My ultimate goal is to establish multiple theater organizations in the whole CALABARZON region.
Of course, there are already theater groups existing in various parts of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.
I know that Ahnnie Sarile, a retired professor of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas City—although is still a part of the university as a teacher and consultant way pass her retirement age—she has her own school-based drama guild and a community-based theater troupe in her town in Kawit, Cavite.
There is, of course, a drama org within the Cavite Tourism Council.
In Laguna, aside from the ragtag dramaturgs in different parts of the province and key Local Government Units or LGUs, Artists, Inc. of Edward Perez is very, very active in Los Banos where they could embrace many communities like Calamba where they also present their plays.
And because Artists, Inc. is a very big and professional association which could proudly beam themselves as a foundation (I am not informed yet if theirs is one such) but for all intents and purposes, Artists, Inc. acts as a socio-civic entity, a non-profit, non-stock philanthropy.
I am wondering if the late Orlando Nadres' Susi ng Tayabas in Tayabas, Quezon is still around or maybe just because I don't hear anything from them anymore.
Brothers Abbo and Uro Q. de la Cruz of Lucban are gone and their drama guild is dormant.
Perhaps the Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) in the town and its other branches in the region can show their cooperation and participation.
CALABARZON needs a unified theater umbrella organization.
A one sight, one sound theater company.
The recent developments led me to realize the founding of a one unified theater vision and institution which perhaps could be supported by the provincial governments of the regions.
Although each theater org is different from one another in vision and mission, all existing groups can be united to preserve national theatrical cultures and traditions.
Unity in diversity can be the foundational philosophy and dramaturgy.
When I was lecturing Theater Arts at the Leon Guinto Memorial College (LGMC) in Atimonan, Quezon I invited theater professionals like Joel Saracho (who has branched out into multimedia and popular entertainment like film and television), Bon Labora, a polymath who is a committed visual artist and filmmaker as well), Vic Tiro, an action director who is also a producer of GVT Film Productions and Sidney Dalanon, a PETA graduate and Artistic Director of DUMALO (Dulaang Don Mateo Lopez), a community-based theater org in Lopez, Quezon which this writer had formed in the early 1990s.
But because of limited resources and planning, the group became dormant.
It is high time to revive it.
It's good that former teacher of the Lopez National Comprehensive High School (LNCHS) Willie Mascardo has allowed me to use his farm in Barangay Penafrancia as a venue for the multimedia workshops.
I also motivated Jose Christian Furio the Coordinator for the Art Apprenticeship courses for the Bachelor of Culture in Arts Education (BCAEd) of LGMC in Atimonan to establish their own theater group although school-based.
I also inspired my students from San Narciso, Quezon in Art Apprenticeship 1 to form their own theater guild in their town.
Filmmaker Felino Tanada of Lucena City is already gone and it is high time that Quezonians revive his theater productions and be part of a larger dramaturgy.
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