Just after its premier during the Karay-a Arts Festival 3, we got an invitation to perform "Tumaka" in Silay City. The occasion was Padayon One Visayas!; we were to be part of the cultural night sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. So off we went, this time with even fewer actors! (You know how it is to be a travelling troupe, and the expenses it entails.)For this edition, we added a scene. That's after the suggestion by Cecile Locsin Nava, who watched the performance in San Jose. She would like to see a scene to show how Maria was swept by Tumaka's charm. We devised this scene overnight, just before we left San Jose for the 3AM trip to Iloilo. We wanted it to be a quiet love scene, with only Tumaka speaking, offering her something to eat (first, a banana which she refused), but Maria just kept looking at him until the last part where she tells Tumaka she is hungry and would love to eat anything. Tumaka offered her balinghoy (cassava root), which of course, is a phallic symbol.
Perico Pikoy (played by moi!), as usual stole the show, with his balletics and eclectic dance movements. So perhaps, I shall give the role to someone else next time. That would give me more chances to watch the play entirely so we could keep improving it to perfection.
We performed at the century-old mansion Balay Negrense, with no less than Governor Sally Perez of Antique, Mayor Oti Montelibano of Silay, Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento of Calbayog City and some of Silay and Bacolod's culturati in the audience. The play was well received by the elite audience, despite it's risque material. We believe the play will get more genuine appreciation, as it did during the KAF3 at the EBJ Freedom Park, from the general public (read: masa audience), when we tour it to the towns. I hope we could get enough support to tour the play.
