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isang eulohiya para kay Ramon Jose Leyran, sinulat noong Octubre 10, 2003.

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Lamay: Pakikiramay, Buhay, Kamatayan
ni Michael Ian Lomongo

Kung di ako nagkakamali, nabuo raw ni Wency Cornejo ang kantang “Habang May Buhay” sa isang lamay. Kakaiba nga ang lamay ng mga pinoy: sa mga probinsiya, may pasugal (madyong, baraha, trembe), may inuman pa sa iba, may mga laro (juego de prenda), may kantahan, kwentuhan, tugtugan, may pakain din (kape, tinapay, biskwit, sopas, kendi, atbp.). Para ngang lagi tayong naghahanap ng dahilan para magkaroon ng selebrasyon.

Minsan, meron akong kababata at kaklase sa elementaryang namatay. Malalaki na kami nang maaksidente si Rhey sa motorsiklo. Natural, nagkita-kita sa lamay ang mga dating magkakaklaseng bihira nang magkasama-sama. Meron din kaming kaklaseng nasa ibang bansa noon. Tumawag siya (si Elna) sa telepono at nakibalita sa isa sa amin, at ang sabi niya: “Magkakasama kayo d’yan? E ‘di ang saya-saya n’yo!”

Hindi na siguro kakatwang makakita ng mga taong tumatawa habang tumutulo ang luha sa mga lamay. May lungkot dahil sa pangungulila sa isang kasama o kaibigang hindi na makakahuntahan o makakabiruan. May saya dahil may pasasalamat sa magagandang ala-alang pinagsaluhan ng magkakaibigan.

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Tags: Acting, Actors, Art, Bangungot, Death, Filipinos, Kafka, Life, Ramon Jose Leyran, Tanghalang Pilipino, Theater
Posted in Acting, Art, Filipinos, Life, Love, Philosophy, Psychology, Theater, spirituality | 1 Comment »

The awareness of the shamanic aspect of acting (the actor as an agent of positive change in society) is one of the things that I liked in “The King of Masks.”

Society has always been ambivalent to actors.

On the one hand, people are fascinated by the magical, yes, shamanic capacity of the actor to become other than what and who he is. Acting was first done by priests/shamans. There has always been that mystical/divine/spiritual/religious aspect to acting.

And yet, because of that possibility of entering into the nature of “things,” actors themselves can be waylaid and thrown off, especially by the dark daemonic qualities of persons and things. This is what probably scares a lot of people. Actors get to cross boundaries and societal taboos with some measure of impunity – anyway they’re just fulfilling their roles. But when the iconoclasm breaks through from art to real life… uhuh… that’s where it becomes dangerous and suspicious.

Thus actors too were regarded as immoral people, lumped with the gypsies and criminal elements.

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Tags: Acting, Actors, Boddhisatva, Masks, Shaman, spirituality, The King of Masks, Wu Tianming
Posted in Acting, Art, Life, Love, Movies, Theater, spirituality | 1 Comment »

Reflections on my limitations as an actor/artist, 2003.

best regards,

ian

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Going with the Rhythm

By Michael Ian Lomongo, 2003

Ah! If it were only possible to begin a task with the very lessons that one has gained in the process of doing it… one perhaps might be better equipped to meet the challenges posed by that task.

When I first read the script of “Rhythm Method” (in its English translation), I immediately liked it because it was both light/funny and weighty/serious. It was about Dr. Ogino Kyusaku, the doctor who first correctly determined the ovulation period of women and how he made that discovery. It had dramatic and comedic scenes, and even raised philosophical/ethical and gender issues. I thought it would be nice to take on the role of this doctor who was so consumed by his work that he didn’t know how to go about doing other things. I thought I fit the role and so told Herbie Go (the director) that I would like to audition for the role or even be the understudy for it. Herbie did give me the part.

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Tags: Acting, Art, Love, Passion, Theater
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The sequel to my article on “Acting as a Path to a Spirituality of Compassion.”

best regards,

ian

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On Teachers, Teaching, and Learning

by Michael Ian Lomongo, May 31, 2002

“When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”

In a previous essay that I wrote, I reflected on the spirituality of acting (and of any art for that matter) and the question of a possible incongruity between the excellence of one’s art (craft/skill/talent/competence) and one’s life (the great Art of one’s life). A friend commented that my question comes from the tendency to confuse two different realms, which may fortunately coincide, but need not do so. The level of a person’s artistic maturity is not necessarily an indication of personal (integral) maturity. Simply put, quite a number of Great artists can be real MAJOR-assholes.

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Tags: Acting, Art, Learning, Love, spirituality, Teaching
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Acting as a Path to a Spirituality of Compassion

by Michael Ian Lomongo, January 22, 2002

I once heard the idea broached whether acting made one a better person. (Betterment of the person is here understood not simply as the improvement of one’s skills, but in the sense of becoming a kinder person.) With a quaint smile, someone replied that she had met a lot of very fine actors whom one would have a hard time calling as fine species of human beings.

Indeed, how can the most vain, narcissistic, and exhibitionistic people qualify for “sainthood” for want of a better term? (Of course, I am here working with the assumption that most, if not all, actors have a great liking for being seen and given applause/approval.)

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Tags: Acting, spirituality
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