Tuesday, July 16, 2019

SINDAK 1941: A Filipino musical brings to life the struggle for freedom and love!



Philippine Stagers Foundation's 18th season offering an original Filipino Musical that would awaken our genuine love for family, country, and fellow Filipinos. Its a professional mobile theatre company from Manila presents an all-original musical about love and the struggles of the Filipinos during World War II, under the Japanese regime, written and directed by Atty. Vincent M. Tanada and music by Pipo Cifra.


Philippine Stagers Foundation is a critically acclaimed professional theatre company duly organized and registered under the laws of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Founded in 2002 by Atty. Vincent M. Tañada, a lawyer and a writer together with Jeffrey T. Ambrosio, an interior designer, and Hans Christian H. Lim, a professional computer analyst and graphics designer. The three PSF incorporators saw the needs for transformation and recuperation of Philippine theater.

Foundation with an objective of helping the poor, the sick, the elderly and the forgotten through the medium of theater arts. At present, the foundation has more than 50 high school and college scholars. Aside from its very successful Scholarship Program, the foundation is consistently handling absolutely free Theatre Workshop every summer with more than 200 participants from various schools in the country. For its regular season runs, the Foundation has also organized outreach activities and various charitable projects with Golden Acres Home for the Aged, Servants of Charity, National Center for Mental Health and Reception Study Center for Children. Through this, the Philippine Stagers Foundation is an artistic team with a purpose in society.

The Philippines is the apex of the Second World War and the end of it is the turning point that would spell success or failure between the ruling powers. The Battle of Leyte Gulf is arguably the biggest Naval Battle in history. The two pairs will play major parts in this tragic battle. Lives will be lost, tragedy will be told, but SINDAK 1941 will give you a spectacular musical experience that would show our history through the eyes of our countrymen and how the resilience of the Filipinos won the day for the Philippines.

A quick look in our history would tell us, ten hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Intramuros, Manila was decimated. The occupation of the Japanese led to the formation of HUKBALAHAP. USAFFE experienced a beating from the Japanese forces resulting in General Douglas MacArthur’s departure to Australia together with his troops. The remnants of the defenders of the Philippines were forced to march to their deaths in Bataan. 

The Cast
The musical will showcase a very talented pool of multi-awarded actors for.

  • Vincent Tanada / Felipe - a multi-awarded actor for film and theatre. 
  • Jomar Bautista / alternating for the roles of Felipe and Tata Edong - last year’s antagonist in the play Supremo Redux, giving life to the role of Emilio Aguinaldo.
  • Patrick Libao / alternating for the role of Felipe and Nestor - a Broadyway World Awardee for Best Actor in a musical play in 2015 and Aliw Awardee for Best Featured Actor in a musical play in 2018.
  • Johnrey Rivas / alternating for the role of Nestor - awarded by the Broadway World Awards for Best Featured Actor for his performance in Obra ni Juan as one of the closest friend of Juan Luna, our national hero Jose Rizal.
  • Vean Olmedo / alternating for the role of Sofia - Vean’s second charge as a leading lady in a major PSF production. 
  • OJ Bacor / Salvacion - He is one of the versatile character actors of the Philippine Stagers Foundation.
  • Neil Tolentino / Gorio - His a freelance theater, TV, and film actor, writer, director, and acting coach. 
  • Dean Rafols / Pancho - the youngest actor in the talent pool of Philippine Stagers Foundation. 
  • Franie Zamora / General Douglas MacArthur - he was recently awarded as Best Director for his work in Kanser.
  • Kuya Manzano / alternating for the role of General Douglas MacArthur - Kuya Manzano. Spanish Filipino actor born and raised in Spain and living in the Philippines for 8 years now. 
  • Joel Molina / alternating for the role of General Douglas MacArthur - an actor (stage, tv, and movie), commercial model, events host, and businessman.
  • Chris Lim / alternating for the role of General Douglas MacArthur - one of the incorporators and board member of the Philippine Stagers Foundation. 
  • Gerald Magallanes / Rsuji Masanohu - one of PSF’s master dancer and top performer.
  • Carl Adaron / Col. Kunitake - one of the up and coming leading men of the Philippine Stagers Foundation.
  • Gian Daquioag / Masaharu Homma - He's second year with Philippine Stagers Foundation. 

  • Chin Ortega / Tata Edong - one of the more senior members of the Philippine Stagers Foundation. 
  • Yesh Anne Burce / Sofia - dDancing was her first love when she was still young. 
  • Kath Medina / alternating for the role of Sofia - one of the finalists for the Voice Kids Philippines Season one, under the tutelage of Team bamboo.
  • Cherry Bagtas / alternating for the role of Emilia - she was last year’s Hilaria in Supremo Redux. 
  • Rachelle Penaflor / alternating for the role of Emilia - a graduate of Theater Arts from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and a graduate of the PSF Summer Workshop and the valedictorian of her batch, her performance earned her an opportunity to be the alternate for the role of Gregoria de Jesus. 
  • Adelle Ibarrientos / Mauricia - her performance in Katips ang mga Bagong Katipunero earned her a Best Actress award from the Aliw Awards, and a nomination from the Broadway World Awards as Best Actress in a Musical.
  • Bea Martin / Col. Cromwell - this is Bea’s third year with the Philippine Stagers Foundation.

This is a story about the resiliency, sufferings, and sacrifices of the Filipinos during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines being told through the eyes of four intertwined souls, brothers Felipe and Nestor, and their love interests Sofia and Emilia, respectively. The story will be narrated by a mute wanderer Tata Edong.

The difference between the brothers was very obvious in the onset, Nestor was more successful in school, and eventually, he used all the things he learned in school to start a very successful shoemaking business. On the other hand, his older brother Felipe ended up plowing the fields. Eventually, they will realize the impact of the war, that everyone is a victim, and that it spares no one.

Synopsis:
Out of the oven and into the fire. After 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, the Philippines got its first taste of freedom then taken away by the Americans pretending to be the country’s liberator. A sudden twist of events turned everything upside down. History during the era will be told through the eyes of four intertwined souls, brothers Felipe and Nestor, friends Emilia and Sofia, which would eventually unfold the truth of how Philippine independence was won by Filipinos.

The Philippines is the apex of the Second World War and the end of it is the turning point that would spell success or failure between the ruling powers. The Battle of Leyte Gulf is arguably the biggest Naval Battle in history. Our characters will join us in this tragic battle. Lives will be lost, tragedy will be told, but at the end of the day, Sindak  1941 will give you a spectacular musical experience that would show our history through the eyes of our countrymen and how the resilience of the Filipinos won the day for the Philippines.

Directors Profile


Vincent M. Tañada is a critically-acclaimed multi-awarded playwright, actor, director and producer. He made his passion for arts and drama an instrument to reach out to the marginalized sectors of our society, renew among his fellowmen the value of culture and arts.

In 2009 he was awarded in the Aliw Awards as the Best Director for the play entitled Ako si Ninoy, A Filipino Musicale which also won as Best Musical. The following year he got his second Best Director award for the musicale Enzo… Santo. In 2011 he won Best Director in the Broadway World Awards for his work in Cory ng EDSA. Last year he was inducted into the Aliw Awards Hall of Fame for Best Director in a Musical Category after garnering his third Best Director Award for Katips and mga Bagong Katipunero.

As a writer, he won in the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Full-Length Play Category for his gripping and tragic literary masterpiece Ang Bangkay. He was also awarded twice in the Best Book & Lyrics category in the Broadway World Awards for his work in Filipinas 1941 and #popepular.

Vince as the president and artistic director of Philippine Stagers Foundation broke all theatre box office records in the country. His leadership in the organization led to the recognition of being awarded as one of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations in the Philippines in 2010, awarded by no less than the president of the Republic of the Philippines, his Excellency Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

Vince is also an educator. He taught Humanities and Labor Laws at San Beda College-Manila, College of Arts and Sciences. He is also the Dean of the College of Law of Bestlink Colleges of the Philippines.


The artistic team of SINDAK 1941 is composed of the following:
  • Vince Tanada (Book, Lyrics, and Direction)
  • Pipo Cifra (Music)
  • Carlon Josol Matobato (Choreography)
  • Jeffrey Ambrosio (Set Design)
  • Emy Tanada (Costume)
  • Art Gabrentina (Lights and Sound Design)
  • OJ Bacor (Production Management)
  • JP Lopez (Associate Direction and Stage Management)
  • Vino Oriarte (Photography)
  • Alwin Llanes
  • Carlo Parungao (Video Editing)
Show Inquiries
The musical SINDAK 1941 will run from July 11, 2019, up to March 2020, to be shown in various theatre venues all over Metro Manila and select venues in various provinces all over the Philippines.


For ticket inquiries and show buyers, you may get in touch with 0956-669-0335. For more updates, follow #sindak1941 and Philippine Stagers Foundation on Facebook, PHILIPPINE_STAGER for Instagram, and @philstagers on Twitter.


3 comments:

  1. Salamat sa magagandang impormasyon 😊

    ReplyDelete
  2. The name of the Spanish actor playing MacArthur is only Kuya Manzano, pls correct the mistake in the printed program ty po :-)

    ReplyDelete