UP Manila Dramatista (UPMD), the official and only existing university-based theatre organization of the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM), will be premiering its third online play entitled ‘Apat Dapat’ live this September 25.
In line with the organization’s mission to provide an avenue for students to experience and showcase their love for theater and the arts and its 10th anniversary theme ‘Lantaw,’ Apat Dapat, written by Rennie Teodoro, Eir Diaz and Erica Miranda, and directed by Rennie Teodoro, aspires to give its audience an in-depth and relatable perspective on the challenges and hardships of students while shifting to the ‘new normal’ in terms of education, family, and relationships posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This play, inspired by the premise of the famous Facebook group and the official co-presenter for this premiere, BIG FOUR Trashtalkan, revolves on the peri-pandemic lives of four students from the BIG FOUR universities: University of the Philippines Manila (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), University of Santo Tomas (UST), and De La Salle University (DLSU). Coming from different walks of life, they cross paths upon joining an online blind dating event in the form of a four-way Zoom call in high hopes to find company while in quarantine.
This production will be staged online via Facebook Live on the official Facebook page of UP Manila Dramatista and BIG FOUR Trashtalkan group. Through this play, UPMD seeks to act as the voice of these students and their struggles as they continue to find solace in the company of others virtually.
