When movement meets urgent social issues.
Dance theater takes social issues closer to audiences in PETA Theatre’s “Control+Shift: Changing Narratives” festival through their “Set B: When Care Becomes Survival” shows.
From expression to movement, and even live instruments, “When Care Becomes Survival” brings their stories to life in an immersive show that’s a must watch for new and regular theater-goers alike.
The first title, “At Nagkatawang-Tao ang Verbo,” is a story based on the Navotas Bay reclamation project and the oil spill that occurred in 2019. The show uses the classic story of the Passion of Christ as a mirror to the struggles of the fisherfolk community of Ilog Tallulan, with words sung in hymn by one of the actors.
With such an iconic story and imagery to connect the audience closer to the community’s struggles, you get a closer look into the passion of the people fighting for justice for man-made disasters.
The second show in Set B’s line-up is “Baga ng Gumuguhong Langit,” which follows children orphaned by a war. Here, the audience sees just how quickly war can devastate civilians, and just how quickly the rest of society moves on from the wounded and traumatized once it’s over. The show also explores the way one’s morals and humanity could disappear the moment life’s control is taken away from you.
A curious aspect about this show is the musician who performs the score in the corner, and the way sound controls the story—it made the experience more immersive as the show went on. At the very end, there’s still a spark of hope, with a character who pauses and pays attention to those mourning, even while another moves on.
Both shows are deeply relevant in today’s current climate—in nature and in society—and are both important in understanding the transformative nature of theater.
Running for 2 weekends only, you can still catch their closing weekend shows this April 17 to 19 at the PETA Theatre.
‘When Care Becomes Survival’ brings their stories to life in an immersive show that’s a must watch for new and regular theater-goers alike.
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