ONCE A PANAHON: A trilogy of 1 act plays by Juliene Mendoza

ONCE A PANAHON is a trilogy of 1 act plays written by Juliene Mendoza. These 30 minute plays are products of writing workshops conducted by award winning playwright George de Jesus from 2012 to 2017. One of the plays, Collector’s Item even made it to The Virgin Labfest. These stories are pure fiction, slightly odd and surreal: Clowning Around is a quirky love story about a Clown and an emotionally unstable girl. Collector’s Item is about best friends, a bully and a nerd, fighting over a college crush. The third story is loosely adapted from The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, and tells the story of the Gardener of an Enchanted Garden, and his dilemma of choosing life or death in the twilight of his years. 

This is the first project of Juliene Mendoza as producer teaming up with his partners at the 9th Studios Creative Hub, one of the newest venues for creative projects. The 9th Studios provides a space for dance, fitness, art and music events as well as workshops, seminars and lectures. With ONCE A PANAHON, the 9th Studios rounds off its image as a theater performance venue as well.

This show is made more exciting with the participation of some of Philippine Theater’s most promising talents. Jon Abella, Matel Patayon, Vincent Pajara, Iggi Siasoco and Abe Autea. Along with Juliene Mendoza, they are also part of the musical DEKADA ‘70 from Blackbox Productions. Lissa del Valle and Jun Ofracio are music and theater performers and partners at the 9th Studios who have impressive performance resumes including local and internationally acclaimed productions. Lissa as member of the band Midlife Crisis, and Jun Ofracio as cast of Miss Saigon for several years.

These stories are brought to life by directors, John Mark Yap, who directed LARO from Artist Playground in 2019, and Fitz Bitaña, co-director of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Lam-ang. Lending his production design talents is music producer, composer and The 9th Studio partner Roy Del Valle of Roar Audio Productions. Original band member Koko Marbella of Labuyo, provides the production’s music score. 

ONCE A PANAHON is a production of the 9th Studios Creative Hub, sponsored by Roar Audio Productions, Hues n Cues and Jay Marketing. The show will run on March 21, 22, 28 & 29 at 8:00pm at the 9th Studios Creative Hub, 9th floor, Dominion Building, Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City. Ticket price is only P500 each. For tickets, please call: 02-7299685 / 09177160278 or 09228966869. or message us at our FB page The 9th Studios Creative Hub. 

ONCE A PANAHON

THE DIRECTORS

JOHN MARK YAP for Collector’s Item

John Mark is a freelance theater artist. He recently directed the revival of Floy Quintos’ ‘LARO,’ an adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s ‘La Ronde,’ under Artist Playground. He also directed ‘READING LAMOUCHE’ and ‘SI NELSON, ANG NANAY, ANG PANCIT CANTON,’ both for the Short and Sweet Theatre Festival.

For the past 11 years, he has also served as a stage manager for various productions under Tanghalang Ateneo, Dulaang UP, the Egg Theater Company, Manila Shakespeare Company, Repertory Philippines, Red Turnip Theater, Tanghalang Pilipino and Writers Bloc’s The Virgin Labfest, Black Box Productions, and a lot more.

Aside from being a director and stage manager, he also serves as the production manager and one of the three producers of One Night Stand, a monthly cabaret which happens every first Tuesday of the month at 12 Monkeys Music Hall & Pub in Ortigas.

FITZ EDWARD TORRES BITAÑA for Clowning Around

Fitz is a BA Theater Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Major in Directing for stage under Prof. Dexter M. Santos and Prof.  Jose Estrella. He started directing for festivals such Short and Sweet Manila and Imaginarium, (festival of the absurd under Toff De Venecia.) He has directed multiple productions and his past stage plays are “We Choose to Go to the Moon”, a devised play about John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech” written by Vlademeir Gonzales;  “Cymbeline R-13”, a deconstruction of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline adaptation in filipino by George De Jesus.  Deathwatch by Jean Genet, adaptation in Filipino by Pat Valera (Matyag); Who is Sylvia by Edward Albee, adaptation Filipino by Eljay Castro Deldoc.  Lam-Ang:An Ilocano Epic is his first musical work, staged in UP Diliman in 2016 and in Tanghalang Pilipino in 2019. He is presently the Artistic Director of Project Mayheim Productions,  a theatre company formed in 2014

JULIENE MENDOZA for Ang Sundo

Juliene is a theater actor, singer, voice over talent for ads and live events, and partner at the 9th Studios Creative Hub. His last performance was in Blackbox Productions’ DEKADA 70 as Julian Bartolome. He is also a playwright and in 2020 his play MULTIVERSE will be featured in Virgin Labfest 16 at the CCP.  

ONCE A PANAHON

THE ACTORS

CLOWNING AROUND

JON ABELLA

Jon Abella is a professional musical theater actor. He took up Theater Arts at the University of the Philippines. He recently won at the 11th Gawad Buhay Awards as Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role Donny in Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! His recent theater credits include: Himala: Isang Musikal, Ang Huling Elbimbo, A Christmas Carol, and DIsney’s Newsies all under 9 Works Theatrical and Globe Live, Dekada ’70 and Mula sa Buwan both under Black Box Productions, PETA’s William, Laro and I Remember A Boy both  under Artist Playground, and Music Artes’ The Medium by Menotti.

MATEL PATAYON

Matel Patayon graduated from University of the Philippines Los Banos with a degree in BA Communication Arts major in Theater in 2016. Her most recent theater credits include: Sandbox Collective and 9 Works’ Theatrical's Himala: Isang Musikal (which won Outsanding Ensemble in a Musical and 7 other awards at the 11th Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards), Rak of Aegis 6.0/Season 7 and A Game of Trolls both under PETA, Spotlight Artists Centre's Dirty Old Musical, and Black Box Productions' Dekada 70. In between plays, she works as an events host and voice over artist. Matel is at her best and happiest living the dream of performing in the Philippine theater scene hoping to inspire young people appreciate and enjoy theater.

COLLECTOR’S ITEM

VINCENT PAJARA

Vincent Kevin K. Pajara is a graduate of the BA Theater Arts degree program under the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts in UP Diliman. He's been in the theater since 2007, exposed both in musicals and straight plays. In 2010-2013, he became a dance scholar of CCP Dance School. His recent productions include: MACHINAL, LARO, WANTED: MALE BOARDERS, ROMEO AND JULIET, DEKADA '70

IGGI SIASOCO

Iggi is currently enjoying life as a student of business, writer of songs, and a performer of art.
When he can, he acts in different theatre and film productions among other things. 
He started his theatre journey in the Ateneo de Manila High School's Dulaang Sibol under Onofre Pagsanghan - performing in plays such as Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio, Banda sa Dulo, Hervacio Tubulan, and Sa Kaharian ng Araw. Since then, he has continued to pour himself out in several other meaningful productions.
His previous theatre appearances include Dulaang Sibol's Sinta, UP Repertory Company's Mas Mabigat ang Liwanag sa Kalungkutan, Virgin Lab Fest's Multiverse, C.A.S.T.'s How We Got On, and Black Box Productions' Mula Sa Buwan.

ANG SUNDO

ANNA LISSA T. DEL VALLE 

Lissa del Valle is a professional singer, music producer and  arranger for commercial jingles. She is also a professional back-up session singer for top Filipino and foreign artists like Lani Misalucha, Regene Velasquez, David Pomeranz, Orianthi (of Michael Jackson fame), and many others. Lissa is also an accomplished composer and lyricist, and two-time Awit Awardee for the Christmas song “Hele ni Inay”. She is part owner of Roar Audio Productions, Inc., an audio production house and The 9th Studios Creative Hub. Having her roots in theatre, being part of the Harlequin Theatre Guild of DLSU and the Gantimpala Theatre Foundation where she played several roles like Prinsesa Flerida in Florante at Laura, Prinsesa Esmeralda in Ibong Adarna, Pallas Athena in Grethology to name a few, she now comes back into her passion for theater and got excited when asked to play a role in Juliene Mendoza’s Original Trilogy, Once a Panahon.

JUN OFRACIO

Jun Ofrasio started his theater career with Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP...then ventured into other theater companies like Repertory Phil., Trumpets , Atlantis to name a few..doing mostly original musicals in english and filipino...( originating a role is incomparable)
Starting with Ryan Cayabyab's Obra of Rizal's trilogy which includes El Fili, Noli and Ilustrado...all the way to the Chronicles of Narnia written by  CS Lewis and made into a brilliant musical by Trumpets theater company... Broadway musicals were also part of his journey in theater...hence the experience of doing Miss Saigon in London westend and other parts of Europe.

ABE AUTEA

Abe is a proud alumnus of the Ateneo de Manila grade school and high school. He currently is a BS Business Administration undergraduate student of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Abe has previously been a part of Dekada '70 ni Lualhati Bautista (Blackbox Productions), playing the part of Bingo Bartolome, and he was also a part of the 2019 run of Nana Rosa (UP Playwrights' Theater). He is currently active in the local music scene, carrying the name Abraham.
THE CREATIVE TEAM

PRODUCTION DESIGN: ROY DEL VALLE 
MUSIC: KOKO MARBELLA
STAGE MANAGER: LORAINE MACATANGAY





THE 9TH STUDIOS CREATIVE HUB

The 9th Studios Creative Hub opened in January 2019 and is fast becoming a favorite place for various activities, from fitness and yoga to dance and theater rehearsals to art events. It is located on the 9th floor of the Dominion Building on Arnaiz Avenue, Makati. The Creative Hub is composed of 2 rooms, a dance studio and a multipurpose hall. Both are ideal spaces for artistic expression as well as corporate activities like seminars, meetings and lectures. 

Since its opening, the 9th Studios has been actively promoting its regular Fitness Sessions for beginners and enthusiasts alike. The sessions include Dance Fitness, Pop Jazz, Hip Hop and Yoga.

Aside form the fitness activities, the 9th Studios was also the venue for showcasing artistic expression such as painting demonstration of Brazilian Watercolorist Eudes Correia (#eudescorreia). The dimensions of the Creative hub are ideal to host such events. 

The 9th Studios Creative Hub resides in the heart of Makati (across Greenbelt 1) the perfect location for holding rehearsals and classes for dance, theater and music. It is commuter friendly: near the P2P buses north and southbound, 15-minute walk to the Ayala Mrt Station, 1 jeepney ride from Libertad LRT. 

Our growing family of Client/Partners include: Atlantis Theatrical, Japan’s Gumbo Theater and Align and Refine Yoga.

As the name suggests, The 9th Studios Creative Hub is opening its doors to collaborations with other groups for events such as lectures, seminars, private parties, rehearsals, and other artisitic activities limited only by the clients’ imagination. 

For inquiries and reservations please contact the 9th Studios Creative Hub at (0917) 716 0278 or (02) 729 9685 or email us at the9thstudios@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/The9thStudios/ and Instagram @the9thstudioscreativehub 



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