Showing posts with label karne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label karne. Show all posts

August 24, 2025

Theater Review: FEU Theater Guild’s "Karne"

I had the chance to watch FEU Theater Guild’s Karne, their powerful interpretation of Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter, and I’m still in awe of this production.

Director Dudz Teraña with the cast of FTG's "Karne"

From the moment you step into the theater, you’re transported into a barrio home preparing for Christmas. A glowing capiz parol, twinkling lights on the fence, and a modest Christmas tree instantly set the mood. Before the show even begins, Mary (Julia Nicole Banaag) is already onstage, quietly observing the audience as they trickle in. Then, almost without notice, she moves to the working kitchen and starts chopping garlic and onions, blurring the line between performance and reality.

An actual working kitchen on set!

It isn’t just what you see that pulls you in. Soon, the savory aroma of garlic and onions sizzling in butter fills the theater. This sensory detail is unexpected but brilliant; it awakens your appetite and curiosity about what’s about to unfold. Later, the media and select audience members were even able to taste the adobo cooked onstage, making the experience not just theatrical but communal and deeply Filipino.

The play follows Mary, reeling from the sudden murder of her husband, Police Captain Patrick Patrosa (RB Pascua), a domineering military man whose pride and temper cast long shadows over their marriage. Three policemen—Lieutenant Elnar (Arvin Javier), Patrolman Enopia (Justin Abalos), and Patrolman Credo (Kirstan Orbegoso)—interrogate her, but their investigation also unravels layers of gossip and judgment from Mary’s circle of friends: Dante (Jharelle Villalobos), Ellen (Maria Ysabel Delos Reyes), and Maloi (Bjorn Pestaño). Their conversations, written in a mix of Tagalog, Bisaya, and English, capture the rhythm of everyday Filipino chismis. Instead of creating barriers, the shifting languages enrich the story and make it more authentic.

Patrick is written as the man you “love to hate.” Pascua’s sharp delivery, commanding presence, and toxic pride heighten the tension each time he enters the scene. In contrast, Banaag’s Mary radiates meekness and quiet warmth, especially when she is with her spirited friends. Their lively banter, along with the playful teasing of Estang (Helena Li), provides much-needed lightness against the play’s darker undercurrents. Samuel (Julian Anabo) and Mrs. Poblacion (Cassandra Herilla) also add depth to the social fabric of the story, showing how gossip, loyalty, and perception shape community life.

The world of Patrick’s military life also comes into focus, with clever nods to law enforcement culture and practices in the late 1970s. This period setting adds depth, inviting the audience to reflect on authority, control, and the lingering echoes of that era in today’s systems. During the post-show talkback, the creative choice to set the play in this decade became even clearer through the music, costumes, and cultural touchpoints woven seamlessly into the production.

A standout achievement is the set itself: a fully functional kitchen ingeniously built from recycled materials in the FTG warehouse. This sustainable approach shows resourcefulness without sacrificing realism. Under the guidance of director Dudz Teraña, the students were able to grasp the nuances of the time period, the metaphors of Dahl’s story, and the cultural resonances of their adaptation.

Me with the cast of FTG's Karne

Karne is a testament to the FEU Theater Guild’s creativity, discipline, and collaborative spirit. That such an ambitious, multi-sensory, and thought-provoking play was staged by a cast and crew composed mostly of students makes the production even more remarkable. It is both a triumph for the Guild and an inspiring reminder of how young theater artists can breathe new life into classic stories. To build on this momentum, Teraña has revealed that the next FTG season production will be Lord of the Flies, another bold choice that promises to challenge both performers and audiences.

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August 13, 2025

Karne: A Darkly Delicious Feast from FEU Theater Guild’s 91st Season

A darkly delicious twist on Roald Dahl’s classic, staged with Filipino classics: laughter and Adobo
This year, the Far Eastern University Theater Guild (FTG) is serving something bold, flavorful, and impossible to forget. Now on its 91st season, FTG presents Karne—an interactive dark comedy written and directed by Dudz Teraña, Senior Artist-Teacher of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and FTG’s artistic director.

Step into the aromatic, simmering home of a 1980s Filipino couple, where every look hides a secret, every silence is heavy, and the kitchen’s simmering pots hold more than just stew. Karne invites you to pull up a chair to a feast where humor, tension, and mystery blend in perfect, if unsettling, harmony.

A Filipino Twist on a Classic
Inspired by Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter, Karne moves the action to Lubotan, Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental in 1980, infusing the story with the textures, rhythms, and flavors of rural Filipino life. It’s absurd yet sincere, light yet laced with dread—a genre-bending mix of comedy, mystery, and intimate social commentary.
Full cast
Seamlessly blending Bisaya, Tagalog, and English, the play creates a living, breathing household you can almost smell and hear. “This play holds up a mirror to the lived realities of an individual, grounding itself in raw humanness,” says director Dudz Teraña. “It offers a more layered and flavorful approach to staging—bold in form, grounded in truth, and unapologetically relevant. Karne is not just something to look forward to; it’s an experience that lingers.”

What’s Cooking?
At the heart of the story is Mary and Police Captain Patrick Patrosa, a seemingly ordinary couple whose quiet evening at home begins to unravel—turning a simple dinner into a tangled reflection on love, expectations, and the fragile connections holding their lives and their community together.

Mary is portrayed by Maria Mayano (IAS’26), with Julia Nicole Ramas (FIT’26) and Janae Dionisio (IAS’28) alternating the role. Patrick is brought to life by RB Pascua (IAS’25), Aaron Bayani (IAS’25), and Arvin Javier (IAS’28).

The couple is joined by a colorful ensemble of friends, neighbors, and colleagues:
Dante – Jonas Cunanan (IAS’25), Renz Dotillos (IAS’26), Jharelle Villalobos (IAS’27)
Ellen – Dianne Andallo (IAS’26), Maria Ysabelle Delos Reyes (IAS’27)
Maloi – Bjorn Pestaño (IAS’26), Margarita Barrameda (IAS’26), Sheila Peralta (IABF’26)
Police Lt. Elnar – Arvin Javier (IAS’28), Shawn Tarala (IAS’27)
Patrolman Enopia – Kristian Samson (IAS’26), Justin Abalos (IAS’28)
Patrolman Credo – Dave Bambang (IARFA’29), Kirstan Orbegoso (IAS’27)
Mrs. Poblacion – Cassandra Herilla (IAS’27), Irish Oliveros (IAS’28), Trisha Tan (IAS’28)
Estong/Estang – Lorenze Moral (IAS’26), Nash Desonyo (FIT’28), Heleina Li (IAS’26)
Samuel, the market vendor – Julian Anabo (IAS’26), Migi Mesina (IAS’27)

Show Dates & Venue:
📍 FEU Center for the Arts Studio

Performance Schedule
September: 11–13, 18–20, 25–27
October: 2–4, 9–11, 16–18, 23–25, 30
November: 6–8
House Opens – 6:00 PM | Show Starts – 6:30 PM

Ticket Prices
₱200 – Students from outside FEU Manila
₱500 – Regular Guests
₱700 – VIP

Connect with FEU Theater Guild
Facebook: Far Eastern University Theater Guild
Instagram & TikTok: @feutheaterguildofficial
Twitter/X: @ftg1934

Whether you come for the laughs, the suspense, or the rich slice of 1980s Filipino life, Karne promises a meal—and a memory—you’ll carry long after the curtain falls.
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