I used to think of theater as an escape from reality, but my training in Tanghalang Ateneo
made me realize that it was also a way of confronting it.
Apart from what I have learned about myself in and through the theater, it has helped me help others aside from myself in the workplace. My love for the theater and my experience as a teacher has led me to give workshops to students, teachers, managers, sales personnel, entrepreneurs and others, based on theater principles and practices.
Our Artistic Director and mentor Dr. Ricardo Abad always used to say, “build and destroy” and it is a concept I have internalized. When the run of a show ends, we have to “strike set” which means literally tear down the set on stage, that took tons of effort and time to build. But that’s how it is in theater – you build then destroy, so that you can build again. And that’s how it also is in life. One cannot rest on one’s laurels and take pride in what has already been accomplished, no matter how great it is. It takes a great deal of humility (hard work and determination) to start over or start anew and complete another undertaking. It is true not only of actors, directors, producers, etc., but of any kind of creator in any kind of work. We are only as great as our last performance.
No one is indispensable. This is another lesson from the theater that I have taken to heart. No matter how talented or brilliant you or others think you are, there is no excuse for slacking. If you do not attend rehearsals regularly or memorize your lines, or if for some unfortunate reason, you are unable to perform, there will always be somebody out there to take your place. I was an understudy for one of the lead roles in a play where I was originally an assistant stage manager. Because I was always around during rehearsals (being an assistant stage manager), and knew the part (by heart) that belonged to somebody else, I became an alternate instead of an understudy, and was given a good number of shows. Recently, I was asked to take on the role of a cast member (a good friend of mine) who had to go through an emergency surgery. It was a Shakespearean play and I said yes, even if I had only three days to learn the part, after a theater hiatus of six years. But I did it, even if I initially wasn’t sure I could. I felt that I could do anything afterwards. Not only on stage, but in general.
Which leads me to the next lesson: the show must go on. No matter how seemingly impossible the obstacle is to hurdle, in the end, nothing is impossible. There will always be challenges, but giving up is not an option. You have to use your creativity and resourcefulness to overcome whatever challenge is thrown at you.
If you are good at what you do, there will always be a place for you. Luck or good fortune comes to those who are prepared for it. There will always be an opportunity for you IF and WHEN you are prepared to grab it. Thus, the necessity of always learning and unlearning, building and destroying, improving one’s craft.
What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan? Improvise.There are several theater exercises to develop this skill. But it is useful in general and not only in theater, because you learn to focus, think on your feet, be present, respond to the situation at hand, and relate to others, and have fun in the process.
There are no small roles. Acting is re-acting. Responding to stimuli. It doesn’t matter if you are the stimulus or the response. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but each part is relevant and contributes significantly to that whole. Ensemble exercises focus on how each member can cooperate and work together towards a common goal, and function cohesively as a team.
Theater workshops can be used in the workplace to develop the necessary skills to succeed or level up in one’s career or vocation. From maximizing the use of the body, voice and mind to utilizing creativity and spontaneity in improvisation to contributing to your team, there is a lot that can be accomplished. Performance, after all, is not limited to the theater. “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts…” (As You Like It, William Shakespeare).
I can help you play your part to the best of your ability.
