There was this dire need to educate the people about the
truth and mobilize them to defend their rights. The Philippine Educational
Theater Association (PETA) was born “with the vision of a Philippine Theater
engaged in the development of people and society”. PETA may have been in the
limelight lately for commercially successful productions like Rak of Aegis and
Caredivas but it has the heart of a protest theatre. It is only fitting that
they have created A Game of Trolls to promulgate awareness at a time when
apathy and cynicism seem to be trending.
A Game of Trolls pokes fun at millennials and/or tries to
educate them with written history, not the one posted online when you click a
hashtag. It tells the story of Heck, a keyboard warrior who struggles to find
his identity through political inclinations of his job, family, friends and the
current society. He works for a company of “internet trolls”, led by his boss
Bimbam, which has the goal of spreading pro-martial law campaign. At the same
time, his relationship with his mother declines with their abandonment issues.
Heck’s Nay Tere is an activist who was also survivor of the atrocities of the
Martial Law regime.
Ghosts of Martial Law victims from the “internet cloud”
visit Heck to try to convince him of true stories of horror in their era. Dr.
Bobby dela Paz, Edgar Jopson, Eman Lacaba, Macliing Dulag, Sister Mariani and
martyrs of the Escalante massacre invade our protagonist’s consciousness as we
see slices of history. Fast forward to ending, Heck did a 180 following an
incident involving his love interest, Cons, at a fake concert organized by the
“troll company”.
Setting aside the predictability of the plot and aesthetics,
playwright Liza Magtoto, director Maribel Legarda and composer Vince de Jesus
were able to answer the question “How are we going to tell the truth about
Martial Law to the millennials?”. The production team was able to establish
relatability and provide facts through social media jargon, cringe-worthy
romance subplot and even a flip top battle that will leave you shookt. It’s
like spending an entire day on social media without scratching your head.
Entertainment value is high. It’s a lecture presented through art.
TJ Valderrama (alternating with Myke Salomon) gives an absorbing
performance as Heck and makes us understand why this generation is so confused.
Upeng Galang-Fernandez’s gave a chilling monologue about Nay Tere’s past. The
entire cast was able to display talent in music and facts.
The important thing in this musical is its goal, the truth.
The world has become smaller. Technology is advancing while society is
descending. We’re supposed to learn from the past, not from memes. Current
political debates have not been as healthy as it’s supposed to be. Social media
has created a culture of short attention span and quick decisions. With the
present sorry state of our society, A Game of Trolls wishes to eradicate
trolling for truth.
Verdict: A-. This should be watched by every millennial. Or
even every Filipino.
A Game of Trolls runs at the PETA Theater Center for the
entire September.
Text and Photos by Aga Posadas.
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