Ms. Monsod

Audience feedback is very valuable before an IASAS production travels to its destination.  Please answer as soon as you’ve watched the piece and email to me. Thank you!

1.  In a complete sentence, what main theme or message did you get from the performance?  How did you come to that conclusion?
2. Was there anything that was unclear?  Please state in question form.
3. What was the effect of the performance on you? Which part/parts did you find most effective and why? You can address any scene or any aspect of the performance (acting, lights, costumes, set design, etc.)
4. Any suggestions for improvement that can be possibly accomplished in one rehearsal?

Into the world of Spanish bullfighting 1927-1933. Director: Tami Monsod. Technical Director: Dinesh Mohnani

The idea for this original piece came from a lifelong fascination with Spanish culture and the recent bullfighting ban in Catalonia.

The Spanish bullfight, or corrida de toros, has three acts: (1) testing the bull with the cape (capote) then lancing it with a pike from atop a horse; (2) placing sticks (banderillas) in the withers of the bull and (3) performing aesthetic passes with a scarlet cloth (muleta) and, finally, killing the bull with a sword (estoque). A torero is any person participating in the corrida.

A woman (torera) in the bullring is rare. Equally rare is the act of indulto, the “pardoning” or sparing the life of an extraordinarily noble bull (toro) that charges bravely, honestly, and tirelessly. It is a great honor for a torero to fight a bull that is awarded indulto.

Although the team has done extensive research on the corrida, we have taken artistic liberties with it for dramatic purposes. We can only hint at the sheer magnificence of the bull through sound, and the force of the crowd through stylization. Our intention is not to make an ethical judgment about bullfighting but to use it as the context for the journey of a woman in Andalucía from 1927 to 1933 — very much a man’s world. We take inspiration from past and contemporary matadors like Mari Paz Vega, Manolete, El Juli, and Antonio Barrera.

It has been a challenge and an honor to devise and write Indulto — a play about making choices, paying the price, and letting go.

IASAS Drama previews with IASAS Dance on Thursday, Feb 23 at 5 pm and at Saturday Feb. 25 at 3 pm at the Fine Arts Theater. Admission is free. These productions travel to the IASAS Cultural Convention in Bangkok in March.

Dec. 13 at 7pm.  Tickets are P 350 / P500 each. For tickets kindly contact METTA at 817-0757 local 1165. Look for Czarene Revilla or Mae San Miguel.

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs