Walang Aray Gets Most Midyear Citations for Gawad Buhay 2023

(SPOT.ph) It took some time before live events returned to regular programming after years of hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also true for Philippine theater, which had few productions in 2022, but returned in full swing just this year. And that means, finally, we're having midyear citations for Gawad Buhay again.

Gawad Buhay is touted to be the Philippine counterpart of Broadway's Tony Awards or the West End's Olivier Awards. Only professional theater companies that are members of the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group Inc. (a.k.a. Philstage) are eligible for Gawad Buhay citations and nominations. An independent jury of journalists, critics, theater practitioners, and members of the academe vote on citations, nominations, and winners for the annual award, which was established in 2008. Midyear citations are announced in preparation for the final deliberation of nominations and winners at the end of the year.

For the 14th Gawad Buhay midyear citations, nine productions were considered: The Sandbox Collective's Bawat Bonggang Buhay and Lungs, Upstart Productions' Breakups and Breakdowns, Barefoot Theatre Collaborative's Laro and Unica Hijas, Tanghalang Pilipino's Nekropolis, The Necessary Theatre's Red, Theatre Tita's Twenty Questions, and PETA's Walang Aray.

PETA's Walang Aray had the most number of citations (21), while Laro had 11 and Nekropolis had nine.

Here is the list of the 14th Gawad Buhay Midyear Citations:

Outstanding Original Script

• Guelan Luarca (‘Nekropolis’)
• Mikaela Regis (‘Unica Hijas’)

Outstanding Book of a Musical

• Rody Vera (‘Walang Aray’)

Outstanding Original Score

• Rody Vera and Vince Lim (‘Walang Aray’)

Outstanding Musical Direction

• Vince Lim (‘Walang Aray’)

Outstanding Choreography

• Gio Gahol (‘Walang Aray’)

Outstanding Costume Design

• Jaylo Conanan (‘Walang Aray’)
• Mark Daniel Dalacat (‘Red’)

Outstanding Lighting Design

• D Cortezano (‘Laro’)
• D Cortezano (‘Nekropolis’)
• David Esguerra (‘Walang Aray’)
• Gabo Tolentino (‘Red’)

Outstanding Sound Design

• Jose Buencamino (‘Red’)
• Happy Constantino (‘Walang Aray’)
• Arvy Dimaculangan (‘Laro’)
• Arvy Dimaculangan (‘Nekropolis’)
• Mijon Tangye (‘Unica Hijas’)

Outstanding Set Design

• Mark Daniel Dalacat (‘Red’)
• Julio Garcia (‘Walang Aray’)
• Tata Tuviera (‘Nekropolis’)
• Tata Tuviera (‘Unica Hijas’)

Female Lead Performance in a Play

• Joy Delos Santos (‘Unica Hijas’)
• Ash Nicanor (‘Unica Hijas’)
• Justine Peña (‘Lungs’)

Male Lead Performance in a Play

• Reb Atadero (‘Lungs’)
• JC Santos (‘Red’)
• Brian Sy (‘Lungs’)

Female Featured Performance in a Play

• Mitzi Comia (‘Nekropolis’)

Male Featured Performance in a Play 

• Jojo Cayabyab (‘Laro’)
• Gio Gahol (‘Laro’)
• Al Gatmaitan (‘Laro’) 
• Jeremy Mayores (‘Laro’)
• Phi Palmos (‘Laro’)
• Ross Pesigan (‘Laro’)
• Marco Viaña (‘Nekropolis’)

Female Lead Performance in a Musical

• Alexa Ilacad (‘Walang Aray’)
• Marynor Madamesila (‘Walang Aray’)
• Shaira Opsimar (‘Walang Aray’)

Male Lead Performance in a Musical

• Jon Abella (‘Walang Aray’)
• Gio Gahol (‘Walang Aray’)

Female Featured Performance in a Musical

• Kiki Baento (‘Walang Aray’)
• Neomi Gonzales (‘Walang Aray’)

Male Featured Performance in a Musical

• Nelsito Gomez (‘Breakups and Breakdowns’)
• Bene Manaois (‘Walang Aray’)
• Carlon Matobato (‘Walang Aray’)
• Johnnie Moran (‘Walang Aray’)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Play

• ‘Laro’ (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• ‘Nekropolis’ (Tanghalang Pilipino)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical

• ‘Walang Aray’ (PETA)

Outstanding Stage Direction for a Play

• Pat Valera (‘Unica Hijas’)
• John Mark Yap (‘Laro’)
• Charles Yee (‘Nekropolis’)

Outstanding Stage Direction for a Musical

• Ian Segarra (‘Walang Aray’)

Outstanding Production of Existing Material for a Play

• ‘Laro’ (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• ‘Lungs’ (The Sandbox Collective)
• ‘Red’ (The Necessary Theatre)

Outstanding Play – Original or Translation/Adaptation

• ‘Nekropolis’ (Tanghalang Pilipino)

Outstanding Musical – Original or Translation/Adaptation

• ‘Walang Aray’ (PETA)

Notes on Gawad Buhay rules for restagings and reruns:

According to Gawad Buhay rules, only restagings (not reruns) are eligible for the awards, particularly under Production of Existing Material. "To be considered a restaging, a production must have been 'radically restaged': differently directed and designed (in terms of set, lights, costumes, sounds, projections, and choreography, where applicable)." This is why Lungs and Red were considered as restaging under their respective production companies. Every Brilliant Thing, which ran alongside Lungs for Sandbox Fest 2023, was considered as a rerun, not a restaging.

Unica Hijas, which was first staged at the Virgin Labfest, is qualified as a new production because the previous staging was in a laboratory setting. Bawat Bonggang Buhay was judged as a new translation or adaptation; Breakups and Breakdowns, Laro, and Twenty Questions as productions of existing material; Nekropolis (along with Unica Hijas) as productions of new and original script; and Walang Aray as a new musical.

It should also be noted that Gawad Buhay rules say: "All individuals involved in a restaging will be considered eligible in their respective categories, provided they have not previously done that same role or task in the earlier production of the relevant material by the relevant company." Sab Jose reprised her role for Lungs (staged in 2019), and Bart Guingona reprised her role as Ken for Red (staged in 2014). Guingona also returned as director for the two-character play.

Red is having a rerun from September 1 to 3; and Walang Aray is returning to the stage from October 6 to 22. Both are happening at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City.

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