INTRODUCTION
Philippine drama journeyed from ritual to realism. In an all-inclusive picture, picture, it is an amalgam of various ethnic group cultures prior colonization of the Philippines, and of major cultures by two western powers which conquered the country from 1!1 to 1"#. In the early period of the $hristian era, %paniards mar&ed the 'ilipinos as pagans pagans becaus because e of perfo perform rmed ed ritual rituals s such such as defor deformin ming g s&ull s&ulls, s, remov removing ing and preserving them( worshipping the sun, moon, rivers and mountains( burying their dead then disinterring them, reburying and even venerating their bones through chants, songs and dances. )hree hundred thirty-three years of %panish colonization gave that base an overlay of *uro-+ispanic culture, and commencing in 1"" % colonial rule added another layer of estern culture / 0umbera !2 as cited in Prehispanic %ource 3aterials for the %tudy of Philippine +istory, 4ew 5ay Publishers, 6uezon $ity 1"#7. )he Philippine-ness Philippine-ness of a cultural form varies in degrees, depending depending whether it ful8lls one, two, or all items9 it re:ects Philippine culture( it answers the need of 'ilipinos at a given time( and it wor&s for the good of the 'ilipinos. )he roots of Philippine drama in this paper are discussed according to the various historical periods that produced the di;erent drama forms.
II. INDIGENOUS PERIOD
)he indigenous culture of the various ethnic groups that had settled in the di;erent islands of the archipelago before %pain claimed them as its colony in 1< forms the base of that traditional culture culture /0umbera !27, which produced the early drama form of the Philippines. )his was concurred by 4icanor )ionson when he said
that pre-colonial drama consists of the rituals, dance and customs of various tribes that inhabited the Philippine archipelago archipelago /1""7. =riginal Philippine drama was indigenous, not the typical scripted, staged and costumed &nown by the %paniards. In 'ernandez>s boo& entitled Palabas9 *ssay on Philippi Philippine ne )heatre )heatre,, enceslao enceslao ?etana conteste contested d @icente @icente Aarrant Aarrantes> es> claim claim that )agalog )agalog theatre was %panish theatre based and that there had been none of it before %panish contact /Aarrantes /Aarrantes 1"7. )he former said that the latter>s claim was full of arguments and not of documents. )his could be so since Aarrante is a %panish who happened to be the 8rst author to write about Philippine drama. 3eanwhile, ?etana, a more careful scholar through his eBtensive research 8nally concluded that there was no proof that the )agalogs had any representation representation escenica before escenica before 121, the the year year of the the foun foundi ding ng of 3ani 3anila la / ?etan etana a 1" 1"" "7. 7. Ct pres presen entt thou though gh when when Philippine drama is seen at the perspective of 3anila, it may be well-thought-out as a blen blend d of %pan %panis ish h and and Cmer Cmeric ican an cult cultur ures es.. )his )his is disp dispel elle led d howe howeve verr at the the countr countrysi yside> de>s s viewpo viewpoint int as tradit tradition ional al cultu culture re domina dominates tes over over the colon colonize izers rs>> in:uences among the locals. )heatre in the native languages provides an eBcellent entry into the dialectics of the indigenous and the colonial in the creative wor&s of 'ilipino artists / 0umbera !27. Indi Indige geno nous us dram drama a incl includ uded ed the the chan chanti ting ng epic epics, s, enac enacti ting ng ritu ritual als, s, and and celebrating victories through original songs, dances and mimetic actions. )he indigenous dances portrayed animal movements and tribal activities such as gathering food or hunting animals. ar dance, however, was considered the most signi8cant by many tribes because it displays the tribe warriors> 8ghting s&ills and prowe prowess ss using using di;er di;erent ent weapon weapons s in an imagi imaginar nary y battle battle.. 3eanwh 3eanwhile ile,, song song
performances featured mimetic customs associated with courtship, marriage, death, or other critical occasions of tribal life. Aical and Aalac are two popular dramatic forms among @isayans. )he former features features two opponents opponents,of ,of the same gender, eBchanging eBchanging verses that reveal reveal the other other perso person>s n>s wea&ne wea&ness sses( es( while while the latter latter eBpose eBposes s a male male courti courting ng a female female participant with the use of verses. Cs the male advances, the female rebu;s in verses. )he verses are often spo&en with a musical instrument li&e Dudyapi for the man, and &urlong for the woman. Cll these, eBactly di;erent from the &nown dramas of the western world, bear Emimeses and mimicriesF of their routines, acts and deeds. %paniards then, who conquered Philippines in heart, mind, and soul, considered early 'ilipinos as pagans and even obscene in their delivery of indigenous drama, which were mostly intertwined in their daily activities. )he ritual practitioners in their dance-dramas used imitative dances to propitiate the supernatural powers that were believed to control forces to regulate the seasons and elements( to ensure the *arth>s fertility( and to grant the tribe success in hunting and warfare / Aautista !<7. $haracteristics of Philippine ?ituals identi8ed by )iongson are as follows9 1. )he central central 8gure 8gure of rituals rituals is the shaman shaman / catalonan or babaylan7( babaylan7( !. In most most cases, cases, the shaman shaman is a woman woman or an e;emin e;eminate ate man( man( G. In these these rituals, rituals, the shaman shaman goes into into a trance, trance, as a spirit posses possesses ses him or her( #. ?itual ?ituals s requ requir ire e a sacri8 sacri8ce ce such as a live live animal animal,, which which will will be &illed, &illed, or sometimes, food( and . ?ituals are are done to bless bless a newborn newborn child, child, pray for for a bountiful bountiful harvest, harvest, and predict future events li&e natural calamities.
III. THE SPANISH COLONIAL REGIME
)he %panish rule from 1!1 to 1"" popularized various various types of secular and religious drama. %ecular types were staged during town 8esta celebration while religious types underscored signi8cant $atholic liturgical feats or seasons. Philippine drama in the %panish era comes in three forms namely, sina&ulo, &omed &omedya ya and sarsw sarswela ela.. )he 8rst 8rst two emerg emerged ed as early early drama dramas s by playwr playwrigh ights ts sometime between the 12 th and 1"th centuries, and were advanced through the e;orts of parish priests and native elites in 3anila and provinces. )owards the end of the %panish rule, %arswela was introduced and was enthused by another class of peop people le in the the coun countr try y &now &nown n as inte intell llig igen ents tsia ias. s. Cmon Cmong g the the thr three, ee, this this was was considered as the best re:ection of the interests and self-image of the 'ilipinos after the 1"< revolution. )heatrical productions productions featured patron saints feast, commemoration of the passion of $hrist, celebration of the saints> canonization( all these were initially staged in the platform stage mounted in the church patio. )he cruB behind these productions was proselytization. %tage presentations were intended for the natives to become converts after they witness the solemn spectacles that enact dogmas and doctri doctrines nes of the ?oman oman $athol $atholics ics,, and relig religiou ious s concep concepts ts embod embodied ied in the practice of the new 'aith, thus denounce the world of paganism. Indeed, one of the developed literatures during this era was the %ina&ulo, which until today is carried out across the three major regions of the country during +oly ee&, a narrative poem in i n )agalog )agalog called PC%H=4. PC%H=4. =f the secular dramas, the most important and popular was Domedya, which was also &nown as moro-moro, linambay or curaldal, depicts the con:ict between $hrist $hristian ians s and 3ooris 3oorish h &ingdo &ingdoms. ms. C C speci special al charac character terist istic ic of the Domed Domedya ya
includes its batallas or the lengthy choreographed 8ghts between individuals or armies. Domedya in its traditional form, on the other hand, eBempli8es theme and content which were e;ective in their colonizing intent. 3any natives were hoo&ed on the literary wit behind Domedya as its plot include the divine right of &ings and vassals to &eep enemies in subjugation, and the eBploits of &nights in battles waged in the name of od and the Ding against the 3oors. Cs observed and witnessed by a %panish chronicler, he wrote that Domedya as performed in the Philippines has been indigenized and has evolved much from its original form, the %panish comedia. %till bearing its name Eal uso de la tierraF, the natives had persisted in their ways and came up with a theatre form well-loved by the crowds who patronized Domedya both in 3anila and in the provinces / 0umbera !27. 0umbrera further stated how 'ray 3artinez de Juniga noted the succeeding story as observed in one of the Domedyas staged in a provincial town in Aatangas9 E)he E)he dramas dramas of the natives natives are made up from from three three or four %panish tragedies, parts of which are so interwoven as to form what seems to be a single pieceK*ach pieceK*ach one of these dramas has a hero who is shown in the midst of many diLculties from which he is delivered by an image of $hrist or some other image or relic given to him by his mother before she died. In these dramas, lions and bears appear to him, highwaymen overcome him, and always he comes comes out miracu miraculou lously sly unhar unharmed med.. )he )he hero hero does does not not die tragically, however, should one of the leading characters die in this this manner manner,, the native natives s would would regar regard d the play play as dullK dullK*ac *ach h drama has one or two clowns who ma&e the people laugh with jo&es that would freeze the hottest water in this torrid zone.F
/ %tatus of the Philippines in 1, 'ilipiniana Aoo& uild, 3anila 1"2G7
)he clowns are are alluded to Mudas> role in the %ina&ulo %ina&ulo.. 'ray 'ray martinez de Juniga in his testimony further said that Ethese clowns subverts the &omedya as a colonial form, for they brea& away from the narrative of the play to comment on the play itself and the actors, and they po&e fun at erring public oLcials present at the performance. performance. $alled by various local names depending on the region from which the teBt originates, the clown or locayo is locayo is once again the indigenous culture asserting itself against the repressive structures of the cultures of the organizersF. Ct the turn of the 1" th century, the zarzuela, a traditional %panish one-act comic opera wth satirical theme( and the vaudeville, a stage show consisting of various acts such as singing, dancing and comedy, became famous and prominent among 'ilipinos /Aautista !<7. )he EPhilipinizedF sarswela painted in the mind of the audience, popular life in the society. society. 'ilipino viewers, to avoid missing the stage plays, plays, travel travel eagerl eagerly y from from one area area to the neBt within within the provi province nce where where the sarswela was shown and performed during town 8estas. =f the three forms, sarswela opened opportunities to the indigenous culture to be of mainstream. mainstream. )his musical play was then considered considered as the friendliest friendliest to the inter interest ests s and aspir aspirati ation ons s of the the emerg emerging ing intell intellect ectual uals. s. nli& nli&e e %ina& %ina&ulo ulo and Domedya omedya which which requi require red d narrat narrative ives s from from the Aib Aible le and and the %panis %panish h mediev medieval al ballads, stories of life lived in the Philippine community were depicted in sarswela. 4atives then were able to earn their identity as a people who succeeded over decades of struggles under colonization rule. 'ilipino sarswela, usually spiced up with with comi comic c love love,, then then feat featur ured ed stor storie ies s of soci social al ills ills su such ch as gamb gambli ling ng and and
drun&enness, with the usual plot dealing with lovers of di;erent socio-economic levels levels that that threat threatens ens their their amoro amorous us relat relation ionsh ship. ip. sual sually, ly, this this had threethree-act acts s enthused with music and dancing interspersed within the prose dialogue. %toc& characters whose function as subverters of the status quo parallels that of Mudas in sina&ulo and the clowns in &omedya where the servants who served as con8dants and go-betweens of class divided lovers /0umbera 1"27. In e;ect, sarswela piloted the brea&-away of theatrical productions from the platform stage for an outdoor performance( sarswela representing 'ilipino drama henceforth became an indoor performance where one gets to pay an admission fee to watch the show. )his also paved way for Philippine drama to be closer at par with the theater of the est. 'rom among the three forms, only sarswela is musical but still Domedya and %ina&ulo %ina&ulo have music in some essential parts of the production for special emphasis. *ntran *ntrance ce and eBits eBits of princ principa ipall charac character ters s in %ina& %ina&ulo ulo,, 3ary 3ary and Moseph Moseph,, were were accompanied by music. In Domedya, Domedya, music for high-born characters are also played during entrance and eBit movements, eBhibiting gaiety in royalty( for special e;ects, music sets the tone in duels during grand battles, and &nightly display of s&ills and prowess. =ther Philippine religious dramatic forms, which come in various names, as performed in the di;erent parts of the country are as follows9 1. !. G. #.
)ibag, )ibag, the search search of +elena +elena and $onstantine $onstantine for the cross cross of $hrist $hrist %alubong, the meeting meeting of the risen $hrist and his grieving mother, 3ary 3ary Panunu Panunuluya luyan, n, the serch serch for the the inn by by 3ary and and Moseph Moseph 3ori 3orion ones es,, depi depict cts s the the stor story y of 0ong 0ongin inus us,, the the ?oman oman sold soldie ierr who who was was
beheaded for believing $hrist>s resurrection . Pasto astorres and and )atlo atlong ng +ari +ari,, the the ador adorat atio ion n of the the $hil $hild d $hri $hrist st by the the shepherds and the three wise men <. =sana, =sana, the entry entry of Mesus Mesus into into Merusale Merusalem m on Palm Palm %unday %unday
III. THE EARL EAR LY AMERI CAN OCCUPATION OCCUPATION
)he indoor performance performance of 'ilipino drama, as represented represented by sarswela, began to assume the loo& of a westernized indoor theatre. In the folds of time, this theatre indeed was to become in the 1"Gs and the 1"#s a purveyor of western plays when it learned to spea& the language of the new colonial power in the college campuses of the capital city where movies and vaudeville would eventually drive them / 0umbera !2 7. %arswela was most popular during the 8rst or three decades of the Cmerican regime. 3eanwhile, the revolutionary plays of the turn of the century were mar&ed seditious by the Cmericans because they were perceived as anti-Cmericans and eBhorted 'ilipinos to 8ght against them. Cs more 'ilipinos embraced the Cmerican rule, however, romantic drama reigned for the neBt decades while the evolutionary plays slowly dissipated.
IV. IV. THE LATER AMERICAN PERIOD PERI OD
In 1"!1, 0uis Aorromeo came bac& from las @egas, and started his own full:edged :edged bodabil, bodabil, the local version of the vaudeville vaudeville / )iongson )iongson 1""7. 1""7. )he stage show that we &now today in the country started during the Mapanese occupation when the bodabil appended the romantic drama as one if its highlights. )iongzon )iongzon / 1""7 describes stage show as a potpourri potpourri of songs, dances, comedy s&its, and romantic dramas. Aodabil songs, dances, and comedy s&its are derived mainly from what was popular in Cmerica.
V. THE CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
)races )races of pre-+ispanic pre-+ispanic theatre in indigenous groups still abound. Cs scholars and artists come upon these communities, they have recorded these cultures for poster posterity ity that that would would otherw otherwis ise e have have been been lost lost in time( time( and the dis discov covery ery has enriched their creative wor&s. ?ealism, eBpressionism and contemporized traditional forms were principal tendencies evident on the birth of modern contemporary drama. estern realism adopted by 'ilipino writers eBhibits psychological and social tenden tendencie cies. s. )he )he former former focuse focuses s on an indivi individua dual>s l>s probl problems ems while while the latter latter conteBtualizes the individual problem within a larger framewor& of class society. ?ealism uses the power of empathy to touch the audience using three-dimensional characters ?ising to popularity on top of realism is eBpressionism which eBempli8es social social issue issues, s, throug through h employ employing ing mime, mime, dance, dance, songs songs,, symbo symbols, ls, styliz stylized ed sets, sets, costumes and props, and almost anything that consciously destroy the illusion of theatrical reality, hence clarify and intensify these issues to the audience. Indeed, even with the advent of change, 'ilipino playwrights in this period witne witnesse ssed d how the the tradit tradition ional al forms forms of drama drama are are still still patro patroniz nized ed and remai remain n popular among the masses. )odayNs theatrical productions are revivals, adaptations, and innov innovati ations ons on centur century-o y-old ld theatr theatre e forms forms such such as ritua rituals, ls, the moro-mo moro-moro ro,, corrido, zarzuela, and bodabil. )hey then embrace the thought of not just studying them but instilling them with positive and relevant messages. )o cite, the art of balagtasan predates todayNs trend in %po&en ord and Performance Poetry. Aibliography
)ionson, )ionson, 4icanor.F 4icanor.F hat is Philippine 5ramaOF 'ilipinian ?eader ?eader.. *d. Priscelina Priscelina Patajo-0ecasto. 6uezon $ity9 =C%I%, niversity of the Philippines =pen niversity, 1"".
Aautista, Crsenio. Crsenio. Philippine )heatre before the advent of $inema 0umbera, 0umbera, Aienvenid Aienvenido. o. Philippi Philippine ne )raditiona raditionall )heatre )heatre 'orms 'orms and the Perform Performance ance Crea
