MANILA, Philippines - Not only is independent filmmaking proliferating all over the country, theater organizing is flourishing, too, in every nook and cranny of the archipelago.

Look at the numerous student theaters being established in schools, not only in Metro Manila but in the provinces as well, not only by drama majors but students' collectives, too.

Community dramatics, church-based or workplace-oriented, are common sights.

Even corporate shops are having affairs with theater, acting, music and dance, all possible treats and traits of dramaturgy present, to lure their employees that’s why most big companies have auditoriums to mount their shows in.

Before, it was only the Barangay Theater Guild, the UP Mobile Theater, the Arena Theater, and the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater trailblazing the formal proscenium of academic performances held mostly in Manila or in key cities or to some extent, the street plays, the space occupied by proletarian performing artists in the late sixties.

Prior to them, the “moro-moro,” “comedia,” “zarzuela” and vaudeville down memory lane were stage staples but limited, if not selective, of venues.

Then came the founding simultaneously in 1967 of two leading groups, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and the Repertory Philippines, mostly in pursuit of people’s involvement outside the academe. Like their forerunners, they were mostly confined to the city, unfortunately.

Decentralization of national activities, though, since the early 80s to the advent of democratic space, from imperial Manila as the seat of government and business enterprises and other social goings-on farming out to the grassroots or to any direction and even back to the city, has ushered in the mushrooming of theater organizations in the Philippines.

Migration has also determined the burgeoning theater industry in the country.

Sining Kambayoka, a compendium of theater artists in Mindanao, comes to mind clearly when Luzon natives from national universities and PETA namely Frank Rivera, Anita Navarro, and Arthur Casanova came to the University of Marawi to plant its seeds of dramatizing. They spread here their ideologue and nurtured the indigenous literary traditions leaving behind an incomparable legacy in the process.

The late playwright Orlando R. Nadres, a PETA stalwart, at the height of his popularity as a movie scriptwriter, director, and actor, went back to his birthplace, the bucolic town of Tayabas in Quezon, to put up his drama group, Susi ng Tayabas.

Theater Down South in Alabang

Not too long ago, one of Repertory Philippines’ alumni, Michael Williams, took a respite from his Manila commitments to concentrate on Theater Down South (TDS), a three-year-old group he founded.

As the name suggests, Theater Down South can be found in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, a commercial district which houses its office and productions, its spirit and substance brought along by Williams from his decades-long theater influences in Manila.

The idea of a theater guild in the suburban south came when Williams was commissioned by De La Salle (DLS) Zobel in Ayala Alabang to present its version of the Broadway musicale “South Pacific” showcasing its students as cast and crew. The production, not surprisingly, turned out to be a success. Eventually the next campus musicale production was staged.

Soon enough, theater aficionados and business-minded persons close to Williams conveniently thought of forming a group not only to serve the artistic pursuits of residents but those of neighboring towns and cities as well.

Going through the hustle and bustle of traffic at the SLEX especially at this time of the construction of its Skyway and skyscrapers is already an ordeal. People who would want to watch live shows in Manila or Quezon City find it quite impractical to take the plunge through heavy traffic.

TDS envisions to broaden theatrical horizons and to gather in more audiences from Alabang, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Rizal, Laguna or Cavite, and probably the entire Calabarzon.

Most of its members come from the vicinity, are employed in business firms within the area, and are easily accessible to rehearsals and drop-script readings.

It’s amazing there are many talented people, youth, students, and professionals interested not just in watching stage presentations but in acting out roles in them as well.

Theater for them, as conceptualized by TDS, is education. It also fosters a play-watching habit among communities in the area by bringing great shows closer to home, according to PR man Toots Tolentino.

Company members, Tolentino said, are given various opportunities to try out different aspects of their craft such as writing, directing, stage management, graphic design, and marketing to give them a wider understanding of their work, to make them more employable, and to uncover members’ untapped potential.

TDS membership is eclectic. One of the members is a young physician, another, a graphic artist, still another, an accountant, and there are also business managers, singers, dancers, teachers, et cetera. Some of them auditioned for past productions like “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Rapunzel” and “Treasure Island.” Others are former stage players at DLS-Zobel. Others are products of TDS workshops.

“Our composition may be diversified but we are bound by our love for theater,” said Williams.

On August 31, TDS will present its last run of “The Princess and the Red Carp,” an original musical by musical director Joone Garcia and TDS Artistic Director Williams based on the Chinese version of "Cinderella", at the Insular Life Theater in Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang.

In October, TDS will stage Stephen Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, also at the Insular Life Theater in Alabang.

During a press gathering, the cast of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” showed excerpts which were fantastic. All the actors played their parts with gusto despite the limited space in the function hall of California Pizza Kitchen in Makati.

According to Williams, Sondheim’s 80th year will be observed in October and the world will pay tribute to him with concerts and revivals.

TDS, although heralded as the only theater company in metro south, isn’t the only existing theater group there. There are many, although nebulous, which could fairly well pose friendlier competition among them to make a merrier democratic theater arena a common ground for excellence.

All photos courtesy of theaterdownsouth.com.