Dulaang UP's 'Mga Anak ng Unos' takes the climate crisis issue on stage

Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP) has a simple yet creative way of reminding us why calls to save the environment matters.

"Mga Anak ng Unos" is comprised of two plays: "Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan" by Carlos Palanca Award for Literature Hall of Famer Joshua Lim So, and  "Climate in Crazies" inspired from Australian playwright David Finnigan’s "Scenes from the Climate Era" highlighting the climate crisis.

The former tells the story of an alliance among bathalas and other mythological creatures to punish humans for disrupting the natural balance, while the latter looks at the global climate emergency and zooms in on the local and more personal experience of the crisis, highlighting the personal and collective efforts to address it.

According to Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Jefferson Chua, the two plays answer the simplest of questions concerning the environment.

"Climate is something that feels very, very familiar kasi naririnig natin sa news parati. Kung ano 'yung climate change, ano 'yung epekto nito. Why extreme weather events. Pero at the same time, ano ba talaga 'yung nararanasan natin? Ano ba talaga 'yung future na hinaharap natin given our current state of affairs? And I think that the play perfectly encapsulates that," Chua told GMA News Online in an interview.

"Ano 'yung mangyayari sa atin? Sino 'yung mga significant players that keep us in this system? And 'yung important question ay I guess, may pag-asa ba?" he added.

He said both stories have delivered in explaining the effects of climate change, the call to address the concern and the need to push harder. 

"The play forces us to think about what hope means in the year of this climate catastrophe. And the answers are as elusive as the solutions to this crisis," he said.

"But one thing's for sure, alam natin na ang solution is something that we need to do together. And I think the play also communicates that perfectly." 

Here are the stories of "Mga Anak ng Unos" and why we should be reminded to act now to save our environment.

A Classic Tale 

“Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan.” Photo by Josiah Antonio

The story of “Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan" is a classic narrative that revolves around the unity of Philippine mythological creatures, through a council, to wage war against humanity to oppose the human activities affecting the environment.

"Nag-decide sila na parang it's time to wage war against humanity because that's the last ditch effort for us to actually say something about these environmental changes, this crisis," the play's dramaturg Gaby Asanzas said.

The gods and mythical creatures went on different missions and one thing is clear: Humans are the enemy.

"So they tried — marami silang missions, marami silang pinaggagagawa to try and attempt to halt itong mga nagko-contribute sa crimes against nature. And then along the way, nagkaroon sila ng mga ambiguities about it's not as simple as it is to just wage a war and then expect to win," Asanza said.

"And these are deities we're talking about. These are immortal beings na kung mawala ang tao, they live on but apparently that's also not the case," he added.

Bathala is on the extreme strengthening the typhoons to scare more people as he thinks it would be the way for mining to end only for them to see ordinary people affected by landslides.

The Anito is on the other side of the coin. No one believes in him except for one member of an indigenous group and they were conflicted if they are going to help. 

His story made the other mythical creatures realize that many people are just victims of climate change and they should co-exist. Though indirectly, it also relays how companies should be held accountable for destroying the planet.

"Na-realize rin nila na co-existence is important. 'Yung siguro 'yung nais i-forward ng play, co-existence between nature and humans has always been depicted even sa indigenous people kahit sa mga dati-dati," the dramaturg said. 

"And until right now, these indigenous knowledge, these stories, itong storytelling, even through theater, may ganoong klaseng tahi. It's still important to talk about and pass down itong ganitong klaseng mga stories," he added.

A Postmodern Approach 

Climate in Crazies. Photo: Josiah Antonio

The second play "Climate in Crazies" takes on a postmodern approach, narrating what would happen if we do not take action. 

While drawing inspiration from Finnigan's play, they also consulted climate experts and the personal experience of the production team. 

"So nag-explore kami ng documentation ng personal narratives of actors, advisors, and even members of the production team. Sa proseso, nag-konsulta din kami sa climate scientists," the play's dramaturg Nikka De Torres said.

"Ano 'yung mga issues na present sa amin. So from there, we tried to piece together 'yung mga different information na 'yun," she added.

With four people playing different characters in different scenarios, the play narrates in a campy way situations like farmers harvesting at night to avoid the extreme heat in the morning, overtaking Antarctica due to high sea levels, among others.

The play might have delivered the scenarios in an exaggerated way and people laugh about it but the actors are clear that if we don't take action this can happen.

It was also straightforward to tell people are not that educated on how to address the climate crisis, how corporations should be held accountable in this matter, and that there is no other way than to act now.

The two stories of "Mga Anak Ng Unos" may take on different approaches but both have same mission for the environment.

“Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan" draws inspiration from folklore giving the moral of the story that we are not living in this world alone and we should take care of them as well. 

"Because things are getting worse. Sa 'Sa Gitna ng Digmaan ng mga Mahiwagang Nilalang Laban sa Sangkatauhan,' I'd like to reiterate that this issue is, for these immortals, this issue was a radical solution, which is to wage war on humanity," Asanza said.

Meanwhile, "Climate In Crazies" puts it right into your face on what we should do to address this climate crisis.

"I feel that there's more of a drastic way of saying things coming from both plays. Kasi ayun na nga, napanood naman natin 'yung 'Climate and Crisis,' every scene is like a call. A call to action. It's not literally just a call. It's a scream," Asanza added.

Both serve as a wake for people to be proactive and help save the environment.

"So both are coming from their wits' end. Nakikita natin 'yung from both plays na it's really time to step it up a notch," he added.

Dulaang UP's "Mga Anak ng Unos" runs until April 13 at the IBG-KAL Theater, University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. Tickets are priced at P1,000, with discounted rates at P800 for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), 750 for non-UP students, and P650 for the UP community. Tickets available on Ticket2me, Ticketmelon, Katipunan Theater Pass, or here. — LA, GMA Integrated News