“Soul making is about drawing out a certain experience of a person and transforming this into an image, either in the form of a painting, a composition, or a production.” Ka’ Noi, Member, Davao Writer’s Guild
The College of Arts and Sciences and the Institute of Languages and Creative Arts recently organized a workshop focusing on theater production, improvisation, and appropriations on July 29, 2024, at the USeP-CIC AVR. The workshop attracted undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Southeastern Philippines, offering them the opportunity to enhance their improvisation skills through engaging lectures, theatrical activities, and design exercises. The event was a great success and provided valuable learning experiences for all participants.
Dr. Marnie Grace I. Sonico, the CAS Dean, expressed her optimism about the workshop, emphasizing its significance in equipping and refining creative works while nurturing a collaborative environment for sharing best practices and preserving Indigenous knowledge. In her opening remarks, she stressed, “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 theater 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴.”
Ms. Reah Izza T. Paglinawan, the Program Head of the Bachelor of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies (BALCS), explained in her rationale that the University’s IKSP 3 project team has developed creative methods to further revitalize Indigenous cultures by presenting them on the international stage through the conference. The project has established Cultural Heritage and Oral Traditions as sub-themes, focusing on preserving and transmitting Indigenous cultural heritage, including storytelling, music, dance, and other oral traditions.
As the event’s highlight, the resource speaker, Mr. Norman ‘Noi’ Narciso, shared his expertise and insights on theater production, improvisations, and appropriations. Ka’ Noi is a prolific artist who crosses different genres of art in a postmodern manner. He has made several astonishing theatrical productions with Teatro Humanidades and Hikut-hungihong Art Collective. As a member of the Davao Writers Guild (DWG), he writes, performs, and illustrates different creative works accompanied by his music through improvised materials. Hence, as a former member of the Committee on Visual Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) from 2004-2010, and with his honest devotion to art, Ka’ Noi is a source of inspiration to the young generation.
During the lecture, Ka’ Noi tackled the culture of improvisation, innovation, and creativity in theater. The discussion on the subject is further enriched by the speaker sharing the practice of improvisation in Filipino culture, such as music and livelihood. Followed by a series of dramatic improvisations, the participants displayed their creativity, spontaneity, and collaboration in producing spectacular performances. The speaker emphasized Filipinos’ continuing adaptability and creativity in the face of different hardships. He also discussed the importance of cultural sensitivity in crafting stories.
Preparations are underway for the upcoming Tingug International Conference, set to occur on October 24-25, 2024. This conference is significant as part of the University’s research program, emphasizing the importance of IKSPs. In line with these efforts, the University is conducting a workshop to foster the creation of authentic creative works that embody Indigenous cultural heritage and oral traditions. These works will be featured during the conference, offering a platform to underscore the University’s dedication to preserving and advocating for IKSP while addressing contemporary challenges and exploring prospects for sustainable development in this field.
To know more about the conference, click here: https://www.facebook.com/ILCAUSeP/posts/438012522417346
Article by: Carmel Earl Palabrica, BALCS-4
Photos by: Kristina Cassandra L. Caballero, BALCS-4
