2011 Living Legend of PHL Theater Awardees
July 29, 2011
REINERIO ALBA
Among the honorees for the said distinction include NCCA Consultant Dr. Jesus Peralta, and former NCCA Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez. The former is an anthropologist by profession but is also an award-winning playwright for his works which received nine Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, and is one of the few hall of fame awardess for the same award.Ten Filipino theater professionals were acknowledged through the “Gawad Parangal sa mga Tampok na Yaman ng Teatro Pilipino” (Tribute to the Living Legends of Philippine Theatre) to cap the first conference/workshop of the International University Theater Association (IUTA) held on July 18 to 20 at Miriam College in Katipunan, Quezon City.
Other recipients of the award also include Dr. Natividad Crame-Rogers, Rustica Carpio, FatherJames Reuter, SJ; Dr. Onofre Pagsanghan, Dr. Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio, Alberto Florentino, Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, Baby Barredo, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Gamboa Virata, Teddy Hilado, Salvador Bernal and Tony Mabesa.
A posthumous award was given to Jose Mari Avellana, an actor and film director. He was best known for directing the film Kung Mawawala Ka and Damong Ligaw in 1997.
Executive Director of IUTA Philippine Centerccording Nick Lizaso, said these individuals, besides having contributed much to the advancement of Philippine theatre, also epitomize values such as dedication, discipline, excellence and professional integrity.
The IUTA conference/workshop brought to the country theater performers and scholars from all over the world meet in the Philippines to share their knowledge and practices.
IUTA was established in 1994 to develop and promote recognized post-secondary activity in theater training, creation, research and theoretical and practical research at the level of university or higher studies.
Even though it holds a World Congress every two years, IUTA has never conducted its conference and workshop in the country until now.
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Felipe de Leon Jr. also commended IUTA, Miriam College and theatre schools in the country for drawing the renowned theater experts in the world in one roof.
The three-day workshop featured the best of the best university theatre experts such as Maria Horne (Buffalo University, USA), Tang Shu-Wing of the Hong (Hng Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Hong Kong), Kalev Kudu (Estonia), Mustafa Sekmen (Anadolu University, Turkey), Alain Chevalier (Theatre Universitaire Royal de Liege et Ritu, Belgium), Robert Germay (Theatre Universitaire Royal de Liege, Belgium), Aubrey Mellor (Singapore), Katsiaryna Saladukha, Sirhei Turban (Belarussian State University, Belarus), Chiwoon Ahn (Korea), Lucille Garbagnati (France), Shafi Ahmed (ITI-Tecom, Bangladesh), Karin Freymeyer (Ruhr University, Germany), Isabel Cristina Flores (Universidad Benemerita Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico), Sineeart Laepriwan (Thailand), Denis Patafta (University of Zagreb, Croatia), and Constantina Ziropoulou and Katia Savrami (Greece).
