Another BGC Arts Festival to celebrate Independence Day

Last January, I was able to attend the BGC Arts Festival and toured the facility of Maybank Performing Arts Center. If the Mind Museum is a venue for science, it should be obvious that this is for the arts. Both are spearheaded by the Bonifacio Foundation.

As oriented last time, the Maybank Performing Arts Center wishes their venue to promote all seven forms of Arts: Visual, Music, Dance, Literature, Theater, Motion Picture and more as the arts advances. It will be on June 10 and 11 which is also a weekend like the previous one. Since it falls before Philippine Independence Day, it is suited to celebrate it with performance arts.

As I said earlier, there are many art forms developed as we advances in the digital era, the different artists are selected for this festival because they have a presentation that is suited for the occasion. What better way to spend the Independence Day with the family than in an Arts Festival.

The participants are from different artistic companies which all performing arts are represented. The National Music Competitions for Young Artists or NAMCYA will showcase today’s talented young musicians. I was able to see a classical guitar performance during the launch. Entablado will combine both digital projection and dance as they present their original video Lucid with the Maybank Arts Center as a backdraft.

I’ve been blogging for SPIT and Third World Improv many times because I am a huge fan. Maybank Arts Center was gracious enough to accommodate the group for Improv sessions. SPIT will introduce their new Improv act called INDI’SARSWELA. Improvs are fun because it is not scripted and spontaneous. It also requires audience participation. I even got pulled by the group to join them in one of their previous events.

For the thespians, there are Kids Acts Philippines presenting their original production Cinderella and Twin Bill Production of “My Name Is Asher Lev” which I got to see and I highly recommend. Some of the shows may require ticket purchases but there are also free shows.

I got to meet talk to one of the participants who calls themselves Paintstacular, a duo wearing body suits to use as paintbrushes as they ask their audiences to pour paint all over them. They will be doing this act starting 10AM at the park grounds outside.

When I ask the participating groups what do they expect from their audience, SPIT answered participation. Entablado answered understanding the message. Simultaneously, The Mind Museum is also having a science fair that showcase Filipino ingenuity of the field. For the first time, it is also free to public.Last January, I was able to attend the BGC Arts Festival and toured the facility of Maybank Performing Arts Center. If the Mind Museum is a venue for science, it should be obvious that this is for the arts. Both are spearheaded by the Bonifacio Foundation.

As oriented last time, the Maybank Performing Arts Center wishes their venue to promote all seven forms of Arts: Visual, Music, Dance, Literature, Theater, Motion Picture and more as the arts advances. It will be on June 10 and 11 which is also a weekend like the previous one. Since it falls before Philippine Independence Day, it is suited to celebrate it with performance arts.

As I said earlier, there are many art forms developed as we advances in the digital era, the different artists are selected for this festival because they have a presentation that is suited for the occasion. What better way to spend the Independence Day with the family than in an Arts Festival.

The participants are from different artistic companies which all performing arts are represented. The National Music Competitions for Young Artists or NAMCYA will showcase today’s talented young musicians. I was able to see a classical guitar performance during the launch. Entablado will combine both digital projection and dance as they present their original video Lucid with the Maybank Arts Center as a backdraft.

I’ve been blogging for SPIT and Third World Improv many times because I am a huge fan. Maybank Arts Center was gracious enough to accommodate the group for Improv sessions. SPIT will introduce their new Improv act called INDI’SARSWELA. Improvs are fun because it is not scripted and spontaneous. It also requires audience participation. I even got pulled by the group to join them in one of their previous events.

For the thespians, there are Kids Acts Philippines presenting their original production Cinderella and Twin Bill Production of “My Name Is Asher Lev” which I got to see and I highly recommend. Some of the shows may require ticket purchases but there are also free shows.

I got to meet talk to one of the participants who calls themselves Paintstacular, a duo wearing body suits to use as paintbrushes as they ask their audiences to pour paint all over them. They will be doing this act starting 10AM at the park grounds outside.

When I ask the participating groups what do they expect from their audience, SPIT answered participation. Entablado answered understanding the message. Simultaneously, The Mind Museum is also having a science fair that showcase Filipino ingenuity of the field. For the first time, it is also free to public.

My Day at the Maybank Arts Center Festival

When I was invited by the PR Mr. Toots Tolentino for the BGC Arts Center Festival, I never realized that there is a venue that will staged productions in the business district of Taguig. I am about to learn more than and not just from watching theatrical productions of this event. After having a delicious light lunch at McCafe which is the only business establishment in the building premises, I began touring the facilities.

Maybank Performing Arts Center and Alveo Central Plaza

Maybank Performing Arts Center is a venue that can cater all seven art forms. The purpose of the Arts Center is to promote the Filipino performance arts accessible to the public make a contribution to the community just like The Mind Museum which was made possible by Bonifacio Foundation.

Kinetic Sculpture

The Maybank Arts Center has multi-purpose areas that can adjust the arrangement of the facilities. Maybank is the primary donor which is why it was named after. It is very flexible in stage design and can adjust the seating capacity depending on the production. This is a good thing because it can make the stage and theater experience more engaging and memorable.

Sun Life Amphitheater

Just looking at the building, you can already see that it is a work of art with its non-traditional structure. The Alveo Central Plaza is park in front of the building is also a work of art. There is a kinetic sculpture that simply describes all forms of art. The Sun Life Amphitheater is also located in the park can also be good for outdoor performances. There is also an Art Market in the park area.

Globe Auditorium

Inside the building, I was ushered to the Globe Auditorium. It is also a multipurpose area. It can adjust the stage for the specifications of the production and the seats can also be adjusted. It has the maximum capacity of 500 and has three levels. This is the biggest theatrical facility the Maybank Arts Center has to offer.

Happiness Is A Pearl cast(seated) with director, composer and author.

Since there is no show scheduled yet in the Globe Auditorium, I was led to the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall. It is a smaller venue with no traditional stage and the audience is sitting on individual chairs that can be arranged accordingly. It is good for experimental theater productions. Speaking of experimental theater, I was able to watch Happiness Is A Pearl by Rody Vera again in this venue. I watched it first in The Little Room Upstairs which is a cramped venue but it was also intimate. I enjoyed watching it again in a bigger area since some of the play has sequences with a tango.

May Arts Center is truly a good venue to watch performances and stage productions and I believe with its advocacy that it should be not be limited to the class A audience but to all walks of life that can appreciate it. This will help championing the Filipino arts scene.

For more updates in Maybank Arts Center and more stage productions, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

BGC ARTS CENTER FESTIVAL: REVEALING FACETS OF MODERN FILIPINO PERFORMANCE ARTISTRY

Press release

Firing off a passionate start for 2017, the BGC Arts Center will celebrate its identity as the home of the Filipino artist. 

True to its word, it will launch a 2-day Arts Festival on January 14-15, hosting performances and events that will illuminate  the many layers that modern Filipino artists are animating to give voice to the range of the human condition.

The BGC Arts Center is the centerpiece of BGC’s Cultural District. A project of the non-profit, Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc., it is the first and only stand-alone theater established through private donations. 

It is dedicated to providing a cultural and educational experience that will inspire the public to explore their creative side and embrace Filipino artistry. 

A collaboration by award-winning architects and designers, the BGC Arts Center is composed of the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, the Alveo Central Plaza, and the Sun Life Amphitheater.

The BGC Arts Center Festival is aligned with how the Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. (BAFI) recognizes the integral role of culture, 

the appreciation of art and its meaning, in a city’s identity. 

Aiming to keep art alive and accessible through various cultural activities,  BAFI endeavours to make art a way of life that everyone can share together.

Making BAFI’s mandate come alive is the range, from totally original Filipino creations to brilliant local adaptations of works  with universal themes, that the BGC Arts Center Festival is offering.

As such, the festival will have children’s plays from Artist Playground and Kids Acts Philippines,  several dance performances by STEPS, staged readings of selected scenes by The Egg Theatre Co.,  a performance of an original play by Artist Playground,  a supremely engaging performance by a pioneer Filipino Improv group,  SPIT Manila, an acclaimed local production from Twin Bill Theater,  an award-winning original Filipino musical from Philippine Stagers,  and opera pieces from MusicArtes, Inc.

Completing the Arts Festival are art talks, outdoor events such as BGC Art Mart  that regularly feature the work of local artisans and other surprise offerings at the Sun Life amphitheater.

Check out the BGC Arts Center Festival event page on Facebook for the schedules and details of the performances.