#kampangan stage actors

[volcanodiamondpress]

Uyat Artista: Kapampangan Theater Runs Through Your Veins

For some, the allure of the theater is the idea of being in a spotlight in front of people. But for others, like Angeles City's Uyat Artista, the theater - its lights, props, costumes, words, and music - is a vehicle to reach out to the youth and to take audiences on a journey through the life of Pampanga.

The theater company gets it names from the Kapampangan words “Artist’s Veins”. And Gallen Maine Bryn Villanueva, resident actor there, shares its story.

1. What is Uyat Artista and what are its goals?

Uyat Artista is Angeles City's prime theater company and it's representative to the Culture and Arts Council of Angeles and to the National Theater Network of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

2. When and how was it formed and who are its founders?

Uyat Artista’s humble beginnings could be traced back to a family gathering in November of 2002. In that meeting, they came to the conclusion that so many of the youth in Angeles City are not being given the chance to develop their artistic skills, especially in shorthanded public schools. The group’s founders, Mr. Jayson Pabalan and Mrs. Joanna Pabalan, used this premise as the backbone for the birth of an organization which aims to enhance social, moral, and cultural awareness through artistic prowess.

3. Over the years, how has the organization grown and what has it achieved?

It was in the August of 2003 that the group was commissioned by the Subic Bay Arts Center in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to stage the Broadway musical, “The Little Mermaid”. Schools from all over Central Luzon made trips to the Arts Center just to witness the said play. The production had thirty runs for almost three months.

With the success of the first show, SUBAC’s Marketing Officer, Ms. Aurora Rementilla, made the group produce another Disney/Broadway musical, this time with the tale as old as time, “Beauty and the Beast”. The second production broke the all-time record for the longest running play in the center. It ran from December of 2003 to February of 2004. The show was followed by the production of “The King and I” in September of the same year.

In May 2005, Uyat Artista was asked to produce the annual Reenactment of the First Anniversary Celebration of the Philippine Independence at the Pamintuan Mansion. Mr. Crestly Tapnio, one of the pioneers of Uyat, played President Emilio Aguinaldo.

After much deliberation, the Pabalan Couple decided to put up a school. Uyat Artista’s On Stage School for the Arts opened on April 28, 2011. A theater company which had its first trainings under a Guava tree in the frontyard of a house in Marisol now has its own studio.

In 2011, UA has given life to the story of Kalaryot, a folklore about a young American who was left in Pampanga in the 1940's. This production earned a written commendation from the City Council, Culture and Arts Committee, then headed by Ms. Maricel Morales.

The group has also hosted theater festivals and has reached out to a myriad of schools & universities just to bring the centuries-old art closer to the millennials. Uyat Artista currently has 7 core actors and 34 pool actors, all of which coming from the 12-25 yr. old age bracket. UA makes sure that yearly, it opens it doors to young Kapampangans wanting to experience the magic of theater, and train them extensively in the said art.

4. What can people look forward to from Uyat in 2017?

“Bambalito: Ing Matapang a Bayung Tawu ning Macabebe”, the recent musical we have put to the stage about the young Kapampangan hero who hails from Macabebe, is going to tour different schools and towns this year (we'll be sharing the schedule soon). Also, a new musical about another Kapampangan folklore is in the works. We'll keep you posted ;).

5. Anything you'd like to promote (A production, social media page or website for example?)

For more updates, please like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/UyatArtistaPampanga & follow us on IG @uyatartista.

Discover more young Kapampangans theater artists here.