Wicked Journey: YOLO Production: It's SHOWTIME!

Wicked Journey is a feature is where I recount the times I actually went out of my comfort zone and went to different places. This includes book signings, travels, and other posts related to journeying.


February 19, 2014 at 7:30 am: I was the first one in our group to arrive looking so sleepy since I got home last night at around 9 pm and I had to wake up at around 4 am so I could hitch a ride with my dad going to school to save money.

Carrying the laptop and some hangers to be used as props, I sat down in front of the theater studio like a dog waiting for its master to open the door. Doors were opened and alas, I'm still alone.

Well, not for long. Everything was a rush to me. I hardly remember what exactly happened a few hours before our first show. >__<

Of course, no backstage happenings aren't complete with selfies or groupfies. Whatever you call them. Heh.

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Last minute rehearsal on stage. OMG. IT'S TIME YOU GUYS. THIS IS REALLY IT. (Featuring pre-show pics of the infamous rape scene~)

And, CURTAIN

The house was packed during the second show. Mainly because most of the students were done with classes then and all the parents of the actors of all the productions from our section arrived. I was so nervous during the show. So nervous that I messed up not once, not twice. You get the picture. I was so ashamed when I went to the dressing room after the show because well, I messed up. I will never live this down.

But nonetheless, finally we're done! All the sleepless nights and the fights and the cigarettes and alcohol and the money and the food we consumed and used were worth it. Seeing my friends from other sections who watched after the show was enough to lift my spirits up during that night. :)

GROUP HUG~!

(L-R: Katherine Tenia, Assistant Stage Manager/Make-up Artist; Caroline Castro, Head Stage Manager; Bryan Rivera, Technical Director/Marketing and Publicity; William Beltran, Actor; Ejhey Gonzales, Director; Leeroyd Pelaez, Actor/Production Designer; Paolo Inan, Lights Designer; Ivonne Trabado, Production Manager; Ivy Iglesia, Costume Designer/Props, and yours truly, Sounds Designer)

I am getting teary eyed again as I type this. I am just so proud of my group. We moved so slow as we went out of school to eat at Mang Inasal's in Morayta. It's as if we don't want to part ways. We have grown so close and so fond of each other. Going over our inside jokes and talking using the lines from the play. :)

It's been a week since our show. I still have a slight hangover from it. :) Next is the 3rd Gawad Telon, the awarding ceremony for the sections under Sir Dudz Terana. *crossing my fingers* Hopefully we win an award. And expect more pictures.

Adios!

Wicked Journey: YOLO Production: The Journey

Wicked Journey is a feature is where I recount the times I actually went out of my comfort zone and went to different places. This includes book signings, travels, and other posts related to journeying.


Disclaimer: The following photos are not mine. They are taken by my production mates, Caroline Castro and Ivonne Trabado. They have given me permission to use their photos to be posted in these posts.

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YOLO = You Only Live Once

That's the name of our production group for our Theater Directing and Production class. I know all of their names but they don't know me. I was scared. Oh what are they like? How will they like me as a member? Those were going in my head. I will be a part of this group till the end of the semester and mound a production.

After setting aside all of the shyness, we started working. Our director, Ejhey Gonzales, presented to us, 'Gee-Gee at Waterina' written by J. Dennis C. Teodisio. It's about the lives of Walter Dempster aka Waterina Markova, the comfort gay, and Justo Justo, the late councilor of Pasay and founder of the Home for the Golden Gays. Waterina Markova's colorful and gay life has been translated into film, Markova, by the late Comedy King, Dolphy, in the early 2000s along with his sons Eric Quizon and Jeffrey Quizon.

As I read the script, it was so GAY! :) I was so excited with this play. And I knew then that this play will be a hit especially with Mass Communication community in my school which predominantly gay. Even our Theater Directing and Production professor, Sir Dudz Terana, is excited and has high hopes for our play since this is his favorite play. (Hello, PRESSURE!)

Mounding a play isn't an easy task. Props aren't made overnight. Lines aren't memorized in a blink of an eye. But we made it through. Those sleepless nights over at our director's house were worth it.

Getting prepped up for our ID photo shoot. The theme: DRAG. As our director said several times, 'Don't be a drag, just be a queen~'

I have a fear for make-up. I mean, I put on make-up but only to a minimal which explains my pouty-make-up less face.

I have to hand it down to our director who looked the most BONGGA! (There's no English equivalent for the word BONGGA but it roughly means AMAZING~)

Looking all glam and fierce. :) We're missing a member here though. :(

Meetings, meetings, and more meetings. Discussing props and how to throw lines, the lights and the sounds. All listening carefully to the directions of our beloved director~ (Dagnabbit, my frizzy hair~ ewwww)

Rehearsals however weren't always in school since school hallways aren't ideal for rehearsing. Plus, other groups would see what we are doing. So we took our rehearsals outside school.

This was the first rehearsal after the Christmas vacation. Our director instructed our actors to drop books. (Drop book - theater term, meaning to memorize and understand lines) Well, let's just say, they haven't really dropped their books yet.

Rehearsals span at least a day or two. So that's what we did. We used our weekends to go to our director's house for overnights. And man, overnights were a blast. The photos don't do justice to all things we did and all the fun we had during overnights at our director's house.

Playing Jenga at the side while the others are making cardboard buildings. :) Guess who lost in Jenga~

ME! Hahahaha! I got flicked on the hand four times. Man, it hurt. Both losing and getting flicked on the hand.

All is good though. Dancing our stress away~ :) We need to dance. We need to be energized. Hence the late night dancing. I think we were the only ones up during that time. By the morning, we are back to work.

Overnights were worth it. I had my firsts here. My first time eating using my hands and on a banana leaf. Sorry, I'm such a rich kid (that's what my production mates tell me. ALWAYS) My first time to stay over at a friend's house and sleep there. My first time getting drunk outside the vicinity of hometown. And vomiting the morning after. My first time finishing half a pack of cigarettes in one sitting. I could never have chosen anyone to spend my time with other than them.

No words are exact to even describe how much I love these guys. And how proud I am to have worked with them for the whole semester. :)

But wait there's more! Another post is coming up. This time it's our show time! :) You'll see more pictures of our beloved actors in character and our lovely stage.

Stay tuned!