Sweet, Direk Dolly pasok sa kauna-unahang Puregold Teatro Panalo

Sina John “Sweet” Lapus at Direk Dolly Dulu ay dalawa lamang sa 12 masusuwerteng playwrights na napabilang sa kauna-unahang batch ng Puregold Teatro Panalo finalists, kung saan 373 ang nag-submit mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa.

Sa katatapos na announcement ng 12 finalists sa Gateway Cineplex, nanginginig at buong ningning na tinuran ni Sweet na, “Theater is indeed blooming, thank you, Lord!”

Nakiusap din siya sa crowd na huwag siyang huhusgahan kapag napanood na ang entry niyang “True to Life” dahil ginawa lang niya ang kwento para mas mapasaya ang mga manonood.

Sey pa ng komedyante, “Sa mga tulad kong playwright na baliw, binigyan n’yo kami ng venue para ipakita ang aming kabaliwan. Sa makakapanood po ng ‘True to Life,’ para n’yo nang awa, wag n’yo po akong i-judge.

“Opo, may tendency na matakot sa akin ang makakapanood nito or hindi na ako kaibiganin, magsaulian ng kandila. So, yun lang. Pero ginawa ko ito dahil gusto ko lang pong mapasaya ang mga manonood.

“Naku, nanginginig ako, ano ba yan!?” saad pa ni Sweet nang tanggapin ang P100,000 talent fee (TF) mula sa Puregold Teatro Panalo.

Si Direk Dolly naman, grabe rin ang kaba nang sumampa sa stage para sa kanyang TF sa entry niyang “The Boy Foretold by the Stars (One Act Play).”

Aniya, “Ay, grabe yung kaba! Mas nakakakaba ito kesa pag nagsu-shoot ako, ’no?”

Pinasalamatan niya sina Chris Cahilig, Ivy Hayagan-Piedad, Puregold Teatro Panalo Festival chairman at ang bumubuo ng TPF panelists.

“Grabe, na-break na yung curse ng pagiging shortlisted ko forever. Ang ‘The Boy Foretold by the Stars’, yung pelikula po, ay nanggaling sa play na ito. Ito po yung original form nung pelikula,” pag-amin ni Direk Dolly.

Isinulat daw niya ito 10 years ago, nu’ng nasa kolehiyo pa siya sa Ateneo de Manila University at ito bale ang unang professional staging ng play.

Patuloy ng direktor, “Ino-offer ko ang dula kong ito sa mga tulad ko, mga openly gay fam. Gusto kong i-empower sa mga kabataan na okay lang magmahal at mahalin mo kung sino yung gusto mong mahalin because, you know, love is not based on gender but it is based on human experiences. And everybody is human and everybody is born to love.”

Ayon naman kay Hayagan-Piedad, historic ang PTP lineup at nahirapan silang mamili ng magiging finalists.

“It was encouraging to see how many Filipino storytellers are eager to share their work, and it made choosing only 12 plays especially difficult. They remind us how much Filipino theater has to offer; how live experiences offer authentic connections, and how important it is to create more opportunities for these stories to find their audience,” dagdag niya. “With Puregold Teatro Panalo, we hope to give these works the stage they deserve and, in our own way, help Philippine theater continue to grow.”

Bukod sa “True to Life” ni Sweet at “The Boy Foretold…” ni Direk Dolly, ang iba pang finalists ay ang “The Girl Scout Law” ni Rhain Arabella Alcoriza; “Trahedya ng Kamote” ni Marjay Manalastas; “Nothing But Dreams” ni Ricardo Novenario; “Youngstunna” ni Jerom Andrei Canlas; “Walang Maliit na Bagay” ni Joshua Lim So; “@HOME” nina Edralin Cabrera, Kathlyn Castillo, Michael Ian Lomongo, Marjorie Lorico, Maria Teresa Jamias, Wenah Nagales at J Victor Villareal; “Ang Maayong Balita Sumala Kang Bibo Bautista” ni Jude Thaddeus Gitamondoc; “Baka mali ang Tamaraw” ni Emmanuel Benbinuto Antonio; “Manang-Mana Nga!” nina Steven Hotchkiss at Jay Pangilinan; at “The Fourth Wall Has Fallen” ni Heber Justin O’Hara.

Nasa likod naman ng PTP ang ilang respetadong theater luminaries ng bansa: NCCA SUDI National Music awardee at multi-award-winning composer/playwright at festival director na si Vincent de Jesus; two-time Philstage Gawad Buhay! award-winning director at accomplished actor Jenny Jamora; five-time Palanca Award-winning playwright Liza Magtoto; actor, award-winning film director/producer Marlon Rivera; at theater artist, lyricist/Palanca Awards Hall of Famer Atty. Nicolas Pichay.

Ang bumubuo ng screening committee ay sina multiple Palanca Award winners Dr. Layeta Bucoy at Allan Lopez habang nagsisilbi namang artistic adviser ang National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts na si Ricky Lee.

Ang 12 finalists ang makatatanggap ng comprehensive development at production support mula sa festival organizer na Wishbone Collective Inc., para ma-transform ang kanilang winning concepts sa fully staged productions.

Sa pagtatapos nito, isang straight play at isang musical ang tatanggap ng karagdagang development grant para masalin sa full-length theatrical production ang kanilang entries.

Nakatakdang idaos ang Puregold Teatro Panalo mula February 20 hanggang March 14, 2027.

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