A Short & Sweet Journey
Back in 2014, I came across a casting call for an international theatre festival opening here in Manila and found the interest to audition for it. However, it was during the time that I was busy with school and work that I was not able to join the festival. I actually made a promise to myself that I'll give it a shot, and luckily this year, I finally had the time to join SHORT + SWEET MANILA 2016. I felt really blessed to be cast in two main entries this year, both directed by such amazing directors: KL Carpio for "The Search", and Pauline Martinez for "Enjoy".
Growing up as a musical theater performer, it was a bit challenging for me to venture into doing straight plays. I needed to adjust and learn new techniques in performing, and I needed to grasp more depth in the character without having to burst into song and dance. I started to fall in love with straight plays because of Short + Sweet, and it has given me a new perspective in performing.
"ENJOY"
(Poster by: Yours truly)
Comedy is a genre that I have yet to explore as a performer. Reading through the script, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake for me but, as rehearsals went on I realized how complex the script was since most of my lines were cues to my co-actors' lines (which is very crucial because my last words are a start for the other character). I play the role of Alice - a strong, independent, and career-oriented woman who is actually tired of her boyfriend, Jack. However, her annoyance elevates when a French-wannabe waiter interrupts her much-awaited breakup with Jack.
We only had 3 days to rehearse the piece, and quite frankly we have a lot of pressure in our hands because we're the ones opening the Week 2 show. It took me until the day before the show to memorize my lines, and I was on the verge of an internal meltdown because the thoughts and units were all different. Luckily, I worked with such an amazing team that they kept me sane throughout the rehearsals and shows. Man, I miss our random Taylor Swift and Broadway sing-along in the dressing room!
"THE SEARCH"
(Poster by: Rajean Vinas)
Portraying a character who happens to exist in real life, is a big responsibility and challenge as an actor - you have to learn the personality, nuances, mannerisms, etc. of that certain person and go through his/her life. It's easier now that we have YouTube and the internet to do research and character sketch. However, mine was different. Mrs. Sandra Ehman's bio didn't exist in the internet, and I had to solely rely on objective and deep understanding of the script to give justice to my character. Sandra is a loving and understanding wife. However, due to circumstances things took a turn on their 1st year of marriage and revealed something more hurtful and tragic between the marriage of Sandra and Jerry.
Upon reading the script, it took me on an emotional journey as an actor. I had to once again open up emotions and past experiences to be able to hit the right beats in the script. It helped a lot that I had such an amazing director (KL Carpio) and co-actor (Lian Silverio) to work with and get a lot of motivation from. An hour before the show starts, I start internalizing and immersing myself in character.
Sometimes, I feel like I've been overthinking too much to the point where I feel like there's a lack of truth in my character. It wasn't until the finals week I realized that I need to just let myself go with the flow and forget about the creative police that were blocking my thoughts. I was trembling on-stage and felt unaware of the things that I did. It was difficult to shake off the character, it felt like I had a strong connection with it that a mixture of emotions were pouring as I was walking around the backstage.
We were very blessed to be a part of the finals week, and we all felt so ecstatic about it! Our team isn't asking for that much, and getting to the finals was a big reward for our hard work and dedication to the piece. It's a such a great reward to get a good reception and impact on the audience and that was enough for us. Both Lian and I were nominated for Best Actor and Actress in the competition, it felt like we were on cloud nine.
SHORT + SWEET FAMILY
But it wasn't about the competition and being nominated that made my Short + Sweet 2016 journey colorful. It was unexpectedly the people and the team that made this journey so enjoyable and fun. For 3 weeks, I was surrounded by such talented and fun actors, directors and production team. We've shared artistic insights, jokes and so much more in less than a month, and we've turned the competition into a big circle of friendship. Watching a collection of 10-minute acts being played by talented individuals make me so proud of this team.
Here's to the ever so passionate artists who aren't afraid to sing and act their hearts out, and who are so brave to live their dreams. I love you guys, and I look forward to working with you on stage again. Cheers! xx
PS: Short + Sweet Week 2 people made a cover of Jonathan Larson's "Seasons of Love"! Measure your life in love!
Hello! My name is Denise and this is where I dump my thoughts about life, my journey as an actor & everything in between. 
