Media celebrity G Töngi, newly appointed Artistic Director
of Upstart Productions, heads the cast of a dramatic reading of the powerful
American play The Baby Dance, brought
to you by Metrobank Card Corporation. This one-night-only performance held last
June 15, 2014 at Century City Mall kicks off an entire series of dramatic readings
called Upstart Soundstage. No props,
no sets, no costumes—just a different play or musical every other Sunday until
September 7 featuring well-known theater personalities and stage directors.
“Readings like this are very popular in L.A and New York,”
declares Töngi, who has timed her birthday celebration to coincide with the
first play in the series. Upstart has lined up an impressive array of actors
for the project: noted stage and screen personalities Audie Gemora, Noel
Trinidad (one of Upstart’s board members), and Töngi herself, along with renowned
directors like Anton Juan and Bobby Garcia.
But will Manila audiences take to the concept of stage shows
without any staging? “When you take away the sounds and lights and costumes,
you force people to really pay attention,” shares Upstart Productions founder,
Joel Trinidad. Managing Director Onyl
Torres, who doubles as the company’s Musical Director and Composer, likens the
medium to a radio play. “You get the same emotions, the same human drama,” he
says.
Upstart Soundstage
kicks off with Töngi’s birthday celebration: a reading of Jane Anderson’s The Baby Dance, an emotionally charged
drama about a suburban couple adopting the unborn baby of a poor couple. Other
proposed shows in the series—which will run continuously, every two weeks, in
three-month blocks—include Pippin by
Stephen Schwartz, Glengarry Glen Ross
by David Mamet, The Seagull by Anton
Chekov, Les Liaisons Dangereuses by
Christopher Hampton, and many others. “A different show every two weeks, at a
fraction of the cost of a regular show,” notes Töngi. “Where else can you
experience that?”
Upstart Soundstage:
The Dramatic Readings. Starting Sunday, June 15, at 7:00 pm at the event space
on the 5th floor of Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati, and
playing continuously every other Sunday from then on. Show schedule may change
based on availability of performance rights and other factors. Tickets at P300
each, available at the door. Presented by Metrobank Card Corporation in
cooperation with Century City Mall. From Upstart Productions.
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