New plays at Peta aim to take control, shift narratives

“Momsilogues”

It was a different experience watching the hourlong performances at the third floor of Peta theater in Quezon City last weekend instead of the main theater on the ground floor. The space was smaller and thus, more intimate. That Saturday afternoon, the audience consisting mainly of students in their uniform tops sat in rapt attention as the artists presented four fresh works that tackled the theme of narrative change.

“Momsilogues” directed by Gold Villar-Lim features three single mom food vloggers (Zoe Damag, Julia Enriquez and Villar-Lim) who initially come across as flighty and shallow, but later on reveal layers of their hidden lives concealed from their viewers—all while preparing a seemingly innocuous meal of “tapsilog.”

“Ang Mga Halimaw sa Compound Z”

Sabrina Basillo’s “Ang Mga Halimaw sa Compound Z” and directed by Norbs Portales is a cautionary tale presented as a horror story. A journalist interviews two recovering “halimaw” and discovers a shocking revelation that could alter the destiny of humanity. Like “Momsilogues,” this production involves some audience participation which the viewers that afternoon welcomed as it allowed them to be part of and take part in the story.

In her opening remarks, Peta’s associate artistic director J-Mee Katanyag said that in the past few years, we have been witness to how stories, news, online content and gossip have the power to influence our views, feelings and actions.

Movement performance

“We’ve learned the hard way that the distortion and manipulation of narratives has become a dangerous weapon used to gain excessive and unmerited power. It’s time to take control of our stories and move towards a positive shift in the narratives that shape our nation,” Katanyag said.

“Albularyo” —PETA

The third performance was “Albularyo” directed and choreograped by Carlon Matobato with dramaturgy by Ian Segarra. It opened with Matobato as the titular character next to a small table filled with bottles of potions. At the back left part of the stage was a tree stump where several “lamang lupa,” or elementals, exited to dance and interact with him. Described as “a movement performance that journeys into the world of Filipino folk healing of the ills of our body and our nation,” it was this writer’s favorite and one of the most applauded. The final performance, Mixkaela Villalon’s “Children of the Algo” directed by John Moran, reminded one of “Black Mirror,” the popular series that tackled the ills of a technology-obsessed generation. The treatment was a bit heavy-handed although it got the message across, which was “to challenge viewers to see beyond the algorithm.”

“Children of the Algo”

Shows continue until this weekend only with performances on Jan. 19 (7 p.m.) and Jan. 20 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) of “/“ (Slash), “Kislap at Fuego” and “Ang Parangal.” The perfomances on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. are “Children of the Algo,” “Pilipinas, Geym Ka Na Ba” and “Nakatala sa Tubig” (staged reading).

For more information and ticket reservations, go to tinyurl.com/PETAControlShift.