Carlos Dala finds new home in Tanghalang Pilipino's 'Anak Datu' after 'The Fake Life'

As GMA Drama's top-rating series "The Fake Life" ended its nearly four-month run, multi-platform young actor Carlos Dala has found a new home, this time, on the live stage via Tanghalang Pilipino's "Anak Datu."

The play with music is an adaptation of a short story by National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Imao, written by Rody Vera and directed by Chris Millado. In Vera's text, the short story has been interwoven into the journey of the Imao family and the recent history of Mindanao in its search for peace.

If in "The Fake Life," Dala played the son of Ariel Rivera's character, in "Anak Datu," he plays two "son roles." He is the young Karim, the central character in Imao's story for children about a boy who grows up knowing he is the son of a pirate in the Sulu Archipelago during pre-colonial Philippines.

The play's narrative also shifts to recent times and in the story about the Imao family, Dala plays Abdulmari Jr, or Toym Imao. Theater followers would know Toym as set designer of previous acclaimed Tanghalang Pilipino plays like "Mabining Mandirigma" and "Aurelio Sedisyoso."

Photo by Max Celada for TP

Toym is a faculty member at the UP College of Fine Arts and has recently held a one-man exhibit titled "Analog Childhood" at the Art Lounge Manila in The Podium, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. In the exhibit, Voltes V was one of the recurring subjects in his artworks. Voltes V would also appear in "Anak Datu," and the story on how its airing was stopped by the strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the early 1980s.

Dala is not new to theater. He has played Young Tarzan in Viva Atlantis "Tarzan," the one directed by Chari Arespacochaga. He was also one of the children in the ensemble for "The King and I" at Resorts World Manila.

"Both were musicals so I consider 'Anak Datu' as my first play. Productions I did in the past, I only played bit roles or extras so I am very thankful for TP for giving me lead roles," Dala told GMA News.

In film, Dala has played lead in Carlo Obispo's coming-of-age drama "Gasping for Air (1-2-3)". It was the opening film in the 2016 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. He won Best Actor in the North Virginia International Film and Music Festival in 2018.

In 2021, he played the titular role in Kaj Palanca-directed short film, "Henry," for QCinema International Film Festival.

For television prior to "The Fake Life," Dala has done soaps for other networks but they were all bit roles.

"Mga extra lang po ang roles ko. I am thankful din sa GMA-7 because they gave me my first full-length role," he said.

"The Fake Life" can still be watched in GMA's You Tube channels.

For "Anak Datu," he auditioned upon the invitation of TP associate artistic director Marco Viaña. They met during a location shoot for "Henry." Coincidentally, Viaña was doing another project for director Palanca that had the same location.

"Kuya Marco asked me to send a video audition and luckily I got a call from them," Dala said.

Photo by Kye Venturillo

However, the taping for "The Fake Life" and the rehearsals for "Anak Datu"  did not overlap. He has finished his episodes for the soap when he committed to do "Anak Datu."

Despite being a hard-working actor, Dala still tries to finish his college education. He was on his way to his sophomore year at UP Visayas, taking up Communication and Media Studies, when he needed to transfer to UP Diliman campus because of his work.

"I could have stayed in Iloilo but I needed to be based in Manila for the projects coming in," he said.

At UP Diliman, he takes up Bachelor of Arts in Film. Being a working student, he knows his priorities. 

"Hindi naman po ako nahihirapan ipagsabay. Noong incoming na yung 'Anak Datu,' puwede pa ako mag-enroll. Kaya naman po ang schedule. Mas less 'yung time na i-sacrifice. Priorities lang kung anong gusto kong i-improve," he said with a chuckle. "Career comes first, then school kasi I can handle school."

On acting with TP, he said he is very thankful because everyone has been helpful to him. And then there's the humility.

"Sobrang gaan ka-trabaho ng TP kasi they make it a point, walang star, walang mag-a-attitude, walang magsi-sinuplado, ganoon po ang environment ng TP," he said.

"Lahat nagko-collaborate. Tulungan lang, nagtuturuan lahat. Walang isang kelangang sundin. Kahit sina Tata Nanding pa 'yan. Kahit senior members, walang angat."

Tata Nanding is Fernando Josef, artistic director of Tanghalang Pilipino. In "Anak Datu," he plays the old Jibin Arula, the lone survivor of the infamous Jabidah Massacre.

Josef has nothing but good words for the young actor now at home on stage.

"I am deeply impressed with this young man's sense of truth, his intelligent interpretation of the multiple roles assigned to him, his excellent speaking and singing voice, and his natural sense of humility," he said.

Being a veteran multi-platform actor himself, Josef knows the kind of fulfillment when it comes to theater. There's no comparison with television and film.

Photo courtesy of Toym Imao

Viaña also has high regard for Dala.

"Nakakahawa ang disiplina at kasipagan ni Kaloy bilang aktor," he said. "Marami siyang tanong at mga sinusubukan pagdating sa mga karakter na ginamgampanan niya, at napakalaking bagay nito para sa aming mga kasama niya sa entablado, dahil mas napapalalim namin bilang ensemble 'yung pagtatanghal lalo na at napakahalagang kwento nitong 'Anak Datu'."

"Minsan niyang nabanggit na nahirapan siya sa shift mula sa paggawa ng mga pelikula at teleserye hangang sa pagbabalik niya sa entablado, pero dahil wala siyang takot magtanong at matuto, lumabas lang ng kusa ang husay niya sa pagtatanghal," he added. "Biniro din namin siyang bagay siyang sumali bilang miyembro ng Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company dahil sa mga pinakita niyang husay bilang aktor sa entablado. Kung ano man, sana marami pang pagkakataon na makasama natin siya sa Tanghalang Pilipino."

Millado, who is known for his high standards in directing, has the nicest words for Dala.

"Such a committed young actor. And by 'committed' I mean a deep sense of involvement in the crafting and creation of the character," he said.

"Early in rehearsals Carlos learned the pangalay and martial arts kuntaw and silat and made this movement vocabulary his own. He knows his acting styles and effortlessly switches from realism to physical theater and even dance theater. It was because of this versatility that made us decide that he should play the dual roles of Batang Karim and the Young Toym."

"Anak Datu" runs for two more weekends until October 9 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez or the CCP New Black Box Theater.

—MGP, GMA News