Costanilla: Stage plays and jingles

Sam Costanilla
Spotlight

CANCELLATION. My very talented and lovely friend Gayle Sinadjan has e-mailed that “Shrek” will no longer be staged by her brother’s Scene One Production Company.

It has been cancelled, Gayle stressed. She added that she received a call from a lawyer who claimed he was representing Dreamworks, a US-based film outfit, ordering Scene One not to present “Shrek” as a local play because Dreamworks did not give any permission to anybody who wants to use “Shrek” as material.

Click here for stories and updates on the Sinulog 2010 Festival.

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FUNDS. Gayle, a good singer and a fine stage actress, wrote that she and the rest of Scene One people are confused as to why Dreamworks, a giant in the film industry, had bothered to ask a Cebu-based production house not to present “Shrek.” She added that Scene One is just a very small and simple entity being run by close friends.

“We have no funds and we barely have sponsors to back us up. In fact, I’ve been saving my two-month salary in order for me to advance the production expenses,” Gayle stated.

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CEBUANO. Gayle stressed that Scene One doesn’t want to tangle in a courtroom battle with Dreamworks, thus the decision to cancel “Shrek” as a stage play. But if I may give my humble advise, why don’t we utilize local materials particularly Cebuano? After all, Cebu has a surplus of writers. By using their story materials for stage presentations, we are actually helping them hone their craft and enjoy tremendous media exposure and publicity. Agree, Gayle?

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JINGLE. Until now, I still could not believe that I would be collaborating with one of the country’s top musical artists named Jose Mari Chan. A few days ago, one of Cebu City’s mayoralty bets asked me to supply the Cebuano lyrics to Joe’s music that he tape- recorded in Manila and sent to Cebu for me to hear. Joe can’t speak our own tongue. Anyway, it’s a political jingle that Joe—using my Cebuano lyrics to his original tune—will finalize and produce this week. To me, this collaboration with Joe is such a big deal on my part. After all, not all lyricists could have the rare opportunity to be working with a musical great, an icon in the field of national and global music
industry.

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ANNIVERSARY. This Feb. 14 happens to be the 22nd anniversary of what used to be National Alliance for Democracy (Nad) which later on became the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad). The Feb. 14 event will be held in an uptown restaurant is expected to draw in a huge crowd. All legitimate media practitioners here are welcome to the dinner.

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TRANSFER. This former radio station manager has transferred to another broadcast station after it was found that he had incurred cash advances that had not been liquidated. Now, he is just like an ordinary worker.