THIS week, we are still at the park talking about parking. Not only because of the number of friends who are personally invested in the issue, but especially because we are, too. This week, let us see what can be done to that old Baguio Auditorium space instead of putting up a parking lot/mall.
Because I am Theater trained and am biased in that direction, I am personally invested in seeing a performing arts center where the city's talent can be given full reign. While absolutely cognizant of the performing arts center at the Saint Louis University, the theaters at the Universities of the Cordilleras and the Philippines, the other various little theaters in our schools and institutions, let this column state that we do not have a public space for the performing arts. Let this column also state that as the city that we strive to be (to include a Unesco city of culture), a performing arts center is a must.
It can then be the base of a Baguio Theater Company, a Baguio Dance Company, A Baguio Philharmonic, a – precisely – Baguio Center for the Performing Arts.
I envision a space where one can watch our local talent shine, with an annual season we can look forward to. I see us watching that season unfold in a theater that can be built so that in the summer, the roof can be drawn back so we sit under the stars and watch the latest play from homegrown talent. Or listen to the latest original score from our Baguio String Quartet. Or an evening of poetry reading of poems about Baguio. We do love our city after all, and give credit whenever it is the Muse of any artist from anywhere, for that matter.
I see that center hosting artists from other parts of the country and the world. The Bolshoi should be able to perform there, and comfortably. There should be space for traveling exhibits to guest in Baguio, and again, comfortably. And again, I am back to seeing us visiting those exhibits in the open air.
The question now is, how do we build such a center and remain environmentally safe, architecturally sound, and world-class-performance friendly? Ah. See, this where I think the discussion should be, and not revolve around some parking lot that is conceptually peurile (hello, Grace Subido, haha). After all, what was once a city auditorium should only logically give way to its currently relevant version, wouldn't you say.
A parking lot/mall/tiangge place should see fruition elsewhere, methinks, outside of the city limits. And then what? More next week.