WHEN MOTHER NATURE HURTS

Environmental plays are rare to be seen in our society. The last one I saw was that presented by Earthsavers led by Ms. Cecile Guidote, a group composed of People With Disabilities. Some actors performed from their wheelchairs. Because of the uniqueness of the situation, I felt like crying seeing them perform so well, with great effort.

One Saturday, I watched another environmental play, Mulat produced by College of St. Benilde, composed of students of dance. The story revolved around Mariang Sinukuan who was guarding the forest and the entry of big capitalists who wanted to grab the land.

Mariang Sinukuan protects the forest and fauna and in turn is protected by the people from incursions. The forest provides sustenance for the people and so they must side with Maria.

However the corporation through the bribery of certain townfolks manages to destroy the habitat of Maria and to take over the land. But in the end, the people defeat them.

The story is uncomplicated, the characters black and white, good and evil. The folks defending Maria and her diwata are dressed in colors other than black, which color is reserved for the bad guys and gals.

The main value of the play is in the dancing – the fluid movements of Maria and the diwata occupy the stage almost all throughout (the production is a culminating activity of graduating dance students).

At the same time, the dance is accompanied by music composed by Paulo Estero who manages to mix a kind of piece that blends with the raw, natural qualities of the setting. He used digital equipment to compose the music and drew heavily with percussion and guitar.

The music is not intrusive of the story;  rather  it gives the supportive emphasis on certain scenes like the entry of the evil guys who are going to steal the heart of  M a r i a n g   S i n u k u a n  kept inside a transparent cube with silver frame, as well as her eventual death. 

The production was nicely directed, leaving no time for gaps as the music continuously played; the dancing went on and on, shifting from one scene to another, from the bad guys to the townfolks to Maria and her diwata, and then back and forth.

One thing I noticed, the cube as the container of Maria's heart is too modern, too abstract. Maria is a forest being and so even the container of her heart must depict a kinship with Mother Nature. Nonetheless when the bad guys destroy the cube, and grab her heart, she dies. The music becomes morose and the diwata dancers bow  in sorrow and dance around her. Evoking a truly melancholy feeling, the music allowed the diwata dancers  to execute slow movements around the dead body of their goddess showing their great feelings of loss.

However, good plays do not end on a sad note. The people revive Maria through spiritual rites and  so they get to defend the forest from the greedy landgrabbers.

Well, this is a student production and it is difficult to say that the scriptwriter should not have created characters whom you could readily identify as the evil and the good ones; that he should have at least humanized them by showing where their greed is coming from. There was an attempt to show that they would use the money to buy drugs; did I get it right, guys? Also the play pinpoints the military as an accomplice in destroying the forest, which is a very brave stance, I must say.

But still the main come-on of the play is not so much the story as the dance itself. And if I were its mentor I would grade it very, very good.

The director and choreographer of the play was Justin Ray Salvatierra Dialoza and set design by Jay Lorenz Conanan. Mariang Sinukuan was performed by Zyrah Verastique with alternate performer Khylle Paulino, while the leader of the community, Liway was played by Cheska Vasallo.

Other members of the cast were: Neil Casagan, the bad guy ColeMines Head; General, Christian G. Cusi; Investor, Doori Chin; Army Spy, Kyle Confesor; Nymphs, Yella Carlos and alyana Tolentino; Townfolks, Gianina David, Inah Abarasaldo, Ruthame Hurtado and Angela Sison while the Taong Bayan was Christ Zureta.

In the program, it states that the program "entails a deeper and wider view on the power relations of nature, the army, the community, and the youth." To add to that, I would say that it infuses the environmental issue with spiritual meaning, suggesting that there are forces beyond human hands that are guarding our Mother Nature. 

The play is noteworthy also for imparting the message that when Mother Nature is hurt, human beings need to act very swiftly and in concert.

This is the type of production that should be distributed in all the schools for our young people to get encouraged to support cultural efforts that can give them direction and meaning in dealing with our environment.

It is imperative that the Department of Tourism reserve a budget for school productions and alternative shows to be toured around the country. In this way, our people all over the land would raise their standards for live productions beyond the noontime and afternoon shows that showcase (in a very objectifying style) women's thighs to keep the audience.