The Jungle Gym team spent the last few weeks seeking out conversations, questions, and efforts from various performing arts practitioners, in order to build workshops on the themes of laro, lingap, and laya.
What can we look forward to now, on our journey to reexamine performance-making norms in the Philippines? Here are some of our thoughts and responses to our recently wrapped Community Questions campaign, along with wishes for Jungle Gym’s upcoming workshop festival, “Laro, Lingap, Laya: Workshops to Rewild the Theatre.”
The Jungle Gym core team(L-R): Andy Reysio-Cruz, Tara Jamora Oppen, Sabrina Basilio (holding a photo of Cholo Ledesma), Maia Dapul, and Kirby Vicente
Photo by the Areté Sandbox Residency Program
“I believe that the diversity of perspectives encapsulated by the survey answers emphasize that there’s no shortcut to achieving a freer, more caring, and more just performing arts community—and that even what this ideal community should look like is something that must continuously be fleshed out together.
But as intimidating as it may be to have to acknowledge that the path forward is still very much under construction,
I find real hope in the power of our collective dreaming,
and I’m all the more excited to get to learn and share further during the LLL Workshop Festival.”
Andy Reysio-Cruz
Lead Proponent
“Kahit kinakapa pa ng performing arts community ang magiging papel ng trauma-informed practices, sustainability, feminism, at experimentation — malinaw ito: panahon na para sa kolektibong pagtingin at pagkilos.
Meron nang sumisibol na mga bagong tanong at tangka, at meron din tayong mayamang kasaysayan ng kolektibong paglikha salamat sa ating mga ninuno.
Lahat ay kailangan sa hamon ng panibagong kultura ng pagtanghal.
Nasasabik na akong harayain at ganapin ang tugon natin sa LLL Workshop Festival.”
Sabrina Basilio
Head Curator, Workshop Designer/Facilitator
“Though many of us are still trying to find ways to navigate the changes that we are confronted with today, there already exists a multitude of strengths, ideas, and efforts in the movement towards social justice in arts communities.
It’s time to emphasize these existing alternative perspectives.
We are inviting collaborators to journey with us towards real joy, care, and bravery — and find that our collective power lies with one other.”
Cholo Ledesma
Festival Manager, Workshop Designer/Facilitator
Photo by the Areté Sandbox Residency Program
“There’s more hope to be had in the performing arts industry than we will ever comprehend.
And that makes me so excited for the emergence of young Filipino artists in today’s post-lockdown landscape.
I’m just thrilled to be here y’all. And I can’t wait to meet and connect with new collaborators at the LLL Workshop Festival.”
Maia Dapul
Festival Manager, Workshop Designer/Facilitator
“To perceive that industry leaders and young up-and-coming artists share and articulate the same noisy musings about the performance industry with us is empowering.
Finally! We’re slowly shifting our attitude in art-making by embracing play, care, mindfulness, community, social justice, and the overall power of the collective.
Kaya excited na kaming ibahagi sa ang aming Workshop Festival ang mga makukulit at masasayang posibilidad sa paglikha!”
Kirby Vicente
Head Toolkit Writer, Workshop Designer/Facilitator
“Seeing all the answers [from past Community Questions campaigns] made me realize how eager and ready we are to have these necessary conversations. It was interesting to see the plethora of perspectives people had on each of the topics and how urgent it now is for us all to engage in discussions on topics like care, community, ecology etc.
I am excited to continue this conversation during the LLL Workshop Festival, where we can take the necessary steps to move towards a new and evolved performance industry.”
Tara Jamora Oppen
Social Media Marketing Head, Workshop Designer/Facilitator
Photo by the Areté Sandbox Residency Program
Keep an eye out for our upcoming workshop festival, and other incoming Jungle Gym projects! If you have additional wisdom nuggets, stories, or burning wishes about our local performing arts culture, we welcome them on our socials or anywhere you’d like to leave them:
