UPLB OICA Stages Bonifacio and the Freak Show Maria Carina Quintos and Veranelle Joy Merano

(L-R) Elmaz Sobrevega, Carlo Virtucio and Lois Aguilar comprise the plays main love triangle.

Several manananggals and Katipuneros go head to head in one of the plays final tableaus.

Center: Matel Patayon sings Katipunan

The main cast and the chorus of the Friday, 7PM show.

(L-R) Matel Patayon and Lester Avan Andrada Images courtesy of Lois Aguilar and Dedong Marcelino. Captions by Abbie Escarilla

Los Baos, Laguna In celebration of the 3rd Southern Tagalog Arts Festival, the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), in collaboration with the Department of Humanities of the College of

Arts and Sciences, Harmonya: The String Ensemble of UPLB and THEA 107: Theater Communication sections Y and Z staged Layeta Bucoys Bonifacio and the Freak Show; under Joey Tings concept and direction. Written by UP Artist II, Prof. Layeta Bucoy, the play presents several forms of treachery through interspersing the storylines of fictional mythological creatures. Valentin, its main character played alternately by Rajee Florido, Carlo Virtucio and Joey Romualdo dreams of being a Katipunero but is hindered by his family, his friends and a dark secret that may endanger the people he loves. In the midst of the Philippine revolution where secrecy and betrayal thrive, the play follows his journey toward his dream while trying to keep his secret. Do not expect a traditional formula of a Bonifacio piece, said director Joey Ting. While one may think that BFS is centered on Bonifacios life, it is not. It tells the story of the others the heros [Bonifacios] life is incidental. Bonifacio and the Freak Show combines the elements of circus, film, contemporary music and modern production design against the backdrop of the 1896 Philippine Revolution. Sapagkat hindi si Bonifacio ang freak sa show, at hindi rin sya ang nagpa-freak show, minarapat na maging Bonifacio and the Freak Show ang pamagat ng dula. Ang mga tinuturing na freak, iba, ay may sariling palabas kung saan hindi na sila ang nasa labas ng naghaharing gahum, ngunit nasa sentro, kabilang, hindi na iba., added Bucoy about the title of the play. The play boasts an ensemble cast consisting of student actors and many of UPLBs resident artists. The musical consists of production design by Louie Navarro, props design by Erma Capucion, cinematic visual effects design by Rudyard Pesimo, and original music composed by Marie Angelica Dayao and Harmonya: The String Ensemble of UPLB. Adrian Paul Marcelino (co-musical direction), Mylene Mamalias (production design associate and costume styling), David Bryce Saguin (cinematic visual effects associate), Dina Mojica (dramaturgy), Allison Antonio (production management), Harold Medina (technical direction), Alodia Percal (stage management) Joshua Vidal (vocal coach), Vlad Gonzales and Paoloregel Samonte (photography) round out the musicals artistic team. Bonifacio and the Freak Show ran on February 19, 20 and 21, 2014 with 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm shows at the DL Umali Auditorium, UP Los Banos.