TP artistic director Nanding Joseph feels good about the company’s 37th season

Tanghalang Pilipino’s forthcoming 37th season thrills the company’s septuagenarian artistic director, Nanding Joseph, who is optimistic with the three productions lined up for this year until March next year to be staged at the CCP Black Box Theater (Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez).

“I’m excited and I feel good,” said Tata Nanding, as he is fondly called by Tanghalang Pilipino actors and production staff, after Mayo A-Veinte Uno’s Valentin de los Santos or Tatang, the leader of Lapiang Malaya killed in a massacre by the Marcos military.

That was the role that made Tata Nanding’s friends start calling him “Tatang,” eventually, Tata Nanding.

“You saw how good the artists we invited were,” he added. “At the same time, what makes us feel good is the huge support we are getting from everyone. “From the audience, patrons and other supporters who are giving us financial support, the assistance comes one after the other.”

The theater company cannot be thankful enough. It’s not that they didn’t get this kind of support the previous seasons, pre-pandemic. The support now is coming in bulk.

“We feel lucky because even during the pandemic, the support has not stopped,” Tata Nanding disclosed. “Maybe because of the image, reputation and our accomplishments precede us. We did online presentations even during the pandemic.”

“The content and artistry of our productions, plus the fact that education program as mentioned by Tad (Jonathan Tadioan) with community and human development,” he added.

Tanghalang Pilipino started its education advocacy, which is a major track of its regular workshops. “We always had workshops for our training programs with PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) and other theater companies,” Tata Nanding informed.

“It’s payback time for us. We are learning a lot from doing artistic productions, from content, so that help us a lot not just being actors, but people, in general. Actually, it makes us better human beings, more compassionate, more understanding,” he continued.

“That is very important to all of us. We cannot afford to be self-centered. An artist’s ego gets self-centered after he experienced being appreciated by the audience. But the satisfaction will not be complete if the actor doesn’t share it.”

Through the years of performing onstage, Tata Nanding realized his life is not just for himself. “That is what I learned from my forebears and the indigenous communities whom I visited in the provinces,” he asserted. “When you get to talk to them and when you join them in their everyday life, you’ll realize you are so citi-fied. You are so urbanized. You have become so materialistic and self-centered. You only think about yourself.”

“To them, when there’s someone who gets sick, that’s automatic for them. To get out of the house and help the one who’s sick. They are not educated. Very few got to college, but I learned a lot of things from those people,” he said.

From Tata Nanding’s PETA days, he learned that art is for the welfare of others. “I brainwashed these Tanghalang Pilipino people whenever we had workshops,” he shared. “I easily understood that and internalized what I learned because I came from a poor family.”

“That was the spirit of our family’s community in Marikina. Even during the early days, we helped each other. Today, our clan gets bigger. We are almost a hundred when we hold reunions,” he said.

“I believe I brought that to Tanghalang Pilipino. And these young artists will hopefully continue that in the new generation.”

Tanghalang Pilipino’s 37th season will start with Anak Datu, directed by Chris Millado and will feature artists from Mindanao. The musical goes onstage from Sept. 29 to Oct. 15.

Sandosenang Sapatos is the story of Susie who discovers the power of children with disability in the play by award-winning short story writer Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, with stage director Jonathan Tadioan and music by Joed Balsamo and Noel Cabangon.

The musical play is now on its 10th anniversary and casts first-time Tanghalang Pilipino actors Felicity Kyle Napuli and Wincess Jem Yana, who will alternate in the lead role of Susie. It runs from Nov. 17 to Dec. 3.

Pingkian, Emilio Jacinto’s alias in the Katipunan, is a brand-new and full-length musical on the life of Filipino general, who stood up for a better tomorrow for Filipinos.

Vic Robinson plays Jacinto and Gab Pangilinan is Catalina de Jesus in the rock musical under the guidance of National Artist for Literature, Virgilio Almario, with music by Ejay Yatco, playwright Juan Ekis and director Jenny Jamora. It will be staged from March 1 to 24, 2024.