Teatro de San Pedro Calungsod uses theater to carry on Pope Francis' teachings

As the playwright and director of Teatro de San Pedro Calungsod (TSPC), Msgr. Agustin Ancajas wants to use the medium of theater to spread the teachings of the Lord without being too on-the-nose.

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

"We are using theater to evangelize in a subtle way," he said at a press conference at the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod at SM Seaside Complex last April 30. "I don't want to be too preachy because it becomes a hard sell, and people will be turned off."

The plays staged by TSPC usually take place at the Black Box Theater, located in the chapel's basement, just above where the masses are held. It's a small, minimalistic theater space that allows audiences to be immersed in the stories of Ancajas' characters, people they may identify with in real life.

"It's like a slice of life. It's like we are a group of Marites discovering what's taking place in other people's lives and hopefully be affected enough to discover the truth [of the Lord's teachings]," he explained.

With theater training backed by mentorship from New York-based Cebuana playwright Linda Faigao-Hall, as well as the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the United Kingdom, Ancajas credited radio dramas for sparking his interest in storytelling, where he could infuse the Catholic teachings he grew up with.

"Radio dramas were what I listened to growing up. It's so powerful when it comes to imagination because they are movies being played in your mind. This is how I developed my skills to imagine," he said.

TSPC officially premiered its latest production, "Mga Dula sa Paglaum" ("Plays of Hope"), on May 2 to a sold-out audience of 205 seats — the latest chapter in Ancajas "Mga Dula" anthology series, with hope as its central theme in time for the commemoration of the Jubilee Year: Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint).

It had a sneak peek in early April, where three of the five plays were shown: "Way Sandalyas ni Puntil," "Dance of the Black Swan," and "Misa Requiem."