“El Sacramento Prohibido” Reaction Paper Essay

Doctrines, traditions, conventions, politics, taboos, these argon any(prenominal) elements that ar part of the everyday lives of populate in the Philippine society. Usually when these are the topics or subjects, ripostes are ordinarily entailed. These are the central themes of Lester Andradas thesis production which he previewed digest March 28, 2014 at the NCAS Alumni Plaza, or the garden country that looks like a small courtyard inside the NCAS building. El Sacramento Prohibido or the Forbidden Sacrament is a satirical production which utilized Absurdism and perhaps a slight prompting of the stylings of the Theatre of Cruelty.The story of El Sacramento Prohibido (ESP) revolves around Dante, a progeny priest fresh out(p) of the seminary who was assigned to the church at his hometown to be its new kura or reverend. Though he brandishes the aura of a straightforward virtuous young man, he bears a secret. Fr. Dante is homosexual, a fact that is controversial and technically a gainst Christian doctrine. Dante was sent to a seminary in Manila by his parents who were both power hungry politicians who saw Dante only if as a casualty that may tarnish their names. But even before leaving for the seminary, Dante has a lover, Abel, who was, during Dantes absence, executed by Fr. Loreto, an old priest residing in San Idelfonso. Upon re hug druging, Dante was attended to by a young altar server named Lermo. He was a thoughtful boy, who was the first to discover Dantes secret during unitary of Dantes moments of reminiscence when he accidentally kissed the boy while signifying of Abel whose whereabouts he has yet to scram out. Eventually he shall know every matter that happened in his hometown, all the misdeeds through with(p) by the church, by his own parents, and ultimately, the impinge on of his lover. Upon finding out the truth, Dante wasconsumed by the darkness, and in the end he kills everyone including himself. In the afterlife, Dante is seen with Abel , together peacefully and blithely in paradise.ESP has creatively utilized the production elements in the somewhat intimate setting. First come to would be the set and props. ESP was the first production that I have seen using the garden area in NCAS, and itwas a very unique experience, though a setback of it may be that the listening capacity is very limited, and the audience area itself is not leveled since the back part of the audience area is let down than the front, meaning those at the back would have a hard time seeing anything. My favorite thing about the set is how they were able to maximize the structure of the NCAS building itself. The scenes where the undead were pounding on the windows of the NCAS stair circumstance, it was very unforgettable and awesome. On the props, they were creative but not as accurate (visually) as the actual church add-on like the chalice, and the placement of the podium. The costumes and makeup of the actors were nice, the prosthetics were impressive but can still maybe stepped up a notch. The music was creepy, and therefore appropriate. I found it remarkable the moments of live choral music performed by the an another(prenominal)(prenominal) actors (the parts when Herzl was at the back of the audience and she was chanting), very beautiful. The lights could be improved especially the timing of when to turn the lights on or off, but the lights in general had been able to establish the mood of the scenes alongside the music. The suck upion component was impressively done in terms of cinematography. The technical aspects of the production can still be improved, like with the projector, and the synchronization of the lights and sounds with the scene.The thing that makes me think of many things about ESP is the text itself. I grew up in a very religious environment. I know how many things worked, why some things are done, what some things meant, since these things were taught to me since I was a child. I found it hard n ot to comment on some of the technical aspects of the production, like the props (as I mentioned earlier) and also the text, on what the actors were saying. I really cannot blame the dramatist since I heard that he was not a Catholic. I think what the playwright intended to depict is the undesirable characteristics and actions of the Church and how other people see it, and with that kind of perspective I think it haddone that part well.Though looking at it in retrospect, I think that perhaps had it been too accurate, it may be more offensive especially if they dont know how to look at things with an fastidious perspective, or just with an open mind. The text had tackled many issues in the Philippinesociety. Theres the case of the LGBT, where they are seen as undesirable in society as portrayed by how Fr. Loreto and Mr. & Mrs. Barrameda had shunned Dante because of his homosexuality. Another issue is with the church, or I should rather say the church practitioners, which had done wr ongs since the time of the Spanish colonization when they apply the word of God to exploit and take advantage of the people, as depicted by how Fr. Loreto always demands payments for sermons and other things that shouldnt even be given a price. This next one may not be that much of an issue but the harm that can be brought about by gossip, which was depicted by the three ladies who attend mass and then afterwards talk bad about other people. The last one I shall point at is the dirty politics which is rampant in the Philippines. It was depicted by Dantes parents who buy votes in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. They even valued to utilize Dantes influence as a priest in order to make the people vote for them.The part which disappointed me was the fact that Dante had given in to the darkness, and also the fact that he killed Lermo, the destitute young boy who was always there to support him. But anyways, as a production, I think El Sacramento Prohibido is good and overall an enjoyable experience especially during the times when they break the fourth wall (well, at least for me, Im okay with it), and also it wants to tell the audience not just a story but also a message of awareness about what is occurrence in society nowadays.