Remembering Pulau
By Lianne Mirano Romero
It was the summer of 1990 when we began preparations for the musical theater production, “Awit ni Pulau” in Pine Breeze Cottages, Baguio City. The libretto was written by Edgardo S. Maranan, Palanca Award Winner (and Cherubim father), and was set to music by Dr. Ramon P. Santos, National Artist for Music (and Cherubim father, as well). We had no idea what we were in for...
It all began with an “audition” session in which Dr. Santos, Lola (“Mom Rivera” to the rest of the group), and Mom (“Tita Len”) asked us to each sing a short piece of music that none of us had ever heard before. After the auditions, we were assigned the parts that we would play. I distinctly remember one of the first things that Dr. Santos taught us. It was a spoken rhythmic pattern that turned out to be the basic recurring theme throughout the entire work. Ask anyone from the 1990s batch of the UPCS and they will, without a doubt, still be able to chant this to you after 30 years – “DADADADA-DI-DA! DADADADA-DI-DA-DI! DIDADADADA-DI-DA! DADADADA! DADADADI!”
What followed was over a year’s worth of intensive training sessions in studying avant garde music with Dr. Santos, choreography sessions with Tita Sonia Domingo, and acting sessions with Tito Dindo Angeles. Aside from two out of town summer workshops in Baguio and Tagaytay City, we were also required to attend music rehearsals at Abelardo Hall at 5pm (after school had ended), then walk to the UP Dance Studio at 6pm for choreography sessions after that, two to three times a week. All of our mentors were very strict, to say the least, and we were told that it was unacceptable to miss rehearsals as “the only reason to miss practice is if you’re dead.”
The preparations were exhausting, both mentally and physically, but we were in the best shape of our lives. We could sing solos that would carry to the back of Abelardo Hall, without any microphones, on top of a loud chorus, bamboo instruments and guitars, while frantically jumping up and down, running, twirling around, and doing all sorts of weird actions. To top everything off, we found out later that we would be wearing embarrassingly body-clinging leotards and tights on stage, leaves in our hair and various designs drawn on our faces.
“Awit ni Pulau” finally premiered in August 1991 at the Abelardo Hall theater. It was unlike any other children’s musical production that the Philippines had seen. Audiences were awakened by the unique musical style and eye-opening environmental message so effectively delivered by such a young group of children. Aside from the performances in U.P. Abelardo Hall, the show also had several successful runs in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Philamlife Theater and Baguio City, and was even featured on GMA 7’s “The Probe Team.”
30 years later, the once little children who brought the world of Pulau and Igaddu to life have become like brothers and sisters. Our unique experiences with each other, coupled with so many embarrassing and vulnerable moments we shared, have forged bonds that have kept us together through our adulthood. Now with our own little ones in tow, some of whom have already joined the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, we continue to share the gift of music and friendship with each other, and we look forward to another 30 years and beyond!
Awit ni Pulau, original cast
Tagaytay 1991
(Photo credits: Dr. Ramon P. Santos)
