Past/ Present: The Exercise, The Result
During our playwriting workshop, our facilitator--scriptwriter Rody Vera--made us create an essay about one of our strong beliefs, wherein we created an argument about it within five minutes. Here's mine (roughly translated from Tagalog):
"I believe that the reason why humans are the supreme beings is because we are carnivorous.
For me, vegetarians are one of the most hypocritical people in the face of the earth. Aside from promoting vegetable-eating as a life-saver, they like persecuting people who are against their beliefs such as splashing paint to people who wear fur.
They are hypocrites because vegetarians themselves use items that come from life. Vegetables are, technically, alive before harvesting. Eggs are unborn chicks. Shoes are from animal leather.
That's why we have fangs. We are carnivorous. If we become vegetarians, someday humans would be like cows. And who knows? A new specie would arise to become more supreme than us and skin us alive to become their jackets."
After each of us read our respective essays aloud, Mr. Vera told us to write an essay fighting for our opposite beliefs. That dropped my jaw. After I expressed my angst against vegetarians, I had to write as a vegetarian. Well, here's the best that I could produce (again, roughly translated from Tagalog):
"Carnivores are a bunch of murderers. They kill innocent animals for their own satisfaction. This also goes to people who wear fur. They are merciless. If they only knew that their lovely fur coats they are wearing came from a helpless animal that is skinned alive using a machine.
Vegetarianism is a way to save these poor creatures who have become victims of consumerism. Aside from which, eating vegetables is beneficial to our body, more nutricious than meat.
We need to save our earth against these animal murderers. Someday, these animals running about in the forests would disappear. What do these murderers want? Exterminate all these beautiful creatures until they would even kill each other?
Save our nature. Eat vegetables."
Yeah yeah, laugh all you want...
Tonight I am about to put in the finishing touches of my play entitled "Si Jewel At Ang Kanyang Dalawang..." as an entry for our theater org's 25th Anniversary Production. The script, a mixture of Tagalog and English, is about a gay guy who fell in love for the first time and is being confronted by two different entities. With apologies to my US readers since I would post it as is, here's a sneak peek:
UNA: (kay SEGUNDA) Siyanga naman. Ano naman ang masama kung umibig ka sa unang pagkakataon?
SEGUNDA: I'm not talking about love being delusional. I'm not that pessimistic. What I'm talking about is this person's illusions clouding that stupid head.
JEWEL: Hindi ako tanga.
UNA: Huwag mo naman siyang saktan nang ganyan.
JEWEL: Ayokong umiyak. Masisira ang make-up ko.
MABUTI: Oo nga naman. Pilitin mo'ng maging matatag. Huwag kang makikinig sa kanya. Sigurado kapag nakita ka niya sa kasuotang 'yan, tiyak liliwanag ang mundo ni Edward.
SEGUNDA: What are you talking about? Look at this fool. Look like this "ilucionada" is going to wait by the corner like a cheap, cracked-up hooker.
JEWEL: Hindi ako nagsuot ng ganito para magmukhang kaladkarin. Ganito ang gusto ni Edward sa babae. Noong kinukuwento nga niya parang sa akin pinapahiwatig...
(Mapapaupo sa harap ng tanghalan si Jewel. Papasok mula sa kaliwa si Edward na may dalang dalawang stick ng fishballs na isinawsaw sa suka.)
EDWARD: Heto na ang fishballs!
(Iaabot ang isang stick ng fishballs kay Jewel at tatabi sa kanya. Sa kanilang pag-uusap, titingin si Jewel kay Edward habang si Edward ay titingin sa manonood, palayo't paiwas kay Jewel.)
JEWEL: (aabutin ang fishballs) Salamat. (maaamoy ang suka sa fishballs) O, bakit may suka?
EDWARD: Masarap 'yan. Subukan mo.
JEWEL: (titingin sa manonood) Sinabi niya kasi minsan na kaag may gusto siyang babae, dinadaanan muna niya sa pagsubok bago ligawan. Siguro gusto niyang makasigurong willing ang babae na pagsilbihan siya. 'Yun ang nasa isi ko noong binigyan niya ako ng fishballs na may suka. Kaya naman, kahit ayaw ko... (kakainin ang fishballs) Sarap pala.
EDWARD: Sabi ko sa 'yo eh.
Although I've heard several gay members in the org are interested to act for my play, I still have this certain apprehension. Performing a play with a gay lead in a Catholic University spells bad news for the administrators, which is why I am fine-tuning some lines in such a way that it doesn't violate their sensibilities once they review the script.
If all else fails, Jewel will become an ugly girl. And it won't be fun, would it?
1 Comments:
another reason not to trust vegetarians!
Wed Jan 11, 12:07:00 AM GMT+8
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