Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Balangaw artist from Buenavista directs "Cats"

Mia Nica Zeleena Sadiwa, or Nica to her friends, first joined the Teatro Balangaw production of “Bulong” in 2005 in Buenavista, her picturesque hometown. The following year, the community theater group mounted “Ang Kristo: Pasyondula” where she played multiple roles even as we already had a huge cast of 80, mostly students of the local high schools as well as out-of-school youths.

(Nica in a scene from Pasyondula)

Nica would be in all the Pasyondula productions in Buenavista, Gasan, Boac since then - both as actor and as stage-hand at the same time, that's how community theaters operate.

(Backstage during a high school program)

Nica was quite active in school and non-school activities, joining various competitions and was SK president of Barangay Dos, crowned “Miss Youth IFI”,” Miss Cooperative”, “Miss Huling Hirit sa Tag-init”. She graduated valedictorian from the Buenavista National High School in 2009.

(Taken during a photoshoot at Bellarocca)

NICA DIRECTS "CATS" AT CEU

18-year old Nica is fast moving forward now exploring those same old interests - on a bigger scale and in the big city this time. Just very recently at the Centro Escolar University (CEU) where she is currently taking up Mass Communications, majoring in broadcasting, (and is a Dean’s Lister), Nica successfully staged her first directorial debut with a full-production of the all-singing, all-dancing musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats”. (see footage here).

She’s busy preparing for a new project now that will feature a Filipino dramatic play for a bigger theater festival.

To Nica, your friends and colleagues in Teatro including myself, your... ehem, mentor, are indeed, extremely pleased and proud of you, girl! Congratulations!