Fear or Love, Baby?

9 Works Theatrical presents Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… BOOM!

tick, tick…BOOM!: A Must-Watch for All Artists and Creatives

If you’re a struggling artist or creative, odds are, you’ve found yourself asking this question: Will you pursue the passion that makes your life worth living? Or will you pursue a career that makes a living?

This is the story of our protagonist Jon in the musical tick, tick… BOOM! Jon is an aspiring composer who is about to turn thirty and is growing increasingly anxious about his future in theater. Pressure mounts when his girlfriend, Susan, hounds him about leaving New York to start a family and seek a more stable profession. Tensions also rise when his best friend Michael—an erstwhile actor-turned marketing executive—tries to convince him to join the fold.

Amidst it all, Jon hears a constant ticking–a reminder that he is getting older, with little to show.

“You're no longer the ingénue / Turn thirty, 1990 / Boom! You're passe!”
- 30/90 from tick, tick…BOOM!

Created by Jonathan Larson in the 90s, tick, tick…BOOM! brilliantly captures the internal war within every creative spirit: the struggle between going after one’s dreams and settling for a comfortable but joyless life. This story continues to ring true decades after its debut, largely because Larson harnessed his own life experiences, to bring the characters and songs to life. tick, tick…BOOM! began as a semi-autobiographical rock monologue about Larson’s hardships while trying to make a name for himself in the theater since the ‘80s. Sadly, Larson died the day before the preview performance of his masterpiece, Rent. He was 35.

“Can he make his mark, if he gives up his spark?”
- Johnny Can’t Decide from tick, tick…BOOM!

If you are a creative spirit, or if you have artist friends and family, bring them to RCBC Plaza any weekend this August to catch this era-defining musical!

In this restaging of the three-person musical, 9 Works Theatrical has assembled the perfect cast in theater veteran Jef Flores and Kapuso star Khalil Ramos (alternating as Jon), Miss Saigon alum Tanya Manalang and multimedia performer Kayla Rivera (alternating as Susan), and rising star Vien King and actor-creator Reb Atadero (alternating as Michael).

Back L-R: Kayla Rivera, Vien King, Reb Atadero, Tanya Manalang
Front L-R: Jef Flores, Khalil Ramos

tick, tick…BOOM! is directed by Robbie Guevara, with Daniel Bartolome as musical director, JM Cabling as choreographer, Mio Infante as scenographer, Shakira Villa-Symes as lighting designer, Bam Tiongson as Sound Designer, Myrene Santos as hair and makeup designer, Marlito Ambrocio as technical director, Ian Cartalaba as costume supervisor, and JV Rabano as photographer.

tick, tick…BOOM! will be showing all weekends of August 2023 at 3:00pm & 7:30pm on Saturdays & Sundays, at the CPR Auditorium, RCBC Plaza in Makati. Tickets are now available via ticket2me.net. Grab yours while you can!

tick, tick…BOOM! is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

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ZTE included in FTSE4Good Index Series for eighth consecutive year

• ZTE recognized for ESG initiatives that contribute to social sustainability
• ZTE aspires to achieve sustainability and enrich communities over the long term

ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, recently has been listed once again in the prestigious FTSE4Good Index Series, a responsible investment (RI) index of FTSE Russell, a London Stock Exchange Group company, marking its eighth consecutive inclusion. ZTE's H-share and A-share were previously included in the FTSE4Good Index Series in 2015 and 2021 respectively.

Created by the global index and data provider FTSE Russell, the FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices.

As a frontrunner in the ICT industry, ZTE has been incorporating the ethos of sustainable development into its corporate governance and operational endeavors, continuously elevating its social responsibility performance.

During the recent years, ZTE has actively engaged in global decarbonization and economic transformation, assuming a pivotal role in promoting green development. This May, the Company expressed its participation in the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), with the aim to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with the 1.5°C temperature rise limitation pathway and ultimately reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

In terms of shouldering corporate social responsibility, ZTE has consistently championed the ethos of Tech for Good, making sustained contributions to the betterment of global community. On the 55th World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) this May, ZTE reaffirmed its commitment to ITU's Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, aiming to play a pivotal role in narrowing the digital divide and facilitating meaningful and sustainable connectivity, as well as driving digital transformation for people in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Regarding corporate governance, ZTE lays emphasis on preventing emerging risks to solidify its position as a highly resilient organization, and has always been adhering to compliance in operation for steady business growth.

As a member of the UN Global Compact and Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), ZTE has proactively released its sustainability reports for 15 consecutive years. Remarkably, the Company’s sustainability accomplishments have also been recognized by other leading indices and rankings, such as 2022 CDP Environmental Leadership Award, 2022 and 2023 Fortune China's ESG Influential List, 2022 Forbes World's Top Female-Friendly Companies.

To learn more about how ZTE delivers social, environmental and governance values, please visit the Company’s FY22 Sustainability Report.

ZTE helps to connect the world with continuous innovation for a better future. The company provides innovative technologies and integrated solutions, its portfolio spans all series of wireless, wireline, devices and professional telecommunications services. Serving over a quarter of the global population, ZTE is dedicated to creating a digital and intelligent ecosystem, and enabling connectivity and trust everywhere. ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. www.zte.com.cn/global. Follow the official ZTE Corporation social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube.

You may also check the updates on ZTE Devices Philippines’ official social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok (@ztedevicesph).

ABOUT FTSE4Good Index Series:
Created by the global index and data provider FTSE Russell, the FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. The FTSE4Good indexes are used by a wide variety of market participants to create and assess responsible investment funds and other products.

FTSE Russell evaluations are based on performance in areas such as Corporate Governance, Health & Safety, Anti-Corruption and Climate Change.  Businesses included in the FTSE4Good Index Series meet a variety of environmental, social and governance criteria.

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Shorts & Briefs 9 at Draper Startup House this August 6-27, 2023

Shorts & Briefs 9 by EKSENA PH, is an independently produced “THEATRE FESTIVAL” of short and brief Plays (10-12min plays) that features ONLY 1st time theatre makers and performers. It’s been running for 9 years. This year they are back to the LIVE theatre scene celebrating 9 years with 8 live shows on all Sundays of AUGUST. Debuting this season are 8 set of plays featuring new faces in the theatre scene. This year SNB 9 will also feature original stories from new and upcoming playwrights.

It will be staged at DRAPER STARTUP HOUSE in Poblacion Makati, All Sundays of August starting August 6-27. Showtime is at 2pm and 7pm every Sunday. DRAPER is a 80-seater venue, is located at 5048 P. Burgos Street, Poblacion, Makati, Philippines.

This year SNB 9 will feature original stories from New and Upcoming Playwrights.

The plays are as follows:
Tim Villanueva’s “Mga Nakasusuyang Putahe”, a funny story about relationship, revenge and food to be Directed by Naye Hedriana who is a former actress during SNB 5th season and currently an accountant, now exploring the role of a play director.

Ephraim Villafania’s “Save the Coffee Jelly” A comedy about creating false campaigns--save the coffee bean, in this instance--to create income. Directed by Cyril Balderama who is an Artist and Choreographer from Valenzuela City.

Aldrich Alcantara’s “Grief Registry” is a play set in a hotel room about a newly-wed couple who receives an unknown wedding gift to be Directed by Jemuel Satumba an award winning film actor.

Francis Peralta and Sean Macaraeg’s “Online Class” has been devised and collaborated with director and a licensed chemical technician Eunice Pacifico with “Latency” as its new title.

Julay Elloso and Frank Conche’s “Ang Tigas ng Ulo Mo” a riot story about three brothers and their “Alive” arthritic father to be directed by film/ theatre sound scorer and designer Paulo Almaden.

Dino Quintana’s “Homecoming” is a story about a balikabayan box that arrives months after the sender has died to be directed by Ciri Clarion a fresh graduate from Iligan City and a member of Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG).

Billie Fuentes’ “The Mourning After” has been collaborated and now called “11:11” is a story about relationship, friendship and mourning to be directed by certified meisner teacher and Sightlines Actors Space Founder Alecx Lorica.

Wilfredo Alipala’s “Bakit Bata” a story about ghosts and ghosting to be directed by Earl Pingol a former thespian and now a brand ambassador for a popular soda drink.

Shorts & Briefs started in 2015 to have a safe space for 1st timers and aspiring creators to collaborate and just create. An initiative of Festival Director Karl Alexis C. Jingco, a theatre Practioner whose works revolves around IMPROV and INCLUSIVE theatre, recently directed this years revisited play for the Virgin Labfest “Nay my Dala akong Pancit”. Since then S&B has been expanded to serve the larger theater community.

For more information about the festival please follow them on their socials. “EKSENA PH” on Facebook.
For tickets and other inquiries, please contact 09673828066 or message them on their social media.

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