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Arts & Culture

How theater changes people

 

By PABLO A. TARIMAN

Noel Trinidad with son JoelACTING in theater isn’t the calling where practitioners can earn good money.

But how come many are still drawn to it and loving every minute of it even with the sad truth that it can’t pay most of their bills?

Two generation of actors appear in the musical, “The Producers” which will open in Stage One on November 15 and they all share a special affection for theater for manifold reasons.

Like it or not, the musical has resonance of the Janet Napoles scam aided by her coterie of bookkeepers.

In the Mel Brooks comedy which won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards,  two theatrical producers hatch a scam to produce to produce the worst Broadway musical they can find while enticing rich producers to invest money in it. They intend to pocket the investments when the show flops.

Their scheme falls apart – not because of the whistle-blowers – but because the expected flop became a surprise hit.

Sadly, Metro Manila isn’t a place where straight plays and musicals attract rich investors. Getting sponsors is always a struggle for the organizers and finding the audience is another challenge.

But the practitioners don’t give up and they continue to give theater a good name.

Poster of The ProducersNoel Trinidad — who is earlier known for his TV comedy appearance in “Champoy”and now popular as the grand patriarch in “Be Careful With My Heart” – recalls the time he was getting P50 per appearance in the maiden productions of Repertory Philippines.

Trinidad recalls: “In the 70s, you get far with that kind of money but after spending it for meals and transport, nothing is left. But you still do all the performances as though you were being paid millions. Because theater is never about money. It is about developing talent and discipline and getting the ultimate satisfaction in it. Come to think of it, I get special energy and a special kind of fulfillment doing theater than appearing in teleseryes. Of course TV and film are where the money is.”

The actor plays the role of Roger DeBris, the flamboyant gay cross dresser who gets to direct a show in “The Producers.”

Probably by osmosis,  Trinidad’s son, Joel, also was bitten by theater bug and they get to appear in the musical with different roles.

The older Trinidad asserts: “I know that my son has made headways in theater and I don’t mind being referred to as the father of Joel Trinidad.”

Director Jaime del Mundo speaks of the magic of theater in all the years he was in it. “Every performance in theater is always special,” he says. “That moment on stage where you are interacting with your co-actors in the presence of a live audience doesn’t come all the time. The magic of that moment is not likely to come again.”

Actor Robie Zialcita — who alternates as the cunning producer Max Bialstock with Carlo Orosa – says the best moments in theater are working with seasoned professionals.

“I think I have spent some 19 years in theater and the satisfaction for me is getting to work in a world where there are no prima donnas, only co-equals. Here you discover there are no small roles and you get to work with people you admire and respect,” he says.

Actor Audie Gemora who alternates as  Roger DeBris has spent some 35 years in theater and never regretted every moment on the theater stage.

He concludes: “It’s the only profession where you get to sing and act and play all the characters inhabiting this planet. It was theater who helped shape me as a person and as a professional.”