Dulaang UP Presents '#R< /3J': A Shakespear's Story in Modern Day Manila

Written By Funchum on Thursday, August 6, 2015 | 3:50:00 PM

Attention theater enthusiast, After 39 years of staging exceptional plays spanning from the classics to the contemporary and producing renowned directors, actors, designers, production and stage managers and technical directors, Dulaang UP will celebrate it's 40th theater season  with the theme “20/20 Vision: Clarity. Originality. Perspective.”

For its premiere offering, DUP presents “#R</3J,” a multimedia hallucination on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Romeo and Juliet is set in the city of Verona, a restless milieu of politics and glamour ruled by the

Montagues and the Capulets - two perpetually clashing families showing no signs of submission.

These conditions pave the way for one of the most enduring tragedies in all of literature. A Montague

fights for a chance to love a Capulet. Everybody knows what happens next. We blame the system

and the oppressive circumstances that result from it. We blame two lovers who only felt that they had no other choice. But what if the story happened today?

In this adaptation, “#R</3J” (hashtag R broken-heart J) retells the star-crossed lovers’ narrative transforming Verona into a concrete jungle at the heart of Metro Manila teeming with corruption, revolt, advertisements, sex, social media, and condominium units. 

The play captures the essence of the most enduring tragedy juxtaposing the young lovers’ romance with our present society’s many forms of commodified love. Can genuine love exist in a world of alterations and foolery? Exploiting our hyper-real contemporary moment – globalization, ultra-violence, internet foolishness, generation gap – the theatrical project seeks to dramatize, through a psychedelic mix of all available art forms, the postmodern tragedy of our generation. Destroy the city, the family, the government – even Shakespeare – but never destroy the will to love.

This is the world of #R</3J, a radical, multimedia hallucination on Shakespeare’ timeless masterpiece.

The production is a collaboration of professionals and up-and-coming artists. Dexter M. Santos 

(direction) heads the artistic team together with Guelan Varela-Luarca (adaptation). Joining the 

team are Krina Cayabyab (music composition and design), John Batalla (lights design), Ohm 

David (set design), Winter David, (video design), and Darwin Desoacido (costume design). 

This  project features the Dulaang UP Ensemble and the works of young choreographers, video 

designers, installation artists, and dramaturgs.

#R</3J runs from August 26 to September 13, 2015 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2nd

floor, Palma Hall, U.P. Diliman. For tickets, reservation, sponsorships, and show buying 

inquiries, call Samanta Hannah Clarin or Camille Guevara at 926-1349, 433-7840, 981-8500 local 

2449 or email dulaangupmarketing@gmail.com. 

Like their official Dulaang UP page at Dulaang Unibersidad Ng Pilipinas.