RP joins Prague Quadrennial 201
MANILA, Philippines - Organizers of the Prague Quadrennial (PQ11) on Performance Design and Space have confirmed the Philippines as a participant in the renowned scenography exposition to be held in June 2011 at the Czech Republic’s National Gallery.
PQ11 is the largest event of its kind in the world presenting contemporary work in a variety of performance design disciplines and genres — costume, stage, light, sound design, and theater architecture for dance, opera, drama, site specific, multimedia performances, and performance art.
Since its establishment in 1967, the PQ11 has presented works from more than 70 countries, from five continents, through individual expositions in three competitive sections: countries and regions, theater architecture, and the student expo. The multi-faceted exhibit is accompanied by a wide spectrum of live events — workshops, lectures, performances, discussions and presentations — and provides an in-depth exploration of contemporary theater and performance design.
The International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians. (OISTAT) through local members Rollie de Leon and Joey Nombres, and journalist and cultural manager Henry Tejero, recently chaired the Philippine team’s planning meeting in Boracay. Participants included Egai Fernandez of the National Commission on Culture and Arts; renowned choreographers Nonoy Froilan and Edna Vida; Allen Velez, Anna Laxamana and Vince Reyes of the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines; members of the Harlequin Theater Guild of De La Salle University; Lorlei Panerio of Passi City National High School, and Susan Isorena-Arcega of Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC).
The Philippine pavilion is envisioned as a two-level bamboo structure inspired by Bulacan’s singkaban folk craft, which will house photographs, maquettes, and costumes showcasing Filipino scenographic works in theater, advertising, television, and live events, foremost of which is the Aliwan Fiesta, the mammoth festival showdown organized by MBC and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) during summer.
The student display, which will compete against those from other countries, will feature a stylized jeepney, whose high-tech video installations will take visitors on a virtual voyage throughout the archipelago via festive celebrations highlighted in Aliwan Fiesta.
The 2006 Aliwan grand champion Passi City, Iloilo has been tapped to present the Pintados’ Sinagnayan routine (the 10th epic of Panay) and, in view of Prague’s special devotion to the Infant Jesus, will interpret the Sinulog in the streetdance showdown with Uganda.
The Prague Quadrennial is organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and realized by the Arts and Theatre Institute of Prague.
The Philippine showcase at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial will be premiered at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, where it will be open to the public for a weeklong run from Aril 9-16, 2011 before being shipped off to the Czech Republic.
