MANILA – Laughter, giggles, tears, anguish, sighs, trepidation.
These are some of the emotions expected to fill up the (virtual) air, as Teatro Europa returns after its success last year.
Teatro Europa comes back this year with table reads running from July 16 to 30, while full video performances and re-runs will be streamed throughout August and September 2021 via European Union Delegation in Manila's official Teatro Europa Facebook Page.
Sixteen European theatre plays from famous playwrights were carefully curated from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden with a focus on comedy, tragedy, drama, and romance and will be acted by students from different universities in the country.
“Theatre is a mirror of all human emotions and helps to better understand Europe and its culture, from the plays played in ancient Greece to the current online performances,” EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Véron said.
“Teatro Europa provides a platform for artistic Filipino youth to share their talents in acting, directing, and production design," he added.
The following Philippine universities from all over the country are participating in the 2021 Teatro Europa:
Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Taruffe by Moliere of France
Saint Louis University – Rur by Karel Čapek of the Czech Republic
Wesleyan University – Pariah by August Strindberg of Sweden
University of the East – Life’s a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca of Spain
University of Makati – The Horrid Little Princess by Geneviève Damas of Belgium
Meridian International College - The Salt Princess (Hungarian Folktale) of Hungary
University of San Agustin – Snow by Stanislaw Przybyszewski of Poland
La Salle University – Erasmus Montanus by Ludvig Holberg of Denmark
Mapua University – Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge of Ireland
Jose Rizal University – The Birds by Aristophanes of Greece
Arellano University – II Vero Amico by Carlo Goldoni of Italy
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina – Lucifer by Josst van den Vondel of the Netherlands
First City Providential College – La Ronde by Arthur Schnitzler of Austria
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela – My Three Angels by Sam and Bella Spewack of Romania
University of St. La Salle – Broken Heart Story by Saara Turunen of Finland
Rizal Technological University – Leonce and Lena by Georg Büchner of Germany
The “Teatro Europa, The Second Edition” is still primarily a virtual theater festival, but the EU Delegation in Manila said it will hold a limited physical performance in late August in the walled city of Intramuros.
A series of webinars with prominent theatre directors will also be held during the Teatro Europa season to inspire discussions on the similarities, intersections, and differences between Philippine Theater and European Theater. (PNA)
