THE PHOTOJOURNALIST

In the Island of Promise
A self-devised work by Felimon Blanco (Philippines)
for the Creative Lab of THE SPIRITS PLAY

SYNOPSIS
A dead photojournalist tells of his story in an island that has witnessed decades of conflict. He experienced war at such a young age and had lived in evacuation centers’ leading him to dream for a better island. He wanted the world to know of their lives in the war that has also caused his death.


STARTING POINT
Having lived in an island that has experienced long-time armed conflict, it came to a point where I just have to live with it. War is not just about the actual fights between two groups of armed men, but also about displaced families, homeless and dying children, and living in the evacuation centers.

I see the important role of photojournalists in making the world see the effects of war. I believe they are brave enough to risk their lives to make the world know of the sad fate of people in war.


PROCESS
When I decided to take the character of a photojournalist, I started to contact several photojournalists. Some were so kind to replies to my emails. Some of them just ignored it. Geejay Arriola, a friend of mine who has done a music theater production on war, was so kind to provide me with photos and videos that her company used in their Salima production. Looking at the photos and videos she sent, I started to develop the piece from the point of view of the photojournalist. I made the character a victim of war, who had been an evacuee himself, and even killed in the war. I experimented on a script that underwent many revisions, until I finally got to feel what I want to show. The incorporation of the video and music came last. But working on the floor again resulted to further discover new things for the play. There had been constant revisions until it got its final shape.


THE SPIRITS PLAY AS THE TRIGGER
I personally believe that The Spirits Play speaks of the universal language of the effects of war. It speaks to me as millions of spirits who had been victims of war. Imagine that if these spirits will speak of their stories one by one, it will be a whole lot of anguish. We felt sad when we heard that many lives are wasted in the war, but we failed to acknowledge that they have their sad stories to tell, which are often neglected and forgotten. From the play, I take on the character of the Poet as my starting point. I find the importance of transmitting the truth in a war. The real picture must be seen by the majority, and stories must be told in order for us to reflect on war and its consequences.


CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge is how to convey such message to an audience who has no direct experience with war, and how to make them realize and see the evils of war through my solo work.

TETC AS A COMPANY
This is the kind of theater I have been looking for after graduating from TTRP : multi-cultural, multi-lingual exchanges, and a theater that questions and investigates.

When the first idea of the Creative Lab was conceived, I immediately send my interest to be involved in it. I believe that Creative Lab is a good platform to creatively experiment and artistically investigate form and content of a contemporary theater practice. I see this as a continuing learning experience for artists to be actively involved into the whole creative process. I hope that this Creative Lab project will continue for contemporary artists to constantly investigate issues through theater.