Lea Salonga and Dolly De Leon recall their journey into the world of theater

Lea Salonga and Dolly De Leon will mark their return to the theater stage this October with their much-awaited play, "Request Sa Radyo."

During an exclusive session for the play in August, the two acclaimed Filipina actresses looked back on their journey into the world of theater, admitting that getting to where they are now had not been an easy ride.

Lea, a Tony and Olivier-award winning actress, shared that she may have started in theater at a young age, but she never really thought of it as a lifelong profession.  

She was only seven years old when she performed for the first time in "The King and I" under Repertory Philippines in 1978.

"At that time, I didn't have the ambition that I want to be on theater, that I want to be on stage. I didn't really decide pa that this is my life, not even at the start of 'Miss Saigon,'" she admitted.

Lea was also once a pre-medical student who studied biology at the Ateneo de Manila University.

"For the longest time, I was like, 'After this, I'll go back to that (pre-med).' That was my mindset for a while. We went to mass, and the priest was like, we were all given gifts by God, so use the gifts that God gave you. So 'yun talaga. Okay, I guess that's my sign, that's my confirmation that this is what I am supposed to be doing," she said.

Dolly shared the same sentiments, as she, too, never thought she could make a career out of theater.

"For me rin, when I was young it was all fun and games. It was a lot of fun for me to do that, but I didn't know I could make a career out of it," she said.

"So, I was just doing it for fun until I ended up in college, the first ever play I watched when I was in Dulaang UP was 'Isang Dulang Panaginip' by Rene Villanueva. I was a costume mistress, I was backstage, and all my batch mates were performing on stage, and I was crying at the back and I was like, 'I wanna do that. Why am I here?'"

The BAFTA nominee added it was in that moment when she finally realized her dream.

The first play Dolly starred in was "Gironiere" by Floy Quintos. She only had one line in the play— but to her, it meant everything.

"To this day I still remember that one line because it was just incredible for me to be acting for the first time. That line was, 'Tigang ka talaga,' ‘yun lang, pero bumenta. People were laughing at that, ang sarap sa feeling that people were reacting to you," she said.

Of course, that was only the beginning of the journey.

Lea and Dolly recalled the hardships they experienced in theater, such as being yelled at and called names by directors during rehearsals and training.

"Coming from that world, I mean, I've been called boba, tonta, stupida, g—, tanga, pangit when I was growing up. That was a very big part of shaping us into the people that we are today," said Dolly.

"I can't say that was the best method, but it was the method that I went through. It made me strong, it made me manhid," she added, noting that she appreciated the change in the environment in the industry today because it was harsh back then.

Lea also shared that performers were still expected to perform at their absolute best, and "if you were not performing up to the level that you were expected to, then you'll get yelled at."

Lea and Dolly will alternately perform the one-woman play "Request sa Radyo," a Filipino adaptation of "Wunschkonzert" or "Request Program" by Franz Xaver Kroetz.

The play tells the story of a woman through her meticulous evening routine. As she navigates her quiet, solitary life, her actions and her favorite radio program reveal the profound loneliness and yearning for connection that lie beneath.

The play, a strictly limited engagement with only 20 performances, will run from October 10 to 20 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City.

"Request sa Radyo" is produced by Clint Ramos, Bobby Garcia, and Christopher Mohnani for Ayala Land and GMG Productions.

Tickets are available via TicketWorld, with prices ranging from P8,240 to P9,785. — CDC, GMA Integrated News