17. Blaire John
Instagram: @bjlparojinog001
*How would you describe your writing or what do you write most about?: All the pieces that I performed as one of their actors were written by our director/writer/founder/mentor (all-in-one, jack of all trades) Mark Ghosn […]For me, I would best describe his pieces as very emotional yet realistic and inspiring […] It makes people like me realize how bad our decisions were before and would make us learn from it already moving forward.
What inspires or informs your writing?: I think [Mark’s] writing is inspired by the daily heartbreak that every human being in this world is experiencing. These are the things that we, as humans, are normally shy to discuss with other people because were scared that we might be judged or we might embarrass ourselves in front of other people.
What do you hope to achieve through this art form?: I hope to reach a wider audience and make people realize that it’s okay to discuss things we think as small or things we think do not even matter at all on a daily basis. But these are the things that normally cause us frustrations, heartaches, mental health issues especially when ignored. No one is really perfect to have a great life. Sometimes, what we need in order to move along and be okay is just talk about it. Talk about the things we really want to talk about. We need one another. No one can live alone. No man is an island.
16. Louise Meets
Twitter & Instagram: @louisemeets
How would you describe your writing or what do you write most about?: I guess “confessional” is how I would describe my writing. I like rattling the skeletons in my closet. I know confessional writing is often considered self-indulgent, but I find it cathartic and intimate, an exorcism of sorts. Home, mental illness, sexuality, and womanhood are some themes that usually appear in my writing.
What inspires or informs your writing?: My writing is largely informed by my own memories and experiences.
What do you hope to achieve through this art form?: I began writing because I wanted to A) name the bad and take away its power and B) celebrate and immortalize the good. I never thought other people would enjoy/relate to my writing. But since I started performing, a lot of people have come up to me saying they saw themselves in my poems. That my words became a source of hope for them. And I guess that’s what I hope to achieve: to make other people feel less alone, even if I don’t have any answers.
15. Raymart Avellaneda
https://www.facebook.com/AvellanedaRaymart/
How would you describe your writing or what do you write most about?: Noong nagkaroon ako ng lakas ng loob na magpaskil ng aking mga katha sa social media, karaniwan kung naging paksa ay tungkol sa pang-aabuso (gahasa kadalasan). Tinawag na ‘dark’ ng ilang mambabasa ang aking genre sapagkat madalas ito’y madugo at may namamatay sa dulo ng kwento. Ito ang munti kong paraan ng pagsimpatya sa mga madidilim at karumaldumal na danas nilang mga naiwan sa dilim. Mga pangyayaring iniiwasang pag-usapan ngunit naganap, nagaganap, at magaganap pang tiyak. Ngunit nang magsimula ako sa entablado ng pagtatanghal, mas namulat at napag-aralan ko pa ang iba’t ibang disiplina sa maraming mukha ng sining. Ngayon, itinuturing ko ang sarili bilang manunulat na kagaya ng tubig; walang sariling hulma at sumusunod lamang sa hugis ng sisidlang paglalagyan— ngunit hindi nababawasan ang pagiging tubig; hindi nawawala ang bitbit na mensahe sa bawat kwento.
What inspires or informs your writing?: Nagsimula akong magsulat sa pagkakatanda ko ay noong nasa ikalawang baitang ako ng elementarya (7yrs.old). Wala akong pambili ng mga laruan kaya ‘ini-imagine’ ko na lang ang mga senaryo at isinusulat ko. Mas naaliw ako dahil pakiramdam ko kontrolado ko ang lahat ng puwedeng mangyari. Ako ang pumipili kung sino ang taya, sino bida, sino kalaban, sino burot— ako ang ‘boss’ kumbaga. Sa paraan naman ng pagsulat, dalawang libro na mayroon ako ang pinanggalingan ng istilo ko: mga textbook na pinahihiram nang libre noon sa mga pampublikong paaralan at ilang pocketbooks na palihim kung binabasa noon (nagtatago ako sa nanay ko dahil bawal daw sa bata iyun). Hanggang ngayon ay dala ko pa rin ang mga impluwensyang iyan sa panulat ko.
What do you hope to achieve through this art form?: Bago pa man ako tumuntong sa entablado ng pagsulat, inisip ko nang mabuti ito. ‘Full-time’ ika nga sa wikang Ingles ang pagiging manunulat ko. Ibinigay ko na sa sining ang buhay ko kaya magtagumpay, may marating man o wala ay tanggap ko na. Ang mahalaga ay pinili ko ang nag-iisang bagay na nagpapasaya at iniibig ko. Pero kung tatanungin ako kung anong pangarap ko bilang manunulat, libre naman mangarap kaya tataasan ko na: a) gusto kong manalo ng Palanca Awards, Makabuo ng libro, makapagsulat para sa pelikula. B) Gusto kong marating ng mga sulatin ko ang iba pang mapangaraping kaluluwa, mabasa’t pag-aralan nila ako hanggang makagawa sila nang sarili nilang obra, gusto kong mapagyabong ang pagkukwwento sa wikang Filipino. Gusto kong sa modernong panahon ay makalilok kami ng sariling larawan kung paano naging salamin ng lipunan ang mga likha ng aking henerasyon. Gusto kong maging immortal ang Pilipinong Sining.
14. Justinne Punsalang
Twitter & Instagram: @thisjustinne
*How would you describe your art form?: My forte, I should say, is performing angry characters. I think it is because it is easy for me to tap on my anger and that when I am angry, I have less hesitations. But recently, [I have been given] what I would call ‘soft’ characters or characters that are calm and have inward emotional struggles. Those characters are helping me develop as an actor because they are challenging me to tap on other emotions, to put myself in the shoes of a person I cannot relate with in reality, and to explore my acting prowess.
What inspires or informs your art form?: I perform because I love to perform. I find it enjoyable to explore a character, learn her experiences, share her emotions through the pages of the script given to me. It is liberating for me to temporarily leave my own body and give way for the character to enter me and give her five to 10 minutes of life and give her a voice. I cannot explain it in words but I will do my best — I enjoy the rush of adrenaline before coming on stage, nervousness during the first minute of performance, the nakedness of bearing my raw and vulnerable self in front of people I know, and the calm after the storm or the satisfaction that I did my best to give justice to the character. I learn from these characters and their experiences serve as lessons for me.
What do you hope to achieve through this art form?: On a personal level, I hope to achieve personal growth through performing. I am not a social person, so I have a hard time conversing with other people. But with exploring the characters I am given, I get to understand other people, get a glimpse of other people’s experiences. I learn empathy through performing. But on a bigger and more social scope, I hope that as an artist, as a member of Ampalaya Monologues, we get to help people out. I hope that our performances will encourage battered women to step up and fight for their rights. I hope that our monologues will raise awareness and support to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I hope that we can help people experiencing heartbreak to move on. I hope that as much lesson as we as performers gain, our audiences will also learn from our characters.
13. M Manese
Twitter & Instagram: @michellemmanese
How would you describe your writing or what do you write most about?: I don’t think I write very well, to be quite honest. I do, however, think that I understand emotions decently. If anything, what I lose in form, I retain with rawness. So I tell stories that are close to me, stories I understand a little better. I write a lot about my family, crazy as we are. My relationship with my mother, my being a woman. I write a lot about love, my selfishness with it, the acceptance of this. All sorts of things.
What inspires or informs your writing?: Music is my top inspiration. I consume a lot of it. I also love to read.
What do you hope to achieve through this art form?: I think it never changed since I first took the stage. I wanted to tell a story. It doesn’t necessarily have to be my story, but I wanted to tell a story. A good one? Perhaps, but not every story is. Nor does it have to be. A moving one, most definitely. Something uncomfortable. Something that makes us think. No, not just think, feel.
