Dramatis Personal: Mark Ghosn.

Mark Ghosn is the Creative Director of TAP (Theater in Alternative Platforms), which is a theater group based in the South Metro. With the recent success of Ampalaya Monologues, TAP's most recent tie-up with Black Table Productions, I sat down one afternoon with the event's writer for a little casual tête-à-tête.

When did you start acting?

College days. It was 2005 when I joined my first theater org, Dulaang Perpetual. I was in first year college.

Why did you decide to join?

Well, since bata pa ako, mahilig na talaga umarte. I remember when I was a kid, sa labas ng bedroom namin, may poster na nakalagay doon. Drawing ako ng poster, tapos yung mga cousins ko would sit in front of the bed, and then they watch me perform on top of it. And then nung college na, when there was an opening for members for that organization, I joined. And then sabi kasi nila na walang audition. Feeling ko kung may audition yun, hindi ako nakasali, kasi sobrang mahiyain ako, sobrang introvert, kaya nakasali ako. And then tuluy-tuloy na from there, dun na nawala yung mga inhibitions ko.

What were your previous theater experiences?

Sa college, kasi every semester, merong production yun eh. So dun talaga kami nahasa. And iba-iba yung mga moderators namin per year, so we were able to work with them. Actually all of them were from Tanghalang Pilipino. Miss Cats Racsag, Chris Gozum, tapos si Sir Mcdo Bolanos, Sir JK [Anicoche] from Sipat Lawin Ensemble. And then after college, kinuha kami ng Sipat Lawin for Battalia Royale. Dun na nagstart. Akala ko kasi after college, tapos na, diba? Pero pwede pa pala siya i-extend.  So after nun, Battalia Royale, and then dun na nagkaroon ng TAP. So we decided to form our group, which is TAP nga.

So tell me about TAP (Theater in Alternative Platforms).

Ang mga members ng TAP ay mga alumni ng Dulaang Perpetual. We decided to form the group because after college, napapansin ko na ang daming mga talented na artists, especially from the south, na hindi nabibigyan ng venue to showcase their talents. So sabi ko, if we can't make it sa mga ibang theater org, why don't we create our own, diba? And ang galing lang kasi natupad siya after 3 years. Well, it took 3 years, actually, to actually build the group, the organization, the name, who we are, and all that. And this year is our first year for TAP. And we started with the Karnabal festival, mainly because our mentor is Sir JK. So yun yung first naming sabak. And then nag-open na yung doors for other theater festivals for us to join, and yun nga, we already had our first co-production. Yung TAP is mainly for the alumni of Dulaang Perpetual but at the same time, to showcase the talents of different artists from the south as well.

Showcase the talents of artists from the south... So is that the objective of TAP?

Yes, that's the objective of TAP, and also because we want to create new works na iba sa usual na nakikita. Siguro kasi because our main influence is Sipat Lawin, so it's like that pero different in a way that mas relatable yung mga gusto naming ipalabas.

Do you have a specific target audience for TAP? The south lang talaga or do you plan to branch out?

Right now, we're focusing dito sa south, and our target is yung mga young professionals like us, and the millenials as well. And that's why most of the stories that we want to showcase are those that reflect kung ano ba yung current status or issues na pinagdadaanan natin in our 20s, sa mga ganitong mga panahon ng teknolohiya and modernization. And nakakatuwa nga kasi mas involved na tayo ngayon, especially with social media, mas nagiging involved na tayo ngayon sa mga social issues na nangyayari sa atin. So target market namin is primarily south-based na mga young professionals, or people in their 20s. But, eventually sa plano ng TAP, of course, we're planning to showcase yung talent ng south sa iba pang mga lugar sa Philippines, and around the world. Why not?

So what were TAP's past productions? You mentioned the Karnabal festival.

Karnabal festival... so that was an original piece that I wrote, which was entitled Mga Multo ni Mang Roque. It was experimental. What we did was sinara namin yung 2^nd floor ng Puppet Museum, at lahat ng mga possible light entries, tinakpan namin, so it was a very dark performance area. Ang gamit lang ng mga tao nun na light was this one flashlight na pinagpapasa-pasahan ng mga tao. So it was about a horror house that was about to close na. And yung mga multo na nandun represent yung mga iba't ibang celebrities na nalaos na. And then parang nag-aagawan sila doon sa iisang ilaw, na ang may hawak o may control is yung audience. Audience ang may hawak ng flashlight at pinagpapasa-pasahan nila. Sila ang mamimili kung sino ang gusto nilang ilawan, kung gusto nga ba nilang itutok yun kung kanino man o hindi. So in the end, the message of the show was that we, as performers, hindi natin kontrolado kung ano yung gusto ng mga tao. Kahit gaano ka kagaling, at the end of the day, it’s them who controls kung ano yung gusto nila panoorin. I think it has a lot to do with TAP as well, because it took a while for us to find a venue for someone to watch us.

Your most recent event this past August, the Ampalaya Monologues, how did you come up with the idea for that?

Ampalaya Monologues... 3 years ago, we were thinking of our first production. We're going to be a company that will be different from all the rest, however, we don't have a venue, we cannot afford to actually have an actual show in a theater or you know, like a big production. So I thought of coming up of with monologues. All you need is a mic, minimal lang yung set, and a good script. So 3 years of writing different monologues, and coming up with different stories and inspiration for that. So that’s how Ampalaya Monologues happened.

Ampalaya Monologues were, obviously, monologues about bitterness. How did you get the inspiration for that? Meron bang mga personal issues or you take from what you observe sa paligid?

To be honest, I never really had an actual or official relationship in my life. Hindi pa ako nagkakaroon ng totoong relationship talaga. (laughs) Ang masasabi ko lang, I was always that friend na laging nilalapitan kapag may mga heart problems yung mga friends ko, the shoulder to cry on. So dun sa 7 monologues na yun, ang akin lang is yung "Sa Pagitan ng Tayo Ba at Hindi Na." Yun yung hugot ko personally. And of course, the "Hanash ng Soloista." Always the best friend, never the bida. And then the other 5, yung mga iba na yun, they came from my friends, stories of my friends, people I know. And ang sarap lang kasi din sa pakiramdam na you create a piece of art from other people's heartaches, and they get to watch it, let’s say 2 or 3 years from now, pag OK na sila, and they get to watch it and say, wow, whatever they want to feel about it. Hindi lang nasayang yung heartache nila, may na-produce kang art from it.

So any possibilities of a repeat performance?

Yes, we're bringing it sa iba ibang lugar. This October, there’s another one. And another in December. The best of Ampalaya Monologues, hopefully, February, sa araw natin (laughs), Singles Awareness day. And then after that, madami pa. I'm planning to have an Ampalaya Monologues Love Wins Edition, to celebrate yung LGBT month. So all the monologues will be about LGBTs. I'm planning na lahat ng ticket sales from that event will go to a specific LGBT foundation. And then ang dami ko pang naiisip. I want to create pieces for women empowerment, using Ampalaya Monologues for that. I also want one for domestic violence, may mga piyesa na rin akong ginawa for that. So it's not just for "hugot". I want it to become more than that. I want it to serve as a way for change, and for informing people about the things that are going on in our society. And I think that’s what TAP is all about. I'm excited for that.

Other than your shows and events, do you do other things such as workshops, etc?

Right now, we are focusing on Ampalaya Monologues and then yung mga theater festivals na kasali kami. And then next year, madami na rin kasing kumakausap for workshops, so hopefully mag-start na rin yun. The thing about TAP is that we all have our day jobs. So lahat ng members meron mga professional work other than TAP. So yun yung first challenge namin ngayon, to balance that. But our motto namin is "Love what you do, and do what you love." So we love our day jobs, but we are also doing what we love, which is theatre. So hopefully that motto will keep us together.

So you mentioned that you guys have day jobs. Is that how you support your passion for theatre? And how do you balance that?

Naba-balance ko ba? (laughs) It's very important that you also love your day job. It should not be just something that you do just for that sake of it. I’m a BPO process trainer, and I love teaching. It's the same as performing, but in a different way. You stand in front of people, and then play a certain character, which is the trainer, and then you read out your script which is the process that you're teaching them. Which is saulado mo na kasi ilang beses mo nang ginagawa. So madali na lang yung day job ko, kasi kumbaga mahal ko rin naman siya. I also enjoy doing it. And that's why siguro naba-balance ko rin, and also because very supportive yung mga katrabaho ko, especially my boss, he understands na dapat may balance between your work and your life. So yun, sobrang nakaktulong talaga yung ganun.

Other than your training from your college orgs, and with Sipat Lawin and TAP, from where else did you train for theater?

My most recent training, and one of the most challenging as well, was the Rehearsal and Performance Techniques training that we had with Sir Dennis Marasigan last summer for Tanghalang Pilipino. I think that was super challenging. It was 5 times a week. So very challenging, you know how Sir Dennis is naman. He has his own way of teaching you and testing you. Pero after that, after the show, ang dami mong bagong alam. And the good thing about Sir Dennis is that hindi lang siya sa pang workshop nagtuturo. Even kapag magkasama lang kayo, you’re hanging out, over dinner, he always has stories to tell, and you always learn something new from him. He's very generous when it comes to teaching you, and to share yung mga natututunan niya sa buhay niya. And ayun, he’s really a very good mentor, and I'm learning a lot from him. And I'm hoping to learn more from him pa talaga.

With what you’ve been doing lately, where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

So right now, aside from TAP, I'm also part of a production company, which is Black Table Productions. Yun naman, we produce different events for different types of artists. Poetry, like yung nga, TAP. We are the ones responsible for the production of Ampalaya Monologues. We have other events na hindi kasali yung TAP naman. So ang daming going on with me right now, which I'm very very happy about. But in the future I would like to build an empire (laughs). I would like to focus on that, on the production company, and hoping that TAP will be very stable na to a point wherein we don't need to do our day jobs anymore, and we can just rely on it. Or even if we have to do our day jobs, our priority will have to be TAP already. I think TAP will be my legacy here. Even if hindi man siya sumikat or what, but sa mga tao na mga nakasali sa TAP, sa bawat individual na nakatrabaho namin during productions and all, I hope that, yun yung purpose ko with TAP, for once in their life, may nagbigay sa kanila ng chance na mag-perform. Makita ko lang silang nabigyan ng chance na mag-perform because of TAP, OK na ako dun, masaya na ako.

What’s the best advice you had ever received?

Hindi siya advice, more on lesson. Si Cats [Racsag] ang nagsabi na galing kay Stanislavki, na you have to be a thinking actor. Kasi it changed how I looked at acting and tumaas yung respeto ko sa industriya nung na-realize ko yun totoong trabaho na ginagawa ng isang tunay na actor.

What’s the best advice you can give?

Even if kahit hindi mo sabihin, ipakita mo lang na sinusuportahan mo sila for what they’re doing, and what makes them happy, then sige. So kung meron man akong isang advice, never give up until you make it. And even if you don't, at least you didn’t give up.

*Photos courtesy of Mark Ghosn and Mars Mercado.

Ampalaya Monologues Returns for a Halloween Hugot.

Greenfields, Mandaluyong.  –  There are more things scarier than a ghost, like the fear of falling for someone who wouldn't love you back, the fear of being single for the rest of your life, or the fear of being cheated on; most people would rather see a ghost than witness their partner flirting with someone else. These are the fears that we encounter in our daily lives and Ampalaya Monologues is back to remind us about them.

After successfully debuting in Alabang last August, Ampalaya Monologues is back this October.  The event which features short monologues that are inspired by real love stories and popular memes was a huge hit with its "hugotable" quotes, hilarious punchlines and heartbreaking stories. Aside from all the original monologues which include the crowd favorites "There’s a Basha in All of Us" and "Hanash ng Soloista”, they've added a few new monologues that are especially written to complement the event’s Halloween vibe.

Ampalaya Monologues also serves as a venue to showcase different artists from the Southern Metro, headlining the event is the south based theatre group TAP! (Theater in Alternative Platforms), it will be hosted by Rene Cruz Jr. and also features Spoken Word Poetry courtesy of Juan Miguel Severo, Zuee Herrera, Louise Meets and Abby Orbeta of Words Anonymous, Rommel Pamaos of LAPIS ArtCom, and Jake Habitan of White Wall Poetry, with Live Arts by Tyang and Quatro of Cavity Collective, and musical performances by Chasing Deadlines and Suicidal Genius. The event will end with an open mic for anyone who would like to pour their haunted heart out on stage.

Ampalaya Monologues is written by Mark Ghosn and is produced by Black Table Productions. It will happen on October 25, 2015 at Splice Resto Bar, Greenfields, Mandaluyong. The show starts at 4:00 PM. Entrance is at Php 170 pesos only with 1 free drink.

For information, visit facebook.com/AmpalayaMonologues.

Dramatis Personal: Doray Dayao and Lhorvie Nuevo.

If there's one thing I've learned from experience and from other people, it's that sometimes, taking a big leap or just taking that chance will help you find your core gift that will lead you to success. I got to chat with a couple of ladies from the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company, Doray Dayao and Lhorvie Nuevo, during one of their breaks from a rehearsal.

How long have you been with the Actors Company?

Doray: Since 2012. Nag-attend ako ng summer workshop, basic acting workshop, tapos after nung summer, ininvite ako maging part ng AC.

Lhorvie: Ahead siya [Doray] sakin ng 1 year, so 2013.

Doray, you mentioned na nag-start ka sa basic acting workshop in TP, pero when did you really start acting?

Doray: Wala, wala akong background sa acting. Even sa high school, hindi ako sa arts.

So bakit pinili mo yung workshop?

Doray: Parang iba lang siya. 14 years na ako sa corporate world. Tapos nag-resign ako. Gusto ko kasi ng ibang ginagawa naman. Usually kasi nage-enroll ako sa mga personal development skills. Kung anu-ano, minsan photography, mga foreign language... Nung nagwo-work pa ako, kung anu-ano, mga dancing, mga ganun. May sports din ako. Pag wala kasing office yun eh. Nasanay ako na balanse dapat yung life mo, diba? Tapos naisip ko, anong gusto ko gawin after nito? Iba naman, try ko mag-act, kasi mahiyain ako, may stage fright ako. So gusto ko lang i-try. Tapos yun na, nag-enroll ako sa basic acting workshop.

Lhorvie: Ako naman, nung college talaga, nagsasayaw. Kasi dance theater yung group namin. Tapos nung mag-OJT na ako--kasi Mass Comm yung course ko--may kilala ako na nag-OJT siya dito [sa TP]. Sabi sakin, "Sige, mag-OJT ka dun." Tapos sabi ko, "Eh, gusto ko pumasok sa BP [Ballet Philippines]." Sabi niya, "Oo, pwede rin sa Tanghalang Pilipino, sumasayaw din sila. Contemp nga sinsasayaw nila, hindi ballet." Tapos may nag-invite sakin, eh nag-OJT ako. Nakapasa ako. Tapos nung pagdating ko dito, theater pala siya, so ayun lang, sobrang iba yung culture.

Doray: Nag-start talaga yung interest ko sa theater nung napanood ko yung Miss Saigon, kasi never akong nakapanood ng theater. Nung college, parang once lang. Tapos nung napanood ko yung Miss Saigon, manghang-mangha ako kasi ang galing. Alam nila kung anong gagawin, kung saan sila pupunta. Bakit alam nila ang gagawin, aarte-arte, ganun? Tapos yun, nagstart na. Ma-try ko nga. Tapos gusto ko nang makapag-perform sa totoong stage.

What made you decide to join AC?

Doray, Lhorvie: Try lang!

Doray: Tapos sabi may kontrata daw. Tapos nag-isip ako, may kontrata, so ibig sabihin hindi ako pwedeng umalis ng one year, pano kung maisipan kong mag-work ulit. Tapos tinry ko lang, tapos yun na, tuluy-tuloy na, hanggang ngayon, andiyan pa rin.

Lhorvie: May nag-invite sakin na, "O mag-audition ako, mag-audition ka rin." "Ay, diyan ako nago-OJT." Tapos nung audition na, akala ko kilala ko yung mga magpa-panel, hindi pala. Sila Sir Tuxqs, dun ko lang sila na-meet. Nagulat ako.

In your opinion, what does it take to be part of the Actors Company?

Doray: Malaking responsibilidad. Syempre scholar kami dito. As an AC, yun yung privilege namin dito. Meron kaming classes, so naho-hone yung skills namin sa singing, acting and pag-analyze namin ng mga plays, mga stories, dancing. And then syempre nakakasama ka sa mga productions na kasama mo rin yung mga magagaling na artists. So may natututunan ka rin from them.

Lhorvie: Bukod dun kasi sa acting, dancing at saka voice, ang dami rin naming ginagawa. Nagpa-puppetry kami (gestures to the Prinsipe Munti props scattered around). Tapos may mga advocacies pa kami na dinadala namin sa Pasay, sa Leyte... So ang daming responsibility. Kasi TP lang yata yung may mga classes, ganun.

Doray: Tsaka hindi lang acting. Backstage din. So nag-SM kami, nag-lights, technical.

Lhorvie: Tsaka hindi pwedeng masama ugali. (chuckles) Kailangan mabuting tao ka sabi ni Tatang.

What’s your core gift, or X-factor, that you believe is an asset as part of AC?

Doray: Siguro ako kasi yung isa sa mas matanda dito, siguro mas matured na siguro kami, and dumaan na kami sa mga edad nila. (laughs) Mas ahead nga, mas senior. Pero in terms of acting, syempre learning pa rin. Tuluy-tuloy pa rin.

Lhorvie: Kasi sa AC, iba-iba talaga yung kung saan kami nage-excel. May acting... Si Ate Doray, acting at saka stage management. Sa akin kasi, mas malakas talaga yung urge kong magsayaw. Nasa movement talaga. Nung unang-una pa, hirap na hirap ako. "Pano ko gagawin ito? Hindi naman ako actress. Kailangan sumasayaw ako." Tapos may nagsabi sakin na kung ano yung ginagawa mo sa dance, kung ano yung preparation mo, kung ano yung mas malakas sayo, gamitin mo yung strength na yun para ilipat siya sa acting.  So parang feeling mo isinasayaw mo yung mga linya. Sobrang laking tulong nung pinag-aralan ko sa dance tapos nadala ko siya sa theater. Magkaiba silang dalawa pero napagsasama mo.

How do you think your lifestyle changed since joining AC? Pano kayo nag-grow?

Doray: Iba yung schedule. Dati 8 to 5.

Lhorvie: Sobrang nabawasan talaga yung lifestyle, kasi yung before, nakakapagkita pa ako sa mga friends ko, nakakauwi pa ako sa bahay ko araw-araw, sa Dasma. Ngayon hindi na. Kasi from kunwari sisimulan namin ang isang araw ng alas diyes, matatapos kami ng alas diyes kasi yung 10am na yun, may meeting, tapos sa 1pm may klase kami, may rehearsal, tapos the next day iba nanaman yung gagawin. Sobrang busy.

Doray: Nag-iba lang yung oras. Tapos walang late. Social life nabawasan ng konti.

Do you think nag-grow kayo as a person habang nasa AC?

Lhorvie: Sobra. Kasi before, parang war freak kasi ako dati. (chuckles) Parang pag may kinainisan ako, talagang aawayin ko, pero ngayon, hindi, kailangan intindihin ko muna. Maging mabuting tao, sabi ni Tatang. Maging magandang halimbawa. Yun kasi yung laging sinasabi ni Tatang. Hindi ka lang actor, kailangan mabuti ka ring tao, so dapat pinapakita mo na ganito yung mabuting tao. Tapos pumupunta pa kami sa ibang lugar para tumulong sa mga [nasalanta ng] Yolanda, yung mga ganun. So sobrang overwhelming yung natatanggap namin, at the same time, natututo kami. Sobrang dami naming natututunan.

Doray: Sa amin dati kasi diba may boss ka, tapos may staff ka rin. Dito kasi, ano kaya ang pwede mong magawa?  Hindi lang to entertain, may cause din yung pag-aarte eh. So pwedeng political side, educational, or cultural... Kasi dati, syempre for profit, nagtatrabaho ka para kumita, and then syempre basic needs mo. Dito, hindi mo na naiisip yung kikitain mo eh, yung passion mo na lang na umarte. Tapos kung ano yung pwede mong lesson or inspiration na mabigay sa audience mo.

What’s your favorite production so far?

Doray: Ako, first time ko kasi mag-SM sa Mabining Mandirigma. So nakita ko yung side ng pagiging SM. And malaki kasi yun eh, musical pa. Ang daming nangyayari. So isa siguro yun.

Lhorvie: Feeling ko, Melanie. Kasi nga advocacy play, so hindi lang kami para mag-perform, para rin nagbibigay kami ng knowledge sa mga tao tungkol sa HIV, bakit at paano nahahawa. Kasi maraming misconceptions sa HIV. So hindi dahil sa bongga yung production, kundi yung laman niya. Yun yung maganda sa kanya, kasi maraming natututo.

What’s your most challenging role?

Doray: Sa Pahimakas sa Isang Ahente. Kasi hindi talaga ako sanay sa pagiging “woman”. Basta pokpok, nahihirapan talaga ako. (laughter) Basta yung mga sexy scenes.

Lhorvie: Ako sa Sandosenang Sapatos. Kasi yun yung first ko na musical production sa professional theater. Akala ko, aarte lang talaga ako. Yun pala kakanta rin! Wait lang po ha, hindi rin ako kumakanta (laughter). So feeling ako ang pinaka-problematic dun sa Sandosena. Kasi nga yung tono, dun ko lang na-meet si "tono." (laughs) Hindi ko siya kilala dati. Habang kumakanta kami, performance na, gumaganun sila (snaps and claps to a beat). So yun yung pinaka-challenging, kasi unang-una. Tapos feeling ko na-trauma ako sa musical. (laughs)

Doray: Tapos may rollerblades pa, may sayaw pa.

Lhorvie: At saka kung paano ka magiging playful. Tapos yung mga edad namin, na-realize ko lang din na yung mga sapatos, mga one-year-old... hanggang 12 years old lang yung mga sapatos. Eh kaming mga 22 na, paano kami babalik sa pagkabata?

In the theater industry, who do you look up to? Role models?

Lhorvie: Dito syempre, unang-una, si Miss Shamaine [Centenera-Buencamino]. Tsaka si Miss Irma [Adlawan]. Nung nakatrabaho kasi namin nung Juego, dun ko lang na-realize na ang galing niya, sobrang galing [ni Miss Shamaine]. Tapos dun ko lang na-realize na may idol pala ako pagdating sa acting. Kasi dati, wala talaga eh. Tapos pag kinausap mo sila tungkol sa character nila, alam na agad nila. Kunyari first reading pa lang, performance level na, pwede na siyang mag-show. Pano nila nagagawa ito? Tapos sasabihin nila, syempre with practice. Kasi it takes time. Tapos nakakatuwa lang, kasi dito sa TP, nagkakaroon nga kami ng chance na yung mga idol namin, nakakatrabaho namin, kahit hindi pa co-actor, maging SM ka nila, ganun. So sobrang maraming matututunan. Hindi lang galing sa teachers kundi sa hands-on training namin pag nakakasama namin sila. Ang daming ideas. Lalo na si Miss Irma rin.

Doray: Nakikita mo na lang yung galing nila pag nakatrabaho mo na. Pati si Tito Dido [dela Paz], reading pa lang, my gosh, may ganun na. Kasi pag nakita mo, ang galing pala nito. Hindi naman ako yung tao na kailangan panoorin ko ito. Sakin kasi lahat naman ng tao, may sariling galing. Kahit ikaw naman, kung anong tingin mo sa sarili mo, kung gusto mo maging ganito, nasa iyo naman yun eh. So feeling ko lahat naman magaling.

After your accomplishments in AC so far, where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Doray, Lhorvie: Umaarte pa rin! (laughter)

Doray: Mas busy na, siguro mas marami nang project nun.  Marami nang involvement.

Lhorvie: Feeling ko dito pa rin. Mas marami na nga lang responsibility kasi syempre hindi kami mag-stay lang na scholar lang forever. Pagdating mo ng member, parang hindi na lang yung sarili mo yung cargo mo. Syempre kailangan mong tumulong dun sa mga lower batch. Kasi marami pa kaming gagawin eh. Feeling ko marami pang gagawin ang TP.

Doray: Tapos once in a while, nagtuturo rin kami. At kami rin, continuous pa rin naman yung ginagawa namin.

Lhorvie: Kasi para sakin, hindi nakakasawa yung mag-stay dito sa TP, kasi sobrang iba-iba yung ginagawa mo palagi. Ayun nga, nag-SM kami... ang dami-dami naming nakikilalang tao, nagtuturo kami sa iba’t ibang lugar.

Doray: Tapos later, magwo-workshop din kami.

Lhorvie: Kami naman yung participants.

What’s the best advice that you ever received?

Doray: Improve yourself. And compete with yourself.

Lhorvie: Kailangan daw, pag actor, hindi self-centered. Hindi ka para dito kung para lang sa sarili mo yung ginagawa mo.

What’s the best advice you can give?

Lhorvie: Listen. Lagi ka lang makikinig. Dapat disiplinado. Kasi hindi ka magtatagal sa theater kung wala kang disiplina.

Catch these ladies in Tanghalang Pilipino's Mga Buhay Na Apoy, still running at the CCP Little Theater for 2 more weekends (Oct 16-18, 23-25). For tickets and information, call Tanghalang Pilipino at 09178763678 / 09273629081.