MANILA, Philippines – It’s not every day you find yourself in the presence of not one, but two Filipino world-class performers.
Internationally acclaimed Filipino actresses Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon treated fans to a special conversation, moderated by Tony Award-winning designer Clint Ramos, ahead of perhaps one of their most daunting undertakings yet.
The two are set to star in Request Sa Radyo (Radio Request), the Filipino stage adaptation of Franz Xaver Kroetz’s Wunschkonzert. The play will see Salonga and De Leon try their hand at a fully wordless piece, alternating for the role of a woman going about her “meticulous evening routine.” Set against the backdrop of the OFW (overseas Filipino worker) experience, the play helmed by Ramos, Bobby Garcia, and Christopher Mohnani will explore themes of solitude and the human need for connection.
Among the event’s audience were theater majors and actors, particularly the casts of Bar Boys: The Musical and Mula Sa Buwan. Lucky ticket holders of Request Sa Radyo were also granted access to the masterclass.
Request Sa Radyo serves as a homecoming of sorts for the two actresses, marking their triumphant returns after garnering profound global success. For a season brimming with exciting productions, comebacks to the motherland by household names like Salonga and De Leon fare quite fittingly to what can be considered a renaissance of an era in Filipino theater.
Take it from Salonga and De Leon to impart valuable advice to this next generation of promising talent. Whether you’re an avid theater geek or someone who dreams of performing like the greats, here’s what the stage and screen icons have to say about their journeys so far:
Making the most out of opportunities
Salonga and De Leon admitted that the theater bug only bit them later on in their respective careers, but when it did, boy did it leave a mark.
For Salonga, who had her start in Repertory Philippines’ production of The King and I when she was seven years old, the gears only shifted midway through her breakout run in Miss Saigon. The plan for then pre-med biology major Salonga was to become a doctor after what was meant to be a stint, but during a mass she attended with her mother, this newfound dream began to take shape.
“The priest was like ‘We were all given gifts by God, use the gifts that God gave you.’ So ‘yun talaga yung (that’s when) [I thought] ‘Okay I guess that’s my sign, that’s my confirmation that this is what I’m supposed to be doing,’” she shared. “And I haven’t looked back.”
Clik here to view.
De Leon, on the other hand, is a proud product of the University of the Philippines’ theater arts program, where she navigated production work first until finally stepping onstage, working with the likes of late greats Tony Mabesa and Floy Quintos.
But when asked about the significance of resources, De Leon said that today’s scene is a different story: “You don’t have to take the course naman (as well) in college, or you don’t have to, like, take a four-year course.”
The actress assures that simply finding like-minded people, signing up for workshops, seeking out mentors, or immersing in all sorts of material online can be enough to fuel one’s ambition. Just how much one yearns for it is what seals the deal.
“You don’t need resources if you love what you do. You’ll find a way if you really want to do it,” she said.
In line with this, Ramos revealed that Request Sa Radyo will soon be offering opportunities such as observerships during technical rehearsals, as well as a discounted “student rush” ticket promo in partnership with Samsung and Ticketworld.
Trust in your training
Apart from their undeniable gifts, Salonga and De Leon emphasized that raw talent was only half of the job. What most audience members and aspiring performers don’t see is the discipline and preparation these established actors invest in prior to all the acclaim. From vocal warm-ups to exercise routines, the physicality of live performance was what sets their pace in the industry.
“But the technique and the training, on top of [raw talent], or in combination with that, that’s the stuff that enables us to do eight times a week,” Salonga said.
De Leon shared that her breakout role in the 2022 film Triangle of Sadness prompted her to run a treadmill for 30 minutes a day, in anticipation of the multiple takes her director Ruben Östlund was infamous for.
Clik here to view.
Research was also integral to De Leon’s performance. The film’s principal photography was stalled for about two years by the pandemic, allowing time for De Leon to speak with OFWs from Sweden about their experiences in preparation for her role
“The big challenge for me really was finding [my character’s] voice,” De Leon said, noting that she also aimed to avoid putting on a stereotypical Filipino accent. “They’re 1.9 million [OFWs], ayoko naman magalit sila ‘di ba? (I wouldn’t want to upset them, right?)”
It’s all about swearing by countless hours of training: “You have to trust that you were equipped with all the tools to be able to deal with all of these crazy challenges.”
Grant yourself grace
“When you see legends making mistakes, you kind of feel better about yourself,” Salonga said.
Even icons of their stature have encountered their fair share of fumbles and trials when performing before a live audience. There’s wardrobe malfunctions, faulty sets, and “brain farts.” But for Salonga, the rush from having to be quick on your feet tends to bring out the best performances out of her.
Regardless, she assures herself: “It’s okay, I have tomorrow. I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
For De Leon, it’s an ongoing battle she wages within herself. “I eat self-doubt and fear for breakfast,” she quipped. But like Salonga, she sees fear as fuel to further trust and enjoy the process.
Clik here to view.
More than that, it’s also the tough environment she was trained in that composed her into the artist she is today. Having gone through rough patches like being rejected, shouted at, and called names by higher-ups in the industry, she’s since learned to distinguish constructive criticism from the destructive kind.
“If it’s painful, it’s probably a message I need to listen to. If it’s convenient, it’s probably not really something I need to hear,” De Leon said.
Request Sa Radyo will have a limited 20-show run from October 10 to October 20 at Samsung Performing Arts Theatre in Makati City. Tickets are available at Ticketworld. – Rappler.com