We are all in different kinds of relationships and they shape us into who we are and what we may still become. The other night, I watched a bittersweet comedy at the Mind Museum called Love/Sick by John Cariani, staged by Upstart Productions. This the first main-stream theatrical offering to be featured at the establishment's auditorium.

the amazing cast of Love/Sick

The show features nine vignettes exploring romantic relationships at various stages. The loosely connected stories tackle moments that range from the first meeting to dating to disillusionment and divorce. As the New York Times described, the critically-acclaimed series of plays "delivers laugh and some cleverness" and would most likely appeal to fans of Almost, Maine, another work written by Cariani.

Love/Sick, defined by Theater Mania as an "unromantic comedy," will make you smile, laugh, feel sad, think, and go "Awwww!" Whether you're single, married, or in an undefined relationship, there's a character or instance in the show that you would probably identify with.

John Cariani

I support several advocacies because I genuinely believe in the big difference they make in people's lives. On top of my list is advocating for individuals with special needs because my third son is one and I would like to see them all treated with respect and dignity like any normal member of society.

This year, I am joining SM Cares, UNICEF, Tanghalang Pilipino, and the Camera Club of the Philippines in celebrating the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week, which started last July 18. 

I believe in their objective of raising awareness and helping create an inclusive environment for Children with Disabilities (CWDs) by highlighting their abilities instead of their disabilities. The campaign, called #ThisAbilityPH, features informative and educational activities for mall-goers through Tanghalang Pilipino's Sandosenang Sapatos stage play and an exhibit entitled See What I Can Do by the Camera Club where photos depict the everyday lives of CWDs.

I've watched a lot of stage musicals over the years and have several I'd highly recommend parents to bring their kids to. Godspell has just been added to that list. This is a very entertaining, as well as inspiring, production to watch. Here's why:

see those kids on stage? they're members of the audience!

1. It's rated GP. If you haven't introduced your child yet to the wonders of theater, this coming weekend is a perfect time to do so. Godspell is a delightful show that induces foot-tapping, clapping, singing, and even dancing! There are interactive portions where the cast invites a few members of the audience to sing and dance along then brings them up on stage for several minutes of fame. Plus, you'll have a grand time laughing out loud (guaranteed!) especially during the parables of The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son. 

amazing choreography - check!

2. It has great songs and dance numbers that will have you LSS'ing for days. Great job to Musical Director Ejay Yatco and his live band, Sound Engineer Jethro Joaquin, Choreographer Dexter Martinez Santos, and his assistant Stephen Vinas for making the songs come vibrantly alive! Kudos as well to John Batalla for the amazing (as always) lights design that helped so much in perfectly capturing the moods of each scene.

this show will NOT make you fall asleep

All of us are given opportunities to discover what we can do and how we can do them better. When Rachelle Ann Go was offered to be in a stage production of The Little Mermaid in 2010, she was initially hesitant to take on the role. 

"I don't have the background and the training," she confessed during our backstage interview at the Cream Silk Transformations event. "[But], I am thankful for doing that [because] I fell in love with [theater]. After that, sunod-sunod na."She described how doing The Little Mermaid and Tarzan in Manila built her confidence, never realizing that someday, she will also be doing theater abroad.

"It’s just an amazing experience doing Miss Saigon and Les Mis. I’m learning a lot, meeting lots of people. It’s a big thing for me," she shared. "When I went to the UK to try something else, to try something that I thought was impossible, going out of the box transformed me!"

It being her first time to live alone in an unknown place without family and friends around, Rachelle Ann admitted finding it difficult to sacrifice a lot. "It’s so different than home eh. I didn’t know how to cook. [Although] I know how to clean the house, I don’t do that often here because I’m working. But there, I don’t have a choice but to do house chores by myself." 

I am a fan of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. I've read all the books when I was still in high school many, many years ago. So it is a pleasure to see some of the stories being made into movies and I am looking forward to more films on Narnia in the future. I was equally delighted to find out that Trumpets is staging the fifth book in the series and excitedly attended its press preview the other night.

Reb Atadero plays Shasta

The Horse and His Boy is the story of an orphan boy named Shasta (played by Reb Atadero), and a talking horse called Bree (played by Joel Trinidad) who went on a journey to leave oppression and slavery behind. Their destination? Narnia -- the place the horse calls home and where the boy hopes to find who he is and where he truly belongs.

amazing rendition of horses (you have to watch the show to fully appreciate them!)

On the road, they meet a runaway young noblewoman, Aravis (played by Cara Barredo), and her talking mare, Hwin (played by Jill Peña), who are also seeking freedom. Together, the four embark on a grand adventure where they would face the unknown through deserts and mountains while risking being captured, having several dangerous encounters, taking part in a battle, and, ultimately, finding their destinies.

Shasta's first encounter with Aslan

People love telling and hearing stories. Whether they are true-to-life experiences or tales from the imagination, interesting stories will always find an enthusiastic audience. That's exactly what happened at the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde early this week when Pioneer Insurance's Virgin Labfest 11 Campus Tour was held there.

Students, teachers, and guests raptly watched Dalawang Gabi and Hintayan ng Langit. Both stories have engaging plots and excellent actors. We laughed at the witty lines but also felt emotional during the sad parts. 

As an avid theater fan, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the stories come to life. The playwrights, directors, and the rest of the crew likewise did an amazing job putting everything together. The many questions thrown during the Q and A session evidently showed how interested the students were about the creative processes of playwriting as well as acting. I am sure the answers they heard inspired those who have the passion to also pursue their dreams. 

Aside from insuring Filipinos and the things we value most, Pioneer has also been advocating for the artistic community through insurance coverage and sponsorships. The life and non-life insurance company, established in 1954, has already supported theater plays such as Miss Saigon, The Little Mermaid, and Trumpet's N.O.A.H. 

Last year, Pioneer rolled out the Stories of Friendship Video Competition where participants were encouraged to share their take on friendship via a three-minute video. Ateneo de Davao's My Friends Who Ran won first prize.

This year, as a means of continued support for the Filipino talent, the company is holding Pioneer   Stories of Hope Playwriting Competition. This new campaign paves the way for fresh ideas from young, aspiring playwrights who have 'hope-full' stories to tell.

Anybody who loves a great story would definitely find Kung Paano Ako Naging Lady very entertaining. After all, this original Filipino musical combines comedy, drama, romance, action, deception, confessions, superheroes, supervillains, a family, and a maid!

I got to see and hear excerpts of the production yesterday and some of the lyrics and dialogues are the kind that will figuratively have you rolling on the floor laughing. I can't wait to watch the whole show next month! 

Dalanghita Productions, Manila's newest theater group, in cooperation with the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), proudly presents a fantastic production based on Carlo Vergara's one-act play and graphic novel entitled Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady.

Readers of Precious Hearts Romances usually only know book authors by their pseudonyms or pen names. Most of the time, fans of a certain book series don't even know what their favorite author looks like. That is, until they attend a Grand Fans Day organized by Precious Pages Corporation, publisher of the popular Tagalog romance pocketbooks.

Recently, a lively crowd of PHR readers gathered at SM North Edsa to catch a glimpse of their favorite authors and join in celebrating Precious Pages' 25th Anniversary. The grand fans day coincided with the launching of 25 Most Precious -- a coffee table book featuring the top bestselling, most prolific, and most pioneering Tagalog romance writers of the last two and a half decades in a 160-page hardbound, premium limited edition.  

25 Most Precious is not only recommended to be a must-read and must-have for fans and readers of PHR, but also for aspiring writers who would like to follow in the footsteps of the popular authors featured there. The stories expound on the 25 writers' lives and the inspiring stories behind the women who have captured the hearts of millions of Filipino readers here and abroad. 

Many of us grew up reading the classic fairy tales although the younger generations are more familiar with the movie versions. This December, prepare to feast your eyes on the ballet version of Cinderella which is filled with delightful dancers, beautiful costumes, and a script that smoothly combines romance and laughter in one spectacular production.

Alice Reyes' Cinderella is the special pre-Christmas treat staged by Ballet Philippines at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines from November 28 to December 7, Fridays to Sundays. 

It is always a pleasure to watch live shows in venues that can make each song, each dance move, or each spoken line be a delightful experience. Last Wednesday night Solaire Resort & Casino raised the curtains of its newest crown jewel, The Theatre at Solaire, and treated guests to various impressive performances  by our very own Filipino artists.  

The fan-shaped lyric theater has a seating capacity of 1,760 and is ideal for ALL forms of the performing arts -- be it musical theater, opera, concerto, pop concert, ballet, awards night, competition, circus act, kiddie show, or corporate event. These were showcased to us by different performers who conquered the stage with their individual talents.

Terminal diseases and a patient's impending death are among the sensitive topics people tend to avoid during normal conversations. And yet, they are stark realities that families of people with grave medical conditions face every day.

Thus, watching the off-Broadway musical Dani Girl, for me, was unexpectedly a different experience. Instead of full-length drama, the story provided comic relief that eased the heaviness I think would otherwise might have overwhelmed the audience because of the theme.

Dani Girl, staged by The Sandbox Collective and directed by Toff De Venecia, is the story of young Danica Lyons, played by Rebecca Coates (with Mitzie Lao as alternate), whose leukemia has come back after three years.

The very imaginative girl interacts with her ultra funny and quirky guardian angel Ralph (I love his pink wings made out of hospital name tag bracelets!), played by Reb Atadero (with Lorenz Martinez as alternate). The two play games that tackle Dani's sickness and its many issues such as "Why is cancer?" and growing back her hair. In a way, those helped her to gradually accept her situation and prepare her for the inevitable.

Sheila Valderrama-Martinez (with Pam Imperial as alternate), plays Dani's mom. Her character is very relatable to moms like me (especially since I have a special child with fragile health) because she remains her daughter's best cheerleader who provides much needed encouragement and reminds Dani about having faith and staying hopeful. Still, it was heartbreaking to watch her, more so towards the end of the show.

Dani's geeky hospital roommate Marty, played by Luigi Quesada (with Reb Atadero as alternate), became a friend and ally who joined Dani and Ralph's adventures along with Dani's teddy bear Mr. Fritz. I love how they were able to convincingly project the innocence of childhood in their scenes.

I am likewise amazed at how the writers, Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond, who happen to be winners of the 2010 Jonathan Larson Grant (creator of the amazing musical Rent), were able to craft a beautiful story that pierces the heart with touching messages about faith, love, friendship, and acceptance despite the realities of pain and loss.

All the actors were terrific and played their roles very well. But, I'd have to say that two of the best scenes, for me, would have to be when Dani's mom sang a hauntingly sad song and when she had to finally say goodbye to her daughter. I tried to hold back the flood of tears that I knew would not stop falling if I give in because I might end up sobbing out loud. Still, my eyes were wet as the cast took their final bows.

Although it will make you cry, Dani Girl is a feel-good show that will delight you with it's wonderful songs, cute dance numbers, very nice set, and unforgettable characters. It will also leave you musing about living life to the fullest long after you've left the theater. 

Prepare to laugh out loud at the dialogues, song lyrics, and the various personalities (13 in all!) that Ralph plays. Expect to be touched at the beautiful friendship between two kids who totally "get" each other and the tender bond between a caring mother and her daughter. My 15-year-old son who watched the show with me said this is, so far, one of the best theater productions he's ever seen … and he has watched quite a lot since he was in preschool!

Catch Dani Girl starting tonight, July 11 until July 27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati. For the complete list of show times and dates as well as ticket prices, please visit http://thesandboxcollective.com/shows/dani-girl/

For other updates, please like The Sandbox Collective on Facebook and follow @TheSandBoxCo on Twitter and Instagram.

I love watching theater productions and continue to be amazed at the many talented stage actors and actresses we have in the Philippines as well as with the numerous people who work behind the scenes. 

Thus, when I got an invite to watch PhilStage's Gawad Buhay Awards for the first time, I didn't have to think twice. I knew it would be fun cheering for some of my favorite people and theater companies in the industry.

The night was indeed full of hilarity as hosts and presenters made us laugh with their witty and humorous ad libs. Karylle and Christian Bautista opened the event with a beautiful number from Cinderella.

The other production numbers (Grease, The Wonder Twins of Boac, Bluebird of Happiness, Sandosenang Sapatos, Der Kauffman, Ibalong, etc.) were also wonderful, I felt a big tinge of regret for not being able to watch many of them last year. I hope they get re-staged again in the future.

I think the "Keep it Gay" scene from Repertory Philippines' The Producers garnered the most hoots and whistles though. After all, it is the only show where we have seen Sir Audie Gemora dressed resplendently in drag :) And he won a well-deserved award for that role.

I didn't get to note down all the winners as I was kept busy taking shots of everything that was happening on stage. But you can view a lot of photos, including who were nominated and who won, in this blog's Facebook page album.

Congratulations once again to all the winners and nominees. You are all amazing! Keep inspiring Filipinos with your talents and rest assured that I will continue to help spread the word about the Philippine Stage industry!

We all have a lot of childhood memories, many of which, I'm sure, more or less shaped us for who we've become as adults. 

In Games People Play, an Ateneo Fine Arts production written by Palanca awardee Glenn Sevilla Mas,  three characters try to understand why they are the way they are by revisiting their childhood, specifically the games they used to play with each other when they were still very young.

Luna, played by Thea Yrastorza, is a trusting girl who becomes a nun pursued by the most lustful dreams. Watch why she became that way no thanks to her kooky parents who have some of the most funny scenes in the play.

Diego, played by Kalil Almonte, is a confused and fatherless boy who becomes an even more confused young man, while Julio, played by Abner Delina, is an effeminate boy who grew up to be an unhappy gay man.

All three actors excellently played the main and supporting characters. It was amazing to watch them transform into various people in seconds with just a few props and the quick changes in voice, body language, and facial expressions. I'd have to mention that Abner playing Consuelo, Luna's mom, and Kalil, playing both Julio's sisters were really such a hoot! You will definitely laugh out loud as we did when you get to watch them do so.

Audiences really enjoyed at the hilarious moments and we also sympathized with the characters during the sad parts. Each of the games they played represents a rite of passage and a significant moment in their coming of age. 

According to the playwright, the story was inspired by a quote from child psychologist and writer Bruno Bettelheim: "The monster a child knows best and is most concerned with [is] the monster he feels or fears himself to be." 

Definitely, this play will leave you with introspective thoughts about your own childhood and those of the people you regularly interact with. It will make you wonder why some individuals grow up to be full of positivity, why others only seem to find the worse in others while many fall in between the two categories. 

Congratulations to Thea, Kalil, and Abner for such wonderful performances; Sir Glenn for the great story; Teresa Barrozo for the haunting and whimsical original music and sounds; director and Ed Lacson Jr. for the minimal but very creative set design; and the rest of the production team. Thank you Tita Toots Tolentino for introducing us to this unique and Proudly Filipino play!

Catch Games People Play at the Ateneo Black Box Theater until this Saturday, April 27, only. Make sure to reserve tickets early because they're running out very fast. For updates, please like www.facebook.com/ggpgamespeopleplay.