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Lights,Sound,Magic!
John Aries lives alone in
a studio type room in the Mandaluyong area. He begins his day usually having
brunch in a fastfood restaurant, and at near noontime he takes a taxi, to CCP,
or to Quezon City where the PETA building is. For the past 16 years his life
revolved around theatre. Now, he is the most sought after stage manager on
Philippine stage for his all consuming passion for his craft.
For the restaging of
Rama, Hari, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, John Aries delves on the
working scripts transcribing, listening and watching from the 1980’s video of
the first Rama, Hari dance musical in the Philippines. John Aries’ job includes
comparing the old script with Bienvenido Lumbera’s libretto and checking
through music sheets of master composer Ryan Cayabyab.
John Aries calls for the
rehearsal of the Rama,Hari a dance musical featuring Christian Bautista,
Karylle and O.J.Mariano and danseur par excellence Jean Marc Cordero, to make
sure that the timing is smooth according to the timeline.
Why does he rehearse the
performers when it’s the director’s job, you ask, well, a stage manager makes
sure that everything and everyone in the theatre works like a clock, a ticking
, self oiling machine that never misses a beat. So he needs to be in sync with
the performers, and the performers take the cue from him so that they in turn can
work together with the technical side of the stage.
You see, without the
technical side, the sounds, the lights, the costumes, the props, the stage is
one boring place. It only comes alive if all the elements are there. Lights,
sounds, magic!
Stage managers make it
possible for the actors, singers and dancers to be more than what they can be
on stage. The depths and dimensions of the stage can only be achieved by the
technical workings of the stage crew managed by the stage manager. The director,
to be able to focus on the performance of the actors, leave all these technical
matters to the stage manager.
The stage manager’s brain
is connected to all the wires of the act. Is the spotlight on Jen Marc Cordero
while he sails across the stage? Is the lapel working perfectly and clearly
when O.J. takes that high note? How about Karylle’s costume and make up?
The stage manager’s crew, the assistant stage
manager, the costume mistress, lights and sounds men and props men are all well
coordinated as to what they should do because everything happens fast in a
performance.
And these are all happening backstage. Nobody
sees them. They are like shadows lurking at the back, working as hard if not
harder than the ones onstage but remaining unnamed and unappreciated. They are
essentially part of the script but they cannot be noticed like the air that we
breathe.
Timing is everything, and
the stage manager, like a conductor, makes sure everybody is doing his part in
the right place, at the right moment.
On stage, unlike in the
real world, mistakes are not allowed, only improvisations.
Pretty much all around,
the stage manager is a paradox, the glue that sticks everybody together in the
theater and the oil that runs the place smooth as can be. The mother in the
household, he keeps the house stabilised, and keeps to the side so that the spotlight
again is on the stars.
John Aries was awarded by
the Gawad Buhay!PHILSTAGE for Outstanding Sound Design for Saan Ba Tayo Ihahatid Ng Disyembre . But he says the best part of
being in the theatre is the camaraderie. He considers the theatre his family.
He breathes, eats and thinks theatre. For the many works he did for the
Philippine stage, he only wishes that more Filipinos can and will appreciate
the Filipino artists and their crafts.
Philippine theatre which has evolved from the religious to the secular
has been fighting for its place under the sun. Artists in the Philippines are
like missionaries, they do their stuff out of love, out of passion. When we
talk about passion the well is deep.
To many Filipino artists like John Aries, life is like the stage, where
not every performance can be recorded nor filmed. It is what it is, evanescent
and self fulfilling. Hopefully it will begin to have a place in people’s hearts
where it can have a sweeter, more permanent home.
John Aries Alcayaga, one of the stalwarts of Philippine stage has worked
with the best, Zenaida Amador (Repertory Philippines), Mario O’hara (PETA),Candice
Adea (Ballet Philippines), Eugene Domingo(Bona) Alice Reyes (BP) to name a few.
Right now he’s working on simulta
neous projects. Aside from Rama, Hari, he’s also the stage
manager of Katy! The Musical (PETA) and They’re Playing Our Song.
As always, he's being nominated for best stage sound for Bona at the Gawad Buhay. Goodluck,Aries, the best!
