UP Playwright’s Theater Presents “Distrito de Molo”
For the past 40 years, Dulaang UP, a company mostly runned by students, has been producing excellent plays and artists. And this year, the 41st season will once again mark as they present “Distrito De Molo.”
The illustrious district of Molo in Iloilo City is the setting of three different plays, each taking place in a different timeline. Each play is a journey that brings us the history, magic and myths of the revered district of Molo.
Tres Hermanas de Molo
Set in the late 1950s the play revolves around the post-war lives of the wealthy Locsin sisters living in a mansion in Molo, Iloilo. All three are unmarried, and are each carrying a dark secret from their past. Visitacion, the eldest, is cold and cruel, and she believes that being unmarried is a form of penance they must endure. Her sisters, Asuncion and Salvacion on the other hand, are discontented and lust for a more exciting life. After a series of arguments among the sisters, Asuncion and Salvacion confess their transgressions, to the horror of VIsitacion. However Visitacion is not spared from her own transgressions. In the end Asuncion and Salvacion relent and comfort their elder sister as they call on the ghosts of their past and pray for freedom from their own burdens. Feeling reborn after revealing their transgressions, the three sisters, along with Maura, their loyal nanny, laugh, cry and look forward to a new dawn.
Atlas de Molo
Set in contemporary times, Eric and Lorena Avanceña are young newlyweds that have recently moved into the crumbling Avanceña home in Molo. In the garden, there is a statue of the Greek Titan Atlas standing in the middle of a dry fountain. One evening, the statue comes to life, puts down the earth that he carries on his shoulders, and shares a conversation with Eric. After much taunting from Atlas, Eric agrees to carry the earth on his shoulders as a test of his strength. It is too late for Eric to realize that this is a trap. The next day, the dry fountain bursts forth with water.
Venus de Molo
Set in the 1930s, the play involves the eccentric Don Guillermo Arroyo, who is obsessed of reproducing his own “Venus de Milo.” He employs the local sculptor, Crispino Marañon, to craft a marble of “Venus de Molo” for him. Crispino, without any compensation of his work, is visited by the goddess Laonsena, who learns of Don Guillermo’s cruelty. When Crispino unveils his work, Don Guillermo is shocked to set eyes on Laonsena as his Venus de Molo. As Laonsena leaves, Don Guillermo begs Crispino to help him, but he refuses, and the Don is left alone in his dilemma.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright Leoncio P. Deriada
Direction Tony Mabesa
Filipino translation Allan Palileo
dramaturgy Ina Azarcon-Bolivar
Costume Eric Pineda | Set Nick Deocampo
Lights Shax Siasoco | Sound Jethro Joaquin
Choreography Fritz Esase | Assoc Sound Ric Lorenzo
Photography Dino Dimar | Poster Steven Tansiongco
PERFORMANCE DATES:
ENGLISH: October 12, 14, 20, 26, 28 (7pm) | October 22, 23, 30 (10am) | October 15, 16, 29 (3pm)
VENUE:
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater 2/F Palma Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City
TICKET PRICE:
Php 500.00 Regular Ticket Price *Discounts are available for bulk purchases.
The play has themes of: History, Identity, Hopes, and Dreams.
For inquiries, please contact:
ARKEL MENDOZA
Marketing Manager
0908 814 9975
