In March, Repertory Philippines, the country’s pioneering theater institution, found itself without a venue when Greenbelt 1, its home for 20 years, closed for renovations. Their temporary stage became the Carlos P. Romulo Theater at RCBC Plaza, where Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” and Joe DiPietro’s “I Love You, You’re Perfect,” “Now Change” were performed.
Last weekend, Repertory’s long-envisioned new home became a reality as the Eastwood Theater, a collaboration with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, officially opened to the public.
“If someone told me last March that Repertory would be moving to Eastwood in October, I would never have believed that person,” said Repertory Philippines president Mindy Perez-Rubio.
“In March, we had no idea where Rep was going to move,” added Perez-Rubio. “We had no home. We were taking it one day at a time, but I guess God answered my prayers.
“Through a stroke of luck, one of my Rep staff is a good friend of one of the Eastwood staff. They communicated, and it came to pass–Eastwood actually knocked on our doors and offered us to build this theater.”
Kevin Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group, Inc., parent company of Megaworld, disclosed that one of the major projects Megaworld envisions over the next five years is to be the next Broadway of Asia.
“We are building a place called West Side City in the Bay Area,” Tan revealed. “We are putting up the Grand Opera House, a 2,100-seat theater that will present musicals and host various performing arts.”
The venue will also feature three other theaters–two 800-seaters and a 500-seater.
“We want to create a district that will put the Philippines on the map in terms of performing arts, musicals, and theater,” Tan shared. “We look forward to working more with Repertory Philippines.
“Our partnership with Repertory is just the beginning. We believe we can develop something significant together in the theater district.
“This partnership is truly wonderful for all of us. We are honored to have Repertory, which is already an institution. When you talk about performing arts in the Philippines, there’s no other brand – it’s Repertory.”
Repertory Philippines has built a remarkable legacy over the last 57 years, launching some of the best talents onto the global stage. Some alumni have graduated to perform on Broadway and the West End.
“We want to continue developing young talents and the future of performing arts,” Tan said.
From Megaworld’s side, the company has been committed to theater for years. “We also have the theater at Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT),” Tan pointed out.
“Our partner in developing that is Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, who I believe is part of Repertory too. She’s played a significant role in shaping our contributions to the performing arts.”
Amid the celebration of Repertory’s new home, the original musical “Jepoy and the Magic Circle,” a production of Repertory Theater for Young Audiences (RTYA), was also unveiled. It will run at the Eastwood Theater until February 2025.
Perez-Rubio called Virata, Rep’s creative director, the company’s “backbone, guiding star, and power light” for the past 50 years.
“She is still here with us, and we love her so much,” Perez-Rubio said of the wife of former Finance Minister Cesar Virata, who was present that night.
“Many years ago, two very lovely, young performers Rachel and Becca Coates, who took a couple of workshops in Rep, were invited to perform Alice in Wonderland,” shared Virata.
“It so happened that their dad, Graham Coates (first vice president and head of lifestyle malls at Megaworld), remembered Repertory and brought Repertory to Eastwood.”
Perez-Rubio was amazed and could hardly believe what Megaworld offered to Repertory. She couldn’t say no.
“On top of that, they were so nice, accommodating, professional, gracious, and patient. Everything just went seamlessly. Repertory looks forward to partnering with you for the next ten years–who knows, maybe even longer.”
Repertory spent 20 years at Greenbelt 1. Before that, they spent 15 years at Shangri-La EDSA Mall and, earlier, 15 years at the Insular Life building.
“We believe this is really the future of Philippine entertainment,” Tan said. “Filipino actors are very versatile in both acting and singing. What’s needed is the infrastructure to further develop this art form.”
Based on the short story by esteemed writer Gilda Cordero Fernando and directed by RTYA creative director Joy Virata, Jepoy and the Magic Circle is written by Rody Vera, making his Rep debut, with music and lyrics by maestro Ejay Yatco.
The production’s choreography is by Stephen Viñas, stage design by John Batalla, sets by Mio Infante, costumes by Rayven Ong and Richie Cañado, makeup by Yohan de la Fuente, and projection design by GA Fallarme.
This November, Rep’s season-ender, the jukebox musical “Going Home for Christmas,” featuring the music of Jose Mari Chan, will open at RCBC Theater. Next year, Rep promises an 88th season filled with “romance, friendship, chaos, magic, and defiance.”
