Interview the First.

This morning was the first of what I well beleive to be a long, enlightening, reavealing string of interviews.

At around 9:30am, I dropped by my dad's place to deliver the tripod and offer my backpack as additional inventory space. He would bring along and man the cam-corder, you see. In a few minutes, after a last check on our tools, we were off to the front of the Guerrero house.

The butterflies in my tummy were getting the better of me in the car.

We rushed up to the Guerrero, and said hi to Sir Alex. The audience for this morning's show were just about to enter the theater. My father calmly looked around for handy outlets and a spot with good lighting around the area; I scroured the place for two monobloc chairs. It was 10:00am; we knew Sir Floy could come right up those steps any momment then. any momment.

Fifteen minutes.
Any momment now.


Thirty minutes.
Konting hintay na lang, absolutely any minute now.

Thankfully, sir Manny happened by; he knew about today's interview, and what time it should have happened. He said hello, and asked what was happeneing so far. Soon as he learned, he fished his phone out of his sling bag and texted... er, something. a few minutes after, someone who introduced himself as Floy Quintos' highschool batchmate came up to us and asked if we were waiting for the same person. We came to know him as Sir Nick, and it looked like my Dad and he knew someone in common. Ah.

We both soon found out that Sir Floy had been stuck in a situation. He had just found himself inconvenienced of a driver, and said if he still found himself driver-less by 11am, he would hail himself a taxi.

So we waited some more.

Papa soon got the idea of having a veggie-pizza deleivered from Domino's to the Front of House. Why not? we were beginning to feel a little peckish, and some pizza never hurt anyone.

Mmm. Hot pizza. We both hadn't had pizza this good in a long time, and soon as it arrived, we fell on it with glee, munching to our heart's content in the Front of House. Let them watch, we were gonna have a big day ahead of us, soon as our quarry stepped up from the stairs.

After pizza, Papa took to the second floor AS corridors, looking for a suitable Arts Studies classroom to make sir Floy comfortable and block out the outside street noises for better audio. Thankfully, the janitress recognized Papa and let him use Room 221.

and sir Floy came up, in a slim black shirt, pants, black patent leather shoes, a studded leather belt, and brown-framed smoky shades. and a few apologies for his lateness on the side, but hey, the main thing's he's here, and that's what counts.

We three headed up to Room 221, and after a quick set-up, we began the interview. Sir Floy did work with Papa some time before, so I discovered, and mistook Papa for perhaps another friend of his who had planned to buy land up in Baguio.

Anyway.

The camerea rolled. The questions rolled. Theme for the interview? "There's no great shakes", Sir Floy would often say. Sir Tony and he were good friends, so there's no great shakes with how they worked. It was really a give-and-take thing; he's been around in theater long enough to understand and live that. When the play's concerned, with him it's always first to put his ego aside and do what's best for the play.

The interview was over in a quick fifteen minutes time.

He wasn't really a profile-person, in the sense that he didn't list or write down his achievements or so. And as his answeres reflect, he's not so much into details as he is for what works. Papa said the way he answers also reflects the way he thinks. I guess that's true for most people.

After a quick pack-up, Papa and I headed back to the car, and we both had sorbetes on the way out to PHILCOA. Truth is, Papa would have wanted to have fishballs by the college of Music, if only he didn't have so much work to do.

we contented ourselves with remeniscing old memories of picking me up from school at Grade two and three, crunching on our liquid-icecreamed waffle cones.

Quick update...

... since my Dad will be wheeling into the UP Shopping Center's Parking to pick me up, drop me off somewhere in Ortigas, and speed off to a gig in Shangri-La.

So far, I've achieved several profiles of Isagani Cruz, Domingo Landicho, and Elsa Coscolluela. Wonder of wonders, I've stumbled across Cruz's Josephine. Four plays down, one to go.

Yes, I've passed by the Palanca Foundation, and picked up my Copy of de los Reyes' Daungan... Laot... Daungan/ Rehas sa Tubig That's why there's one last to go.

So far, Sir Floy is up on Saturday, and Sir Tony is up[ on Monday. And I'd best prepare either way. I'm stoked, and I'm nervous.

Best we keep our fingers crossed.

So far, I've gone rabvidly a-hunting for that last play, and I've been vaulted to and fro from DUP to the Department and vice-versa. Well, not really vaulted, just passed. Sir Manny says, "go check the Department.", and Ma'am Edna says, "do check DUP". Either way, I've come up empty-handed.

Must concentrate.

Must finish reading whatever plays and profiles I've got, and well... we'll see.

Oh yeah.

I'm glad to say things are going spiffingly. (Er, is there such a word?)

As of this afternoon...

- a final format for the letter to our playwrights,
- a letter and a long-distance call to Ma'am Elsa Coscolluela (or at least, her secretary) in DLSU Bacolod,
- and best of all...


Sir Tony's okay for an interview on Monday, 9:00 am, at his house.

Another good thing: Sir Tony did happen by the Department, and did pick up the green package I sent him. He opened. He read. And had only one comment: I really didn't need to do two plays for one playwright. He advised me to drop the older play (Toreng Garing) in favor of the newer one (Elias at Salome: A Musical). He said, it was a much cleaner make.

*does a mini-victory dance*

So what I have to do now: read, read, read whatever plays I've already secured, much as possible secure the rest, come up with a good profile of Sir Tony, get myself and Papa's video-cam ready, get there on time, and hope & pray for the best.

Bristle, bristle, bristle. ^_^

Big Break

I have good news. and today is Monday.

As of Sunday, 5:00pm, I have finally confirmed an interview date with sir Floy Quintos: Saturday, 10:00am, Gurerrero front of house. Bring videocam.

Wow.

Up next for this week: a trip to Makati to the Palanca Foundation, a play consult with Ma'am Edna, and more thesis work.

*makes two thumbs up in the air*

Rain.

Today has been an emotionally-taxing day.

I'll just leave it at that.

Other than that, I finally got to give Sir Floy Quintos the letter and list of questions for the playwrights. Hopefully I'll recieve a response from him when Mama S and I go watch his musical. That's good.

Poor chap, he's lost his voice a while ago. Hope he's better.

The weather's getting to me.

Ganda ng update ko. ^_^

Magpapakabait na po ako. Pramis.

Kasi sayang na po ang oras na hindi koo nagagamit mg matino. Kung hindi ko pag-igihan ang pag-aaral ko, sayang din. Kelan pa ako makakatapos? Sayang ang kuwento.

Basta.
Magpapakabait na po ako.

Yesterday, I brought my iBook to school to continue working on the original St. Louis script. I also came to school to see if Ma'am Edna May was available for consultation, and if she was, I wanted to ask what happened to my play. and I find out... birthday po pala niya today. Demo, she won't come to school today. On the upside of things, at least she'll let me see her by Wednesday next week. That's good.

Last night, I finally got back to working on my notecards. Sayang din lang kung nakatiwangwang siya na parang naghihintay na ma-anay. Yak. Not good for a student working on her thesis.

And this morning, things have nicely begun to speed up. I've been constantly nagged for a whole weeek: I want to give Sir Floy Quintos a letter and a list of possible interview questions while he's still in the vicinty before I lose the chance to do so. I mean, he's practically been on the school grounds every show day since the St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos Musical opened, and I'd be a dummy to not take the opportunity. So, I will. By Sunday, hoepfully he'll be around too, and we'll try to ask when I might have the chance to interview him at his convenience for my thesis. Let's keep our fingers crossed, folks.

Next on the long-should-have-been-done list, I call up Palanca Foundation and ask for Miss Babes, just like how Dean advised me to. Miss Babes sounded sweet and accommodating on the phone, and she was nice to help me out with what I needed. She told me she'd prepare a copy of Dong de los Reyes' Daungan... Laot... Daungan for me, and I could pick it up anytime soon. Just in case I came by after office hours, she'd leave the copy with the guard and I could just pay for it there. I also asked if it would be possible to ask how I might contact the playwright, and she told me she'd put in Sir de los Reyes' contact number in with the manuscript. Wow. That's... certainly nice of them. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the people at Palanca would be this nice, but wow. I'm thankful.

As for Sir Tony's package at his pigeon-hole, it's still there, despite the fact I heard Sir Tony's baritone voice in the loft of the Dulaang UP office discussing GABRIELA with Ma'am Jose. Sir Larry, the clerk at the Department, told me it'd be best to just let it be; he'd come 'round the Department sooner or later, see it, and pick it up.

So, there.

Mega Update

Truth be told, it's not really a humongously stupendous post, save for the facts that:

- I have finally secured myself a full copy of the original version of Sir Floy Quintos' play, ...And St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos. And yes, I've already finished reading it through and through.

- I went to see the Musical version of above-mentioned play with my good friend Rosa, and we both got a kick out of it. I congratulated Sir Alex Cortez, the director, with a handshake, and Sir Floy Quintos with a great big hug. It felt good.

- I have finally finished my play and sent it to Ma'am Edna May's pigeon-hole, nicely ringbound and all.

- I thoroughly enjoy my current Phyisics lessons on lenses an vision. Yes oh yes I do.

- I've finally sent in a huge green expanding envelope to Sir Tony Mabesa's pigeon-hole containing... One: my letter addressed to him explaining what's happened so far with my thesis, a briefer of my new proposal, and permission to interview him on video; Two: a list of possible interview questions for him; and Three: a stapled copy of my new Thesis Proposal. God help us all.

- I've gone and checked at the Department with Kuya Larry the Clerk if either Professor stopped by and picked up and hopefully took a gander at their respective packages. As of late this afternoon, the answer is a Nay: Kuya Larry has not seen heel nor hide of Ma'am Edna May throghout the day (odd, considering she has three classes up for today, or so her schedule says), and Sir Tony is still busy as anything with his production in Angeles, Pampangga.

Which leaves me to wait.

On one hand, I am constantly nagged with the thought that if Sir Tony hasn't repleid to my letter in three weeks, I'll have to completely shift topics altogether. Oh Heavens no.

Then again, There's all that time on my hands to use well.

Ah-huh.