‘Gapok’: Voice of the urban poor amplified in play

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‘Gapok’: Voice of the urban poor amplified in play
Gapok, which can mean brittle or weak, is used as a metaphor to describe how the urban poor are treated by the government and the private sector

This is an announcement 

MANILA, Philippines – Three months before the May elections, the community theatre group Tanghalang Mulong Sandoval offers a short play entitled Gapokwhich tackles urban poor families’ everyday woes and struggles.

It zooms into issues that urban poor families face everyday – lack of livelihood opportunities, inaccessibility of basic social services, and the like.

To be staged in different urban poor communities starting February 12Gapok is about an urban poor family confronting their conflicts one morning as the community faces demolition.

Often used by politicians as a backdrop of their campaign advertisements, the urban poor may well find their voice in the play, according to playwright Terence Krishna Lopez.

“It aims to represent the urban poor and present their issues through the story of an ordinary family doing all their best – albeit in different ways, to survive,” Lopez noted.

Eyesores and shanties

Gapok, which can mean brittle or weak, is used as a metaphor to describe how the urban poor are treated by the government and the private sector.

After elections, the urban poor become eyesores that must be swept away from the margins where they live, to relocation sites that are far away from their sources of livelihood and basic social services.

On the other hand, their shanties become the literal translation gapok.

The play is conceptualized as an on-site performance to be staged in urban poor communities in Quezon City, Caloocan City, and Rodriguez, Rizal.

On February 12, it will be staged on a floor of a demolished house in Kaagapay, Sitio San Roque, Agham Road, Quezon City while on the 13th, it will be in a small market in the same area.

It will be held in an open volleyball court in Barangay 178, Caloocan City, on February 19, and in a covered court in Barangay 177, Caloocan City, on February 20.

On February 26, it will be staged in a community in Payatas, Quezon City, and on February 27, in Kasiyahan Street, Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City.

Synopsis 

Gapok happens one morning against the backdrop of a government’s eviction and violent demolition of an urban poor community. 

Lourdes and her two sons Joseph and Jessie get into a heated argument over a choice that will affect their family and community. As the confrontation inside the shanty escalates, cops and demolition teams arrive.

The family has to face the ongoing eviction even as the community prepares to set up a barricade, determined to stand their ground. Chaos ensues outside as the demolition team starts to shoot. 

A bomb is about to explode. A tragedy is feared to happen as the standoff inside the shanty intensifies.

The play is directed by Edwin Quinsayas and is being co-presented by Sining Kadamay and Art Action Network, the same groups that staged the successful Nanay Mameng, isang dula in 2015. – Rappler.com

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