Rappler Talk: Theater artist Jenny Jamora on drama and storytelling in a pandemic

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino theater artists are in a tough spot as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to keep theaters shut for the foreseeable future.

In the Philippines, the outbreak has obliterated what would have been a robust line-up of theater shows and other live performances for the rest of the year. This means millions of pesos in lost revenue for theater companies, and jobs lost for cultural workers and freelancers who have no regular salaries to rely on.

And yet Filipino performers have generously shared their talents, filling our social media timelines with songs and script readings that have raised millions of pesos for the pandemic’s frontliners. How are they seeing themselves through this time?

The pandemic is expected to last until well into 2021. With the need to stay at home as much as possible, and to practice physical distancing when in public, people won’t be lining up to sit side by side in a theater to watch a show anytime soon – or will they?

Theater producer, director, and actor Jenny Jamora talks to Rappler’s JC Gotinga about the ways artists and production workers are coping with the job loss, and how she imagines theater will emerge from the pandemic.

It’s not a question of “if” but of “how” the art form will survive, and perhaps even thrive, in a post-pandemic world. – Rappler.com