Tanghalang Pambansa

Last updated
National Theater
Tanghalang Pambansa
2012-06-23-Cultural Center of the Philippines-Evening.jpg
Viewed at night.
Location map Manila.png
Red pog.svg
National Theater
Location in Metro Manila
Former namesTheater of Performing Arts
Address Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Malate
Manila
Philippines
Coordinates 14°33′24″N120°58′51″E / 14.556667°N 120.980833°E / 14.556667; 120.980833
Operator Cultural Center of the Philippines
Type National theater
Capacity
  • Main Theater: 1,853 seats
  • Little Theater: 421 seats
  • Studio Theater: 240 seats
  • Film Theater: 100 seats
Construction
OpenedSeptember 8, 1969;54 years ago (1969-09-08)
Architect Leandro V. Locsin

The Tanghalang Pambansa (English: National Theater), formerly Theater of Performing Arts, is a theater located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Manila, Philippines.

Contents

It is the flagship venue and principal offices of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin, its design was based and expanded upon the unconstructed Philippine-American Friendship Center. The Tanghalan is a primary example of the architect's signature style known as the floating volume, a trait can be seen in structures indigenous to the Philippines such as the nipa hut. It houses three performing arts venues, one theater for film screenings, galleries, a museum and the center's library and archives. Being a work of a National Artist, the brutalist structure is qualified to be an important cultural landmark as stipulated in Republic Act No. 10066. [1]

Construction began in 1966, with Alfredo Juinio serving as structural engineer and Filipino firm DM Consunji as the builder. Originally called the Theater of Performing Arts, it was completed and inaugurated in 1969. Its first major renovation occurred in 2005 for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 112th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Manila. Included in the renovation were cleaning and replacement of the marble trim, installation of a new air-conditioning system and new carpeting. [2]

Architecture

The Tanghalang Pambansa, photographed in 2005 CCP Main Theaterx.jpg
The Tanghalang Pambansa, photographed in 2005

The façade of the Tanghalang Pambansa is dominated by a two-storey travertine block suspended 12 meters (39 ft) high by deep concave cantilevers on three sides. The rest of the structure is clad in concrete, textured by crushed seashells originally found on the reclamation site. [3] [4] The building is built on a massive podium, and entry is through a vehicular ramp in front of the raised lobby and a pedestrian side entry on its northwest side. In front of the façade and below the ramp, there is an octagonal reflecting pool with fountains and underwater lights. On the main lobby, three large Capiz-shell chandeliers hang from the third floor ceiling, each symbolizing the three main geographical divisions of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At the orchestra entrance, a brass sculpture, The Seven Arts by Vicente Manansala welcomes the audience into the main theater. From the pedestrian entrance, Arturo Luz's Black and White is displayed as spectators enter the little theater or ascend to the main lobby through a massive carpeted spiral staircase. Most of the interior is lit artificially, as there are few windows, most of which are located along the sides of the main lobby. Large areas on the upper floors are open to the ground floor lobby, emphasizing the large chandeliers and fluid interior spaces on northeast side of the building. Galleries and other rooms surround these open areas, occupying the space created by the huge cantilevered block. Whenever possible, the walls surrounding these rooms are used as additional venues for displaying art works.

Much of the criticism of the building's architecture is directed towards its vehicular ramp. Since there are usually no valet services or parking areas directly accessible from the lobby entrance, the ramp's use is ideal only for audience members who are chauffeur-driven; at the expense of pedestrians, who may enter through the side entrance or a narrow (and potentially hazardous) pathway on the ramp. [5] [6] In defense of the design, Andy Locsin (a partner of his father's firm) explained that the decision of raising the whole structure on the podium (and consequently, the addition of the ramp) was in response to the high sea levels on the reclaimed land, and was not intended to promote an elitist view of art and culture. [7]

Venues

The Main Theater, named after composer Nicanor Abelardo. On the extreme right is the house curtain based on Hernando Ocampo's Genesis. CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo.jpg
The Main Theater, named after composer Nicanor Abelardo. On the extreme right is the house curtain based on Hernando Ocampo's Genesis.

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo

The Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo or the Main Theater is the largest performance venue inside the Tanghalang Pambansa. It can accommodate up to 1,815 people in four levels: orchestra, boxes, and two balconies. The stage is 25 meters (82 ft) from the main curtain line to the back wall and 38.8 meters (127 ft) from the left wall to the right. The proscenium opening has a height of 9 meters (30 ft) and width of 18 meters (59 ft). A 5.6-meter (18 ft 4 in) deep orchestra pit contains two elevators that can accommodate up to 62 musicians. The stage floor, unwaxed and painted matte-black (originally not stained), is made from a species of Philippine Mahogany. [8] The main stage curtain is patterned after the painting Genesis, a work of National Artist Hernando Ocampo. A variable acoustics hall designed by Bolt, Beranek and Newman, the Main Theater was planned for flexibility. It was built to accommodate sound requirements of various types of presentations, and can typically hold opera and orchestra performances without further amplification. [9] New York Times critic Howard Taubman praised the theater's acoustical flexibility in his review of the center's opening night, writing that the architect and his team seem to have built a venue "that will be equally congenial for drama, instrumental and vocal music and dance." [10]

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino CCP-Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.jpg
Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

The Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino or the Little Theater, inaugurated a few years after the opening of the main theater, is a conventional proscenium stage, designed for drama, chamber music, solo recitals, lectures, and film screenings. It seats 413 people in one orchestra section. From the main curtain line to the back wall, the stage measures 13.6 meters (45 ft) with a proscenium width of 13.9192 meters (45 ft 8 in) and features the same Mahogany flooring as the larger Main Theater. A covered orchestra pit extends into the apron gives additional performance space, similar to a thrust stage. [11] The stage curtain is a tapestry woven in Kyoto, Japan, based on a painting of Roberto Chabet, visual artist and former director of the CCP Museum. When unfolded, the curtain acts as a natural sound reverberation medium.

Tanghalang Huseng Batute

The Tanghalang Pambansa has a lone black box theater named Tanghalang Huseng Batute or the Studio Theater, after the pseudonym of Filipino poet José Corazón de Jesús. Depending on the size of the stage or acting area, it can seat up to 240 people in two levels. The 100-seat Tanghalang Manuel Conde or the Dream Theater, a joint project of the CCP and Dream Broadcasting, is used as a venue for film screenings and lectures; and has the capability to receive and show films directly through satellite.

Exhibit halls

The Tanghalang Pambansa has three exhibit halls and another three hallways that can be used for displaying artwork. The largest exhibition space is the Bulwagang Juan Luna , which serves as the Main Gallery. Located on the third floor, it has a floor area of 440 square meters (4,700 sq ft). Two smaller galleries are named after Filipino painters Fernando Amorsolo and Carlos Francisco. The latter is usually used for large scale installations and is located at the lobby of the Little Theater. Hallways lining the Main Theater on the upper three storeys are also used for display and measure 2.4 meters (7 ft 10 in) high by 30.2 meters (99 ft) wide each. These spaces are named after visual artists Victorio Edades, Guillermo Tolentino and Vicente Manansala.

Established in 1988 the Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino, also called the CCP Museum, is an integrated humanities museum that studies, collects and preserves Filipino artistic traditions. It has two permanent exhibitions: one on Filipino tradition, art and aesthetics; and the other showcasing the CCP's collection of traditional Asian musical instruments. The museum also presents special changing exhibitions, provides curatorial assistance, and organizes workshops on indigenous art forms.

Related Research Articles

<i>Zsazsa Zaturnnah</i> Comics character

Zsazsa Zaturnnah is a fictional comic book superheroine created by Filipino illustrator and graphic designer Carlo Vergara. The character first appeared in the Filipino graphic novel, Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah, originally a self-published work in December 2002 consisting of two parts. It was later distributed and merged in a single volume by Visprint Inc.. The graphic novel won a National Book Award in 2003 given by the Manila Critics Circle. It was the 12th bestselling fiction book among Philippine publications in 2005 based on the records of National Book Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Cayabyab</span> Filipino musician and composer

Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab, known professionally as Ryan Cayabyab, is a Filipino musician, composer and conductor. Regarded as one of the pillars and icons of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). He was the Executive and Artistic Director for several years for the defunct San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts. He was named National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SM Mall of Asia</span> Mall in the Philippines

SM Mall of Asia, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the southern end of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Center of the Philippines</span> Philippines state corporation

The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos. Although an independent institution of the Philippine government, it receives an annual subsidy and is placed under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for purposes of policy coordination. The CCP is headed by an 11-member Board of Trustees, currently headed by Chairperson Margarita Moran-Floirendo. Its current president is Arsenio Lizaso.

Nicanor G. Tiongson is a critic, creative writer and academic from the Philippines. He holds a Bachelor of Humanities degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines. A founding member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Tiongson is currently Professor Emeritus of Film and Audio-visual Communication at the College of Mass Communication in U.P. Diliman.

Tanghalang Pilipino is the leading exponent of Philippine theater and the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines since its organization in 1987. It has successfully presented hundreds of productions over more than 30 theater seasons, earning numerous awards and citations while generating one of the best attendance records among the CCP's resident companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leandro Locsin</span> Filipino architect (1928–1994)

Leandro Valencia Locsin was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer known for his use of concrete, floating volume and simplistic design in his various projects. An avid collector, he was fond of modern painting and Chinese ceramics. He was proclaimed a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture in 1990 by the late President Corazon C. Aquino.

Rockwell Center is a high-end mixed-use area in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, named after James Rockwell, former President of Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company (Meralco). It is a project of Rockwell Land Corporation, which is owned by the Lopez Holdings Corporation. Rockwell Center was first developed in 1998 and is being expanded since 2012. The architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) carried out the design under the direction of former design partner Larry Oltmanns, while Felino Palafox and his company, Palafox Associates, became responsible for the master-planning of the complex. Its centerpiece, the Power Plant Mall, opened on December 26, 2000. Rockwell Center includes office buildings, condominium towers, a professional school and a shopping mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of the Philippines</span> Architectural styles and elements found in the Philippine archipelago

The architecture of the Philippines reflects the historical and cultural traditions in the country. Most prominent historic structures in the archipelago are influenced by Austronesian, United States|American]] architectures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila Metropolitan Theater</span> Arts center in Metro Manila, Philippines

The Manila Metropolitan Theater, also known as the Metropolitan Theater, abbreviated as the MET, is a historic Philippine Art Deco building located in Plaza Lawton in Ermita, Manila. It is recognized as the forefront of the Art Deco architectural style in the Philippines.

Hernando Ruiz Ocampo was a Filipino National Artist in the visual arts. He is also fictionist, a playwright and editor.

The A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, known also as "A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes" is a literary play written in English by Filipino National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin in 1950. It was described as Joaquin's “most popular play," as the "most important Filipino play in English," and as “probably the best-known Filipino play.” Apart from being regarded also as the “national play of the Philippines” because of its popularity, it also became one of the important reads in English classes in the Philippines. Joaquin's play was described by Anita Gates, a reviewer from The New York Times, as an "engaging, well plotted metaphor for the passing of Old Manila."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Fine Arts (Manila)</span> Art museum

The National Museum of Fine Arts, formerly known as the National Art Gallery, is an art museum in Manila, Philippines. It is located on Padre Burgos Avenue across from the National Museum of Anthropology in the eastern side of Rizal Park. The museum, owned and operated by the National Museum of the Philippines, was founded in 1998 and houses a collection of paintings and sculptures by classical Filipino artists such as Juan Luna, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo and Guillermo Tolentino.

Walang Sugat is an 1898 Tagalog-language zarzuela written by Filipino playwright Severino Reyes. The music for the original version of the play was written by Filipino composer Fulgencio Tolentino. Walang Sugat was written when the zarzuela became a "potent means" of expressing Filipino nationalism during the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines that followed three centuries of Spanish rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelio Tolentino</span>

Aurelio Tolentino y Valenzuela was a Filipino playwright, poet, journalist, and revolutionary. His works at the turn of the 20th century depicted his desire to see Philippine independence from its colonizers. He was arrested twice, first by the Spaniards and later by American forces. He wrote and directed the anti-imperialist play Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas, which led to his arrest in 1903.

Spanky Manikan was a Filipino theater, film and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex</span> Arts center in Metro Manila, Philippines.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, also known as the CCP Complex, is an 88-hectare (220-acre) art district managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) located along Roxas Boulevard in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a mixed-use cultural and tourism hub overlooking Manila Bay in south-central Manila, most of which fall under the jurisdiction of the city of Pasay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas</span> Arts center in Metro Manila, Philippines

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philam Life Theater</span>

The Philam Life Theater, also styled Philamlife Theater, was a performing arts venue at 1440 United Nations Avenue in the Ermita district of Manila, the Philippines. It opened in 1961 as the Philam Life Auditorium and was designed by Filipino architect Carlos Arguelles as part of the corporate headquarters for the Philam Life insurance company. The International Style concert hall in the eastern annex of the Philam Life Building is known for its superior acoustics and elegant interior. It served as Manila's cultural center for almost a decade and has played host to world-renowned musicians, choirs and symphony orchestras over its 53-year history, including Renata Tebaldi, Franco Corelli, Marian Anderson, Pinchas Zukerman and Cecile Licad. The theater also served as the home of the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philippine Educational Theater Association.

References

  1. Republic Act No. 10066 "Providing for the protection and conservation of the national cultural heritage, strengthening the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and its affiliated cultural agencies, and for other purposes". Full Text available here
  2. Vanzi, Sol Jose. "Cultural Center of the Philippines Get Facelift for IPU Meet". Philippine Headline News Online. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  3. Lico, Gerald (2003). Edifice Complex: Power, Myth and Marcos State Architecture. Quezon City, Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University Press. pp. 178 p. ISBN   971-550-435-3.
  4. "Folk Arts Theater". DM Consuji, Inc. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  5. Klassen, Winard (1986). Architecture in the Philippines: Filipino building in a cross-cultural context. Cebu City: University of San Carlos Press.
  6. Bautista, BNN (2000). Philippine architecture 1948-1978. Reyes Publishing.
  7. Ocampo, Ambeth (25 August 2011). "Sanctuary for the Filipino Soul". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  8. Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo: Technical Rider. Cultural Center of the Philippines. Retrieved 28 October 2011 Full Text available here.
  9. "CCP Acoustics: The Music of Sound". Cultural Center of the Philippines. Archived from the original on April 5, 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  10. Taubman, Howard (13 September 1969). "A Gala premiere opens Manila's cultural center". New York Times.
  11. Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino: Technical Rider. Cultural Center of the Philippines. Retrieved 28 October 2011 Full Text available here.