Request sa Radyo, a play adapted from Franz Xaver Kroetz' Wunschkonzert (Request Program) top bills acting legends- Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon. The local adaptation is set to be staged at the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre on October 10-20, 2024, and is co-produced by Director Bobby Garcia, Creative Director Clint Ramos, and Chris Mohani, Executive Director at the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre.
Salonga and de Leon will alternate in playing the protagonist and bring to life poignant scenes on being alone and yearning for connection that isn't there. Rehearsals is currently underway in New York under the helm of Bobby Garcia.
"Like all shows I direct, the approach has always been to work with actors and the creatives to tell the story as authentically as possible. My goal is to understand what an audience connects with and to unearth that. Theatre is about the performers and the audience having a dialogue. And my approach has always been to ensure that the audience is included in that conversation," said Tony-nominated producer and director Bobby Garcia. This is also Garcia's homecoming production after a five-year absence from the Philippine Theatre scene.
Garcia, Salonga and de Leon took to the source material to unpack the myriad of complicated feelings present in most overseas workers. Garcia loops us in behind the scenes of the rehearsals. "It was very unique to prepare for this show cause it's not text-based. It was all about discovering the tasks the character sets out to do for the evening and working with each actor to make it all feel organic," added Garcia. "The play's author say- 'Great human struggles are played out in silence and in the inability to express oneself.' We wanted to make sure we honored that."
On working with Salonga and de Leon, Garcia intimates, "They are each giving extremely rich and layered performances. Even though they are performing the same show, how they approach it is so different that it almost feels like there are two completely different shows. It's very exciting to work with both and help them shape the story in a way that's honest to each of them."
Request sa Radyo is a 70-minute performance that plays heavy on the struggles and feelings of isolation that our OFW workers experienced. "We see human struggle, which is what great theatre has always shown us. We also get to see theatrical form used in a very unique way," added Garcia.
Garcia also highlights the never-been-done-in-the-Philippines immersive stage design by Tony award-winning creative visionary Clint Ramos. Expect Ramos to transform the 1,500-seater Samsung Arts Theatre into an intimate atmosphere with each performance having a maximum capacity of 400. Request sa Radyo is a hybrid of theatre and performance art. The genius behind Eclipsed, Once on this Island, and the groundbreaking all-Filipino ensemble Here Lies Love, just to name a few, Ramos garnered over 300 production credits to his name in Broadway and the West End, not to mention 6 Tony nominations. Request sa Radyo is Ramos' first work in his home country in over a decade.
The show runs from October 10-20, 2024 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre, Makati. Salonga and de Leon will have ten performances each. Tickets are available via Ticketworld. For announcements and schedules, visit: @RequestSaRadyo on Facebook and Instagram.
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