How did you grow your knowledge in the field of theatre? 

I actually never went to college. My educational attainment as far as theatre is concerned is all self-study. When I started at 17, I was already out of high school with no plans of going to college; I wanted to try out this theatre thing, but it was only around when I was 23 that I said to myself, "If I want this to be my actual job, I need to brush up on the things a theatre arts graduate might have already achieved or have learnt, and I have to catch up".

So I inundated myself with the literature and everything around it. And even up to now, I'm 32, I've been doing this for more than 15 years, and I don't stop learning. I constantly watch pro-shot stuff of things abroad, so I can get an idea of what staging looks like, and I continue reading literature: the books around the craftsmanship of theatre. 

You're an actor and also a director. Between the two, which do you enjoy the most? 

I love the theatre period. So, in any way, shape or form that I can serve as the theatre, I will. [But] I personally feel I am more of a director than I am an actor. I don't have that sense of improvisation that some actors do really well. Actors can also get lost in the scene and lost in a moment. I'm not one of those people. I am very much aware that I am acting, and I don't get lost in a moment. I'm very much aware of the tempo of the pace of the audience.

So I think my brain was always wired to be a director, and I just kind of took the plunge and decided to try it out. We have so many actors in this country, and not enough people create opportunities for those actors. And I would rather help someone younger than me get to where they want to go rather than me being the one to do it.

I'm also a control freak. So it kind of goes part and parcel with being a director. I need to be in control of the environment. When you're an actor, you have to follow the herd. You know, the shepherd would lead you where you go. And not that I don't enjoy being herded that once in a while, but I am more comfortable when I'm the herder.

See also: National Artist Agnes Locsin: "You Have to Know Your Culture"

What is your creative process as a director? 

It always starts with the first read, the first listen to any musical or play. And it's all first impressions. So I try to treat myself like an audience member when I read the material for the first time. I'll think about it and ask myself, "What is this play about? Where were the parts where I got bored, and where were the parts that I felt very excited about? Where were the parts that I didn't understand?" So all of that is just kind of honest, general opinions at the beginning. And then from there, I work with people to create the structure, tempo, pace, and objectives.

How do you guide your actors through your vision? 

You have to make the thesis statement clear to everyone: [those in] design, lights, etc. Everybody needs to be aware of it because sometimes when it's not clear, people have a different opinion of the show—which is not wrong. It's just that we all need to be cohesive if we're trying to put together this thing and share that thing with the audience. And then with actors, you go through the rehearsal process and remind them what the thesis is, and you keep on nudging them, moulding them, shaping them towards that thesis.

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In your own words, what makes Philippine art and culture important in our society?

Imagination. Unfortunately, because of economic circumstances, the imaginations of less fortunate Filipinos are limited. And that's why I feel art is important because art liberates; it gives us the capacity [to dream bigger]. I hate the idea that people will say that art is for the upper echelons. While that is true, I also feel that if we had more theatres in public schools and public colleges, it will empower people of a certain social class to imagine a better life.

I mean, I don't want to be so bold as to say it might fix all of our problems—it won't. But at least it gives people the ability to dream bigger.

What makes the local arts scene exciting? 

I guess that presupposes that I'm excited about it. (laughs)

I'm going to say I'm very moderate on the [post-pandemic comeback] of the local arts scene. I just don't want us to repeat the same mistakes we made pre-pandemic. Even before, we weren't developing audiences. We're not taking people and turning them into regular theatre goers. We're turning them into a one-off occasion. 

We've just been focusing on ticket revenue, which is not wrong. I'm just saying it just kills the longevity of what we do. And even myself, I challenge myself to say, "Okay, how do I develop an audience?", because honestly, we don't have a [large and stable] Philippine theatre audience. We don't. So what I'm more excited about is trying to develop a loyal audience for actors who are finally coming back to work. 

Read more: Anton Juan Shares Stories Behind the Award-Winning Play 'Bayan-Bayanan: Letters From Home'

So what do you think needs to be done to add to that longevity? How do we develop our audiences? 

We kind of shoot ourselves in the foot here because we always market the artists. We don't market the show and that's what I think we should be more focused on: marketing the show, marketing the message because that's what people are going to return to.

If we market the artists, especially the one-off artists that will do a show once a year—that's not developing your audience. I don't disagree that we should have people with names because they could tap on a whole market that can come in. But I think theatre practitioners, the production and the marketing, just focus solely on that but also develop a relationship with the people coming into your theatres. 

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