geoc Batad
Balae 2 - Timee Gorecho
Kardinal - Jika Regala
Sakristan - Ryuji Santisteban
Cupcake - Fred Herrera
Ninong Alien - Gabby Gonda
Make Up Artist - Dolly Dulu

jika regala in her decent red kardinal costume. :)

mama and balae 2. :)

dolly and timee in BALANG ARAW costumes. :)

i did my make up all by myself mom!!! haha

ninong alien as gabby gonda. ay. HAHA!

But the play where i play lead in is St. Anthony, Pray For Us.

internalizing my 'stressed' and 'tired' role.

I play the role of toinette, a 'burara' single mother who is desperate in searching for peace of mind. She has an angel, sent by St. Anthony, who is following her around and helping her find stuff. :) WATCH!!! My shows are on the 27th and 29th. :)

CAST:
Toinette - Timee Gorecho
Angel - Dolly Dulu
St. Anthony - Gabby Gonda

"...alam kong wala jan si ate marites, pero pwede ko po ba sanang iwan yung baby ko sa inyo??"

"hindi ka rin pala papayag!!!"

"ang hinahanap ko lang naman sa tatay mo ay siya mag palit ng lampin mo habang nagtitimpla ako ng kape niya!"

"tingin niya lang sa anak, kalaro. yon ang idea niya ng quality time. gusto niya 5 years old ka na, 5 years old kasi ang isip niya! "

"di niya alam na bago magiging 5 ay magiging 1, 2, 3!!"

"hello mrs. crespo, si toinette po ito maam... baka mamayang hapon nalang po ako papasok.. kasi po.. kasi po... may LBM po ako maam!"

*silence*

November 22 - Saturday
i didn't have a show so i spent my morning till around 5pm with my tita and tito. :) i went to richmonde hotel in ortigas to meet them, ate breakfast, and while they fixed their stuff ready for check out, i slept. i was sooo tired. HAHA. then we went to trinoma to eat again. HAHA. went around. we were fetched by tita bebet's driver, and they took me back to ateneo just in time for the Gala Night.

The Gala Night plays were
Eyeball by Alfonso Dacanay (who by the way watched the play)
SBF or Single Brown Female by Jose Victor Torres
Tingnan Natin ang Mukha Niya by Nicolas Pichay
Nang Dahil Sa Init by Rody Vera
Walang Iwanan by +Rene Villanueva

I was an SM that night. (Stage Manager!) wooh. and. i must say. WE DID A GREAT GREAT GREAT JOB. the set changes were clean and quick. we were very organized. we did well. :) hoooray! i hope we get the same notes on our company call. :)

Every Gala Night of any production, everyone on the prod gets to bow, from the production team, artistic team, to the plays that didn't perform that night. :) everyone was required to wear black and red that night. :) i was in my black attire because i was an SM right. but i was very resourceful with my red accessory. :)

i pulled a lindsay lohan. PETA is going to kill me.

design by Tanjuan

concept by Gorecho

now below is a picture of me and dolly on the set of St. Anthony.
notice anything. familiar? HAHA

HAHAHA i'm creative like that. and yes, i bowed looking like that. :) it looks like a real coat noh? thank you to my sponsors, Stage and Props Committee, design by Tanjuan, concept by Gorecho. :) HAHAHAHA

here are other pics from the backstage. :)

how the RR (rehearsal room, where we do our make up and costume changes) looks like. :)

condom lafuente showing off his boobies. :) they're new. :)

miko amante wearing kardinal's. uhh. hat? cap? crown? haha

Nang Dahil Sa Init cast
(L-R Terri, Yves, Miguel, Meeyo, Jen, Karl)

boyfriends. nicole being the boy. HAHAAHA kidding. Nicole our make up and costumes head, and Vian. just a bystander. KIDDING VIAN. :) playing the role of Gervis in the play Trabaho Solliloquies. :)

David Cammayo. bow.

After the gala night, we exited the theater and found, i dunno, 4? 5? boxes of KRISPY KREME DONUTS. everyone hoarded over the donuts!!! THANK YOU VIAN FOR THE DONUTS! WOOH!

the donuts weren't the only ones hoarded by people. we were all camera-hungry, so wherever the camera was, specifically ekha's camera, everyone crowded to that place. HAHA.

Sopas Sisters! Dianne, Timee (my eyes wide open), Ekha

Kuya Kalil's Cast!
from the plays Isang Libong Tula Sa Dibdib ni Dulce, St. Anthony Pray For Us and Balang Araw!

jose tanjuan as mich nebres' eye patch. :)

camera hungry people. :)

just happy happy happy people. :)

see. i told you everyone was rushing to the camera. spot me.

now can you find me? whattafez. HAHA

what. the.

totoy and angel. :)

just one of the pictures where people didn't have to rush to the camera. :)

condom, eli, mich, dianne and timee. i just popped my head in. HAHA

after everything, i grabbed ekha's camera and took a photo of myself.
no one rushing, no one in the picture but me. HAHA

We went to querico after for dinner and some. social drinking. HAHA but i didn't drink. :) neither did jer. because we were good kids. :) saving our liver for PROD PARTEY!!! YAHOOO!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA we went home early too, cam brought us back to ateneo at around 11:30.

here's the coolest thing ever. jer and i walked back to the dorm. outside the gate of our dorm, we found this snail creeping silently and slowly, so i did what i was dying to do ever since forever. (also the reason why i bought salt for the dorm). because mika, my ex-roommie said that if you sprinkle salt all over a snail, it will burn. and die.

oh it didn't burn. HAHAHAHAHA. i sprinkled lots and lots and lots of salt. it didn't burn. boo. it just died. i don't know why, it just died. jer and i took a twig and flipped the critter around to see his other side, the one not covered by the shell. no. it wasn't moving. nada.

may his soul rest in peace.

it was a good night. :)