Act Eight, 1997
NEW CHALLENGES RISING.
TAKING THE 'WORLD'!
In May 1997 the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA’s), contacted Balangaw. PETA is the biggest theater institution in the country with over two decades of experience in developing acting techniques for community-based theater and had produced the biggest names in Philippine theater, movie and television.
Balangaw members underwent training under PETA’s basic integrated theater arts workshop (BITAW) program for five days, culminating in the presentation of “PUTIK SA KARAMIHAN, GINTO SA IILAN”. The project that involved interviews with the Balangaw cast and some of their parents were documented on film by Oceanic Films for showing in European cable-TV under the title “Swapping Stories”.
A book entitled “COMMUNITY THEATER: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES” by Eugene van Erven (Netherlands), a renowned expert on community theater, was later published. It detailed a case study made on Balangaw (for Philippines) in 1997, together with individual stories of community theaters from five other countries namely Kenya, Australia, Netherlands, U.S., and Costa Rica.
Chapter 1 of the book is devoted on ‘Philippine Community Theater in the 90s and a Case Study on Teatro Balangaw Marinduque
On page 49 of the book, van Erven wrote:
"After the show, Ernie (Cloma) takes the microphone to tell the audience that the play they have seen is the result of a five-day workshop with members of Teatro Balangaw and artist-teachers from PETA and that they dedicate the performance to the people of Marinduque. Melo Miciano, Harold's and Hajun's father, tells me he is proud of his sons and expresses the hope that they will perform the play in other Marinduque communities as well. Several unidentified local environmental activists comment that they equally enjoyed it and that they noticed that a lot of the factual information in the play was new to the audience:
Many people from Boac town have never been up to the barrio. They know about it, generally, but don't seem to care. Looking around me I also noticed how people tuned in to the entertainment elements in the show, but turned off during the more serious parts. But this kind of theater is good; it will draw people's attention, like fish to a bait".
