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 This article celebrates the bright future of Philippine theatre since the end of a restrictive government which had fallen (less than a decade before publication). Fernandez explains that the tight leash on theatre in the mid-twentieth century honed Philippine drama into a protest theatre focused on cleverly disguising its frustration toward the ruling party. When the nation cast off the shackles of Ferdinand Marcos’s martial law in the mid-1980s, its theatre artists looked to other sources of inspiration to stage. The author touches on the broad variety of genres blossoming in the country’s performance, which draw on a myriad of influences to create a genuine Philippine art form.  She gives a solid overview of the genres emerging by the early 1990s, which draw on native and colonial inspiration in order to create a unique Philippine perspective. The local-inspired genres include the folklore-based drama, a vital form because it “transports indigenous communication (theatre) techniques and brings along with it an audience for whom this is a cultural given and therefore a baseline for communication” (108). Other folk drama forms include the // komedya // (not to be confused with Spanish // comedia //), a satirical verse play for youngsters, and the // sarswela //, a one- to three-act musical. Another indigenous genre that emerged only recently is comedy, which modern playwrights turned to after martial law in order to help their audiences cope with the new social and political landscape. No matter what the form, Filipinos approach every theatre performance as contemporary, so their drama stays relevant even if it is based on ancient folklore.  Inspirations from outside sources primarily include Western literature and methods, but it also includes a South Asian influence. Spain colonized the Philippines for over three centuries, followed by decades of United States control, and these cultures left their marks on the islands’ theatre. Companies like Repertory Philippines and Teatro Filipino have brought translated Broadway and West End productions to the nation for years, which benefits the country by offering “troupes and audiences both global experience and theatrecraft” (107). The Philippines also used Western play structures to tell their own stories, including psychological and social realism, and they updated the // sarswela // by incorporating popular Western music like rock and jazz. Besides Western structure, often content of plays includes negative commentary on colonization, particularly the Spaniards. These influences entered Filipino culture under Spanish and American rule, but the country’s theatre has adapted them into art all its own.  The South Asian influence came to Filipino theatre by way of a playwright who noticed similarities between Indian epics of Rama and an old Philippines legend, the “Story of Mangandiri.” Traced back to the Indian tales, the stories from this oral tradition reached the modern stage when // The Journey of Rajah Mangandiri: A Filipino Ramayana // premiered in 1993. This play ties the Philippines to the Asian continent, but it also boasts a uniquely Filipino point of view that blends ancient rural voices with modern sensibilities to inspire in its audience “feelings beyond region and time” (116).  Fernandez seems to aim this article at an audience that is quite familiar with the history and modern political state of the Philippines, but an audience completely unacquainted with Filipino theatre. The article succinctly outlines and defines the many genres that Philippine performance encompassed in the mid-1990s. The author endeavors to provide a brief overview of where the nation’s theatre is headed, and although this includes a few interesting and detailed examples, Fernandez often resorts to simply listing the most prominent productions of a genre from the previous decade. “Playbill” is therefore solid reference material for a reader looking to define modern Filipino genres, but does not offer enough detail for the reader to conceive most of the types of performances on that nation’s stages. Despite its lack of depth, “Playbill” presents an excellent jumping-off point for those interested in learning more about Philippine theatre.
 * The Playbill After 1983: Philippine Theatre After Martial Law **. Doreen G. Fernandez. __Asian Theatre Journal__, Spring 1995. 26.2. 104-118.