In Conversation With Christopher Mohnani, Director of Samsung Performing Arts Theater

After being one of the consultants of Maybank Performing Arts Theater, Mohnani was invited by Sofia Zobel-Elizalde and Manny Blas, ALI’s vice president for estates strategic business unit and responsible for the growth of the arts and culture community in Bonifacio Global City, to supervise Samsung Performing Arts Theater. Mohnani found kindred spirits in Zobel-Elizalde and Blas, sharing the same love and affinity for the arts and the mission to celebrate Filipino talent.

Designed by the US-based Theater Projects Consultants and experts on sound design Akustiks, in partnership with GF & Partners Architects and Callison RTKL, the new state-of-the-art theatre is a 1,500-seater performance facility built to provide a home for Filipino, international and global talent. The future-forward yet proudly Filipino interior design, as seen in the lobbies and inside the theatre, was made by esteemed designers Cynthia and Ivy Almario, and Anton Arcellana. The mahogany panels, the earth-toned walls and tiles, muted grey seats, and blue carpet pop as colours inside the theatre to accentuate each performance’s colourful lights and set design.

The new theatre was meticulously engineered to wow audiences of all ages. To ensure the safety of performers, there are Harlequin© sprung floors—a type of flooring that reduces the risk of dancers getting injured through impact, slipping or falling. Moreover, this theatre has spacious dressing rooms and a rehearsal hall with dimensions as big as the actual performance stage.

Upon entering the ground floor of the theatre, guests can take the scenic route through the long escalators to the fifth floor, where the ticket outlet is stationed. The high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows exude a feeling of grandness. Each level—from the orchestra to the balcony floors—has areas for concessionaires and restrooms to accommodate all guests. After the show, guests can drop by the gift shop on the third floor for exclusive merchandise.

Aside from its spacious theatre atrium, it also houses the Jaime Zobel de Ayala Sr Hall, perfect for smaller events and cocktail parties, and the Cua Patrons’ Lounge on the seventh floor for intimate gatherings and press conferences. The former is named after the Ayala Corporation’s chairman emeritus, who is also an artist and a photographer, making this hall apt to showcase some of his works. Meanwhile, the latter is dedicated to PRCI’s chairman emeritus, Santiago Cua, as a reminder of the family’s support and contribution to the development of Circuit Makati and its heritage.

Before entering the orchestra section, one would be welcomed at the Jaime Zobel de Ayala Sr Hall by the sprawling mural artwork of Ayala Corporation’s chairman emeritus out of his photos captured from 2016 to 2020. It serves as a snapshot of a particular stage in the evolution of his craft as a photographer. With bold, striking colours, the work reveals his perception of colour as a language in itself. Although he has exhibited black and whites in the past, he considers colour as a primary decision when approaching a particular idea or subject, which he shares, approaches him first mentally and emotionally. “Art for me is a journey into understanding how we see and feel things as human beings,” Zobel de Ayala tells Tatler. “It’s not a simple or easy journey, especially since the human experience is complex and ever-changing,” he continues.

Since its inception, Circuit Makati was envisioned as the centre of the arts and culture scene in the city. Its open-air concert grounds, black box theatre, music hall venue, the newly opened theatre and the upcoming museum for contemporary art will complete the master plan.

The two-year live performance hiatus posits a challenge for Mohnani as the theatre’s managing director. Primarily, they focus on exposing as many people as possible to the arts. “It is inherent in all of us to socialise and commune, and that brings everybody to the theatre. The shared experience of sitting with somebody you don’t know but equally celebrating what you see onstage, I think that’s what drives us to entice theatregoers once again,” Mohnani says. “Ultimately, we want Makati to be known not only as a financial district and a transitionary space but also with arts and culture as its brand identifier,” he continues.

Samsung Performing Arts Theater aims to be a worthy home for world-class Filipino and foreign talents. “There was a conscious effort from the people behind this—like ALI’s vice president and estate head of Makati Mel Ignacio and consultants like Sofia, Audie Gemora, Jaime del Mundo and the partners behind the construction of the theatre—to make this one at par with theatre venues in other countries and very friendly not only for its audiences but its users as well,” Mohnani states. “We want them to feel that they are welcome here and they are being taken care of.”

Mohnani hopes that theatregoers would be proud that a theatre of this standard exists in the city. “We hope that they feel celebrated with this special treatment, as well as think that they need not go far or overseas to find something like this,” he says. Considering the ongoing pandemic, the managing director assures audiences that the venue is safe and that they would feel this once they enter. When the construction for the theatre began pre-pandemic, Mohnani shares that there was already a conscious effort to make the space with efficient ventilation, high ceilings, and other considerations to minimise the spread of any virus. Moreover, there are seats in the theatre, ramps in the halls, and toilets for persons with disabilities.

“The performing arts to me is a means to escape, to go to worlds where sometimes you don’t feel exist. To me, it is a way to celebrate what is beautiful despite our world where everything seems ugly. I’ve always thought that you would always be a dancer as a dancer. That’s the life of most artists; we all don’t want to stop. Retirement is not a word you always think of. But when the inevitable happens, you could always go back to the fact that beauty and the enjoyment of something beautiful do not only end when you’re physically onstage. It could be behind the curtains or in the audience. Performing arts is a way for us to nourish our lives, our souls and know that at the end of the day, despite all this craziness happening in the world, there is still something beautiful.”

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