On April 16th, the Andrews Filipino International Association will be hosting a theater production in Howards Performing Arts Center. A cultural play set in the 19th century, "Tagumpay" is set to demonstrate both cultural traditions and the rising colonial tensions within this time period. I recently interviewed the writer, Alec Bofetiado (junior, medical lab science), and the choreographer, Franky Paypa (sophomore, physical therapy), to learn more about the upcoming production.
What is this year’s PCN about?
AB: This year’s PCN is a historical drama play that is set in the Philippines in the 1800s during growing Spanish-Filipino tensions. The story follows Banoy and Luciana’s secret romance and a devastating tragedy that drives the plot forward. Ultimately, it’s a story about personal growth, community, and cultural pride.
FP: “Tagumpay,” an action-packed play, filled with exciting fight scenes and a dynamic cast, follows the heartfelt romance between two childhood sweethearts and the challenges they encounter as they try to navigate familial responsibilities, loss, heartbreak, and the need for justice. Though the play takes place during the Spanish colonial period (mid-to-late 1800s) in the Philippines, many of the political and racial undertones, present throughout the play, are very much relevant to today’s discussion about gender roles and human rights. We hope that this production helps to spark a conversation with your friends and family about #StopAAPIHate and inspires you to learn more about the historical context of societal issues today.
What has been your favorite thing about working for PCN?
AB: For me, since I wrote the script, I wasn’t really sure how it would turn out when looking at it on stage. Because what seems good in my head may not necessarily be true in-person; it’s that relationship between theory and reality that is sometimes either a hit or miss. This was a large cause of stress to me in the previous months, essentially the unknown if my writing--or theory--would look good in real life. However, as I start to see what I had imagined in my mind manifest itself into reality, I’ve been getting increasingly excited to see what the final production will look like.
FP: Probably my favorite thing about working for PCN was seeing how my choreography came to life. A couple of months ago, when Alec first asked me to be the choreographer for this year’s PCN, I honestly had no idea what I was going to. When he mentioned the play, I was under the assumption that the choreography he wanted was like the typical jazz or Broadway show dance that you would see in most modern-day productions, and even though I had never been part of a theater production, I have had prior exposure to those styles of dance, so I said, “Sure!” Not realizing that the choreography he wanted was actually stage combat, and it wasn’t even the typical fight scenes with swords or fists. No, he wanted kali stick fighting.
What has taken the most time to do?
AB: Since I’m working more on the producer side of things in planning event logistics and making sure the play happens essentially, I feel like the planning for this event has taken the longest. In my experience, I typically can’t finish all the planning in a day because the next day, I’ll tend to think of something to make the event better. Essentially, it’s like a never ending cycle of planning until the day of the event actually comes to fruition.
FP: Now, I’ve made a couple of dance pieces over the years, and I’ve been asked to choreograph to a variety of different dance styles and/or occasions, but this was an entirely different ballpark. I came into this with no theater or stage combat experience, zero martial arts knowledge, and most importantly, not having the faintest clue as to what kali stick fighting was. To say that I was in over my head is an understatement, but I enjoyed the learning process nonetheless. I spent the majority of the first semester and much of winter break researching and watching a whole bunch of demonstration videos, as well as many action film scenes based on FMA [Filipino Martial Arts], to not only learn the basics but also see how other choreographers staged fights to best cater to a live audience.
The actual making of the choreography required a little…. actually, it required a lot of imagination on my part. Since all of the fight scenes revolved around two or more characters, I had to, essentially, be able to visualize both parties and their movements simultaneously since I didn’t have a sparring partner, and it became even more complicated when I had to choreograph fight scenes that involved dual-wielding sticks. It was like trying to follow four different moving objects at the same time, while trying to memorize the exact angles and speed of each one. I’m telling y’all, the way that my brain hurt after each creative session.
When rehearsals began back in January, I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least. I didn’t know if the choreography I thought of in my head would look good on stage or if it would complement the actor’s physical capabilities. Thankfully, we were blessed with a very talented cast who worked hard to bring my ideas to life. From my messy scribbles in my notebook to fully-fleshed-out on-stage battles, all of that wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work, dedication, and patience of the cast members. I’m incredibly excited to show off the final product of the past few months, so make sure to purchase tickets and see it live before they run out!
What can the audience look forward to on April 16th?
AB: The event is held in HPAC, but we had been doing most of our practices at UT chapel. Yesterday was the first time we took the cast to HPAC to get a visualization as to how it would look on the real stage. With lack of better words, our HPAC practice was legit. We have some stick-fighting scenes, and every clack of the stick radiated throughout the stage and intensified the scene even more. I noticed that the actors became more confident as they were able to own a bigger space. This will be an amazing program, and you won’t regret going to it.
FP: What can you expect on April 16th? Why everything! Heart-pumping, adrenaline-filled fight scenes? We got it. Gold-star comedy? We got it. Emotional, tear-jerking monologues? We got it. A theater production that touches serious topics about justice and human rights in a fun, engaging way? You bet that we got it.
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