The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
New theater company Sugid Productions Inc., in collaboration with the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, is staging Chris Millado’s 1985 play Buwan at Baril sa E-flat Major (Moon and Gun in E-flat Major) as its maiden production at the Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco Auditorium of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Center in Quezon City until February 12.
Directed by Andoy Ranay, this revival of Buwan at Baril sa E-flat Major— which was first helmed by Apo Chua and staged by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta)—tells five stories featuring people from different sectors of society in the turbulent final years of the Marcos regime.
A worker estranged from his family (Danny Mandia, alternating with Reymund Domingo) meets his peasant-brother (Crispin Pineda) on the way to the May 1984 Lakbayan, or People’s March. A priest (JC Santos) and an Itawis tribeswoman (Angeli Bayani), who is among the refugees the former is taking care of, talk to members of the media and a fact-finding team, during which the plight of indigenous peoples under militarization is revealed. A socialite (Jackie Lou Blanco) rehearses her part as a member of the negotiating panel as she prepares for a rally. A wife (Cherry Pie Picache, alternating with Mayen Estañero) identifies the body of her New People’s Army (NPA) guerilla-husband and recalls their story of struggle and survival. And a police officer (Joel Saracho, alternating with Paolo O’Hara) arrests a student (Ross Pesigan) and starts interrogating him, during which they struggle to outsmart each other.
Taken together, the stories in Buwan at Baril sa E-flat Major present audiences a clear and indelible picture of the painful struggle against the Marcos dictatorship.
Assisting Ranay is the revival is a production team that includes Tim Cada, Poch Gutierrez, and Vincent de Jesus, who provide the music; production designers Gwyn Guanzon and Riza Romero; and lights designer and technical director Roman Cruz.
The funds raised from the performances of Buwan at Baril sa E-flat Major are intended to bring the production to colleges, universities, and local government units in Metro Manila and the provinces.
Sugid Productions Inc. is composed of directors, actors, designers, and educators who have years of aggregated cultural work experience. They aim to tell stories about the country and Filipinos, stories that remain untold and unheard of, and stories that are relevant and respond to the time we now live in. They also aim to engage their peers and audiences, and offer a space where they can participate and converse.
Remaining performances of Buwan at Baril sa E-flat Major are on February 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12 at 3 and 8 p.m. A special gala will be held on February 3 at 8 pm. The Bantayog ng mga Bayani Center is on Quezon Ave., Diliman, Quezon City. For ticket inquiries, call or send a text message to Gian Viatka at 0917-8456200.