#TheaterPH - TAKE A FLIGHT WITH THE FILIPINO LITTLE PRINCE, PRINSIPE BAHAGHARI, IN 2024
Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas' Prinsipe Bahaghari, which was named one of the Best of Filipino Theaters in 2023, will be shown on January 19–21 and 26–28, 2024, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater, Circuit Makati.
The beloved contemporary classic The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry has a Filipino puppetry adaption called Prinsipe Bahaghari. The plot of the puppet play is on the Rainbow Prince's quest for a friend to assist him in taking care of his flower, the Gumamela, and ensuring her safety on his home planet. Along the way, he encounters a number of remarkable people and befriends the Storyteller, with whom he shares both his triumphs and his tragedies. Prinsipe Bahaghari’s encounters ultimately led to his realization of what his relationship with the flower meant to him.
This adaptation celebrates Filipino culture, myths, and language to make the play accessible, especially to children. The puppets are made from rattan while local materials were also used in production.
“The use of the Filipino language and stories are drawn from the experiences of our people to narrate the magic and challenges of growing up, of the many ways of taking care of this world, of faith in different forms of love within and beyond the reach of the physical senses,” shared playwright Vladimeir Gonzales.
The production has received recognition and noteworthy reviews since its first iteration as a thesis project by director Aina Ramolete. It first premiered in November 2023 at the Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Teatro Papet Museo. It was also featured during the 14th Annual Meeting and International Conference of the Asian Theatre Working Group in March 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines, and at the Puppet Power 2022: Celebration! In May 2022 in Calgary, Canada.
The production was also one of the six finalists from across the globe in The Red Curtain International’s Good Theatre Festival for Young Audiences held on September 24 and 25, 2022, in India, where the play was recognized by the international jury and received Best Direction (Joint Winner) for Ramolete, Best Production, Best Production Design, and an honorable mention for Best Script for Gonzales.
The artistic and production teams behind this magical production include: Vladimeir Gonzales (Playwright), Aina Ramolete (Director, Illustrator, & Overall Production Designer), Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete (Producer & Assistant Director), Steven Tansiongco (Graphics & Video Designer), Ohm David (Set Designer), Arvy Dimaculangan (Music & Sound Designer), Jessamae Gabon (Music Composer), Darwin Desoacido (Costume Designer), Gabo Tolentino (Lights Designer), Sig Pecho (Additional Shadow Puppet Designer and Publicity Manager), Clariz Caingat (Character Illustrator), Shenn Apilado (Technical Director), Shania Lee Cuerpo (Stage Manager), and Joshua Ceasar Chan (Production Manager).
Catch this award-winning puppetry theater play Prinsipe Bahaghari on January 19, 20, 26, and 27, 2024 at 7:38 pm, with matinee shows on January 21 and 28, 2024 at 3:38 pm, at Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater, Circuit Makati. Tickets are available at https://ticket2me.net/event/21496.
Prinsipe Bahaghari will also go on an outreach run in Palawan on February 23, as part of the outreach program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
For inquiries, partnerships, and collaborations, please email at mulat45yrs@gmail.com. Follow Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas on Facebook and Instagram (@mulatpuppets). Connect with the hashtag #TMPPrinsipeBahaghari.
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