Kapuso production designer bags Prague Quadrennial award

MANILA, Philippines - Kapuso Network’s award-winning production designer and national curator Rolando “Rollie” de Leon continues to reap accolades worldwide after becoming one of the awardees of the 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Space and Design.

De Leon received the Rainbow Cormorant Award for his winning pavilion that represented the iconic bahay kubo made of bamboos where the three major Philippine regions — Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao — are represented in three major cultural iconographies of the Christian, Muslim and Lumad cultures.

The sole Asian entry also highlighted costumes, photographs and the retrospective publication on Manila Broadcasting Company’s Aliwan Fiesta, materials from GMA 7’s Kapuso Fiesta, maquettes of various local productions for which he did the set design, Angono’s Higantes, Abel Iloko fabric, Darangen dolls from Mindanao and Bohol’s Teatro Abatan.

De Leon is a renowned scenographer who has been a staunch advocate of design disciplines for theater. He is a loyal Kapuso who handled the set designs of majority of the network’s TV specials and regional events including Mutya Ng Pilipinas 2001, 2002 and 2003; Miss Asia Pacific Quest, Inc. 2001, 2002 and 2003; Binibining Pilipinas; GMA Anniversary Specials; Kapusolympics; Let’s Celebrate: The Dingdong & Marian Birthday Special, just to name a few.

He accepted the award at the Czech National Gallery in Veletrzni Palace last June 24.

Founded in 1967, the Prague Quadrennial has presented work from more than 70 countries on five continents. The exhibition draws thousands of performance and theater professionals, students and spectators from all over the world to enjoy installations, photos, videos and live performances of work ranging between theater and visual arts, as well as more than 500 events, workshops, performances, presentations, lectures and discussions.

Over 65 national pavilions and 76 student booths took part in this year’s Prague Quadrennial (PQ), considered as the Olympiad of Theater Design. The Philippine Pavilion joined Turkey and the Czech Republic as the Children’s Choice Awardees under the PQ’s Children’s Program.