Connecting Performing Arts Spaces in the Philippines
by Maria Glaiza Lee, Information Officer, Cultural Center of the Philippines
Members of APPAS during the 6th General Assembly on December 6, 2023 at the CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez
Inspired by the working model of the Association of Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Centres (AAPPAC), the Philippine performing arts stakeholders have established a localised version of the international organisation, envisioning a diverse arts infrastructure ecosystem that engenders the best environment to create and experience the performing arts.
Established in 2018, the Association of the Philippine Performing Arts Spaces (APPAS) has become the umbrella organisation for the various performing arts spaces in the Philippines. When it was founded, the Association was informally named the Philippine Performing Arts Centers Consortium (PhilPACC), but it was renamed in recent years to its current handle.
“The change in the name of the association reflects the realities of the Philippines as an archipelago and the landscape of the performing arts industry. In our country, our artists perform in found spaces. We produce shows anywhere there are chances and opportunities to perform. Our theater and performing art forms are versatile in that way,” said Dennis Marasigan, the Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), which serves as the convenor of APPAS.
APPAS deviates from the traditional notion of performing venue structures and champions inclusivity by embracing different performing spaces such as plazas, gymnasiums, school grounds, parks, and repurposed warehouses, among others.
“We want to make the association more encompassing. Instead of performing arts centres, we refer to them as art spaces. Our collective culture enables us to perform and devise artistic works in unconventional performance spaces such as playgrounds or even the middle of the streets,” shared Marasigan.
Being the leading arts institution in the country, CCP is in a position to initiate and convene the Philippine consortium. As early as the 1990s, the CCP has always wanted and planned to create an organisation such as APPAS.
“Back then, the venues and spaces were not ready. They could not find common ground or similarities. The country had a loose amalgamation of venues. Each performance space was still establishing its own identity and market niche. The community, as we know it today, was not ready for a consortium. This time, the ecosystem seems to have matured for the undertaking,” shared Ariel Yonzon, the head of CCP Production and Exhibition, which handles the venue operations of the CCP.
Through the years, the Philippine theatre scene has become robust. Venues and spaces were sprouting to cater to the burgeoning artistic content and host the numerous production companies. But the Philippine reality is that there is so much more content and productions, than there are venues.
“We see this as the best time to bring performance venues and art spaces together. Our mission is to pursue efficient, effective, and responsive management of performing arts spaces and curatorship of content and programming,” said Marasigan.
Fueled by its mission to contribute to the enhancement of the Filipino artist-audience encounter through the revitalisation and synergy of performing arts spaces, the organisation has been actively engaging in recruitment efforts, especially in the regions.
To date, APPAS has 27 members: 20 from the National Capital Region, two from Luzon, two from Visayas, and one from Mindanao. The alliance’s composition is quite varied, with members from the government, private, corporate, and academic sectors.
The member spaces, to date, are: Arts Above/Artist Playground, Ateneo de Manila University Arete, Bahay Tsinoy, Biñan City Performing Arts Centre, Inc., Casa San Miguel, Circuit Performing Arts Theater, CCP, Dance Forum Myra Beltran Studio, De La Salle University, Erehwon Center for the Arts, Far Eastern University Center for the Arts, Government System Insurance System Theater, Leyte Normal University –Tacloban City, Liceo de Cagayan University, Intramuros Administration, Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology Center for the Culture and the Arts, Opera Haus, Performing Arts and Recreation Center Foundation, Philippine International Convention Center, Philippine Educational Theater Association Center, Power Mac Center Spotlight, Resorts World Manila, St. Paul University Manila, The Theatre at Solaire, Proscenium at Rockwell, Whitespace Manila, and Y Space at the Yuchengco Museum.
“For 2024, we hope to have 50 member spaces. Our target is to have more than 20 new members in the third quarter of next year. With upcoming scheduled visits in Luzon and Visayas, we are working to further increase our membership. We hope to establish a wider and stronger network in the coming years,” said Marasigan.
For the past years since APPAS was established, the members have engaged in regular activities and programmess for members, such as bi-annual general assemblies, as well as providing trainings and workshops on technical theatre, administrative and management systems, curatorship, and venue and production management, among others.
Through the said efforts and undertakings, the members cultivate and promote the exchange of artistic programmess and content amongst the member spaces, while nurturing budding relationships through mutually beneficial activities and collaborations.
By sharing the annual programming of its members, APPAS ensures a strategic performance season, benefiting stakeholders and the performing arts industry.
For the coming years, APPAS sets its sight to provide the best facilities for audiences to experience the arts and the most conducive spaces for artists and cultural workers to imagine, create, and present their works.