Meet Philippine theater’s new leading ladies
When the pandemic ravaged the world, the digital landscape seemed to be the most promising space for young talent to thrive. But in the last two or so years, amidst the mounting aversion towards screens and the deluge of “content,” audiences have grown weary of the black mirror tied to our hands. Instead, people have turned to live theater, which has unexpectedly boomed since its return in 2022, to discover and hone young artists.
Maybe it’s the rise of intimacy coordination, the more conscious reexaminations of artistry and labor, the abundance of workshops, or even the renewed interest in live performance that fills seats even in fringe events. Whatever the case, the local theater scene has become people’s informal schools for acting, dancing, and singing; a distinction previously held by variety shows and telenovelas on TV, which have all been dwindling since the arrival of the new media landscape. Instead, our small community of musical theater artists has found a way to maximize the talents of these transmedia dilettantes.
In this piece, we write about four young women, all leading ladies of 9 Works Theatrical’s Once On This Island, who have crossed over into theater—some returning to the stage after years of absence, some initiated into the space for the first time. Throughout these conversations, a larger picture surfaces: that theater, when away from the digital pressures and the need to capitalize every aspect of selfhood through the internet, has become a kinder and more nurturing space for women to develop their artistry with intentionality.
Shanaia Gomez
Shanaia Gomez has been a rising star in television and digital media for years, so it’s no surprise that she also first became acquainted with theater through TV. “When I was a kid, I would watch Hairspray, Grease and High School Musical,” says Gomez. “But for some reason, it was never something I thought I could actually get into.” When The Sandbox Collective was looking for Star Magic artists to perform in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, she leaped, landing the role of overachiever Marcy Park.
It’s hard not to be intimidated by Gomez—who has dabbled in everything from pageants and hosting to music, modeling and acting; appearing in shows like Idol Philippines, Pinoy Big Brother, FPJ's Batang Quiapo, and He’s Into Her, and starring as the lead in the upcoming horror The Gatekeeper. Like Marcy Park, Gomez has always had a perfectionist side that keeps her driven and focused on excellence. But this side has since been curbed by her sudden involvement in theater, replaced by patience for others and herself but also by an incredible warmth.
“Not being able to see yourself or not having any redos or retakes, you have to give everything you’ve got,” says Gomez. “Before, if I messed up early in the show, I would be in such a bad mood. But now, I catch myself. Why would you ruin the rest of the show because of one thing? Keep on going.” Alongside this mental shift, the lengthy rehearsal process has only sharpened her skills as a triple threat and instincts as an artist. “As each show goes by, it becomes easier to hit notes. I’ve become more flexible. There’s a lot of growth in theater; in the presence of mind.”
For Once On This Island, there was pressure to deliver alongside theater veterans. But Gomez was struck by how process-oriented the artists still were. “One thing I love about theater artists is that they’re so kind. They’re so understanding. ‘Oh, you’re still new to this? That’s fine. Let’s figure it out together.’ The culture shock wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In a way, it’s what you always wanted showbiz to be.” says Gomez cheekily. “If they say start at 3 p.m., you start at 3 p.m. If they say quiet down to practice music, you quiet down and practice music. I like the structure and it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to join theater—that discipline you get makes a true professional in showbiz too.”
Unlike the at-times isolating efforts demanded by new media of newer artists, theater has become a respite for Gomez, who also found a solid community of support in the local scene. “It helps by taking a huge weight off our shoulders,” says Gomez. “That’s the really great thing about theater—we’re not trying to make one person look great, we’re all trying to make each other look good.”
Krystal Kane
For Krystal Kane, it all began with a need to make her a more sociable kid. “I’ve been doing (musical theater) professionally since I was nine,” says Kane, debuting in Aspects of Love and starring in Sound of Music when she was 10. “One day, my parents enrolled me in a summer workshop with Trumpets because they wanted me to be more outgoing. I only realized late in life that I wanted to do it as a career.”
The last time she was under the stage lights, she had serious momentum around her. After studying musical theater in New York for a year, she nabbed leading roles in Ateneo Blue Repertory’s Spring Awakening (2019) and ABS-CBN’s Tabing Ilog (2020). But when the pandemic happened, Kane’s unstoppable force hit an immovable wall.
“I kept trying but it wasn’t happening for me and it was getting frustrating,” says Kane. “It requires a lot of training — voice lessons, dance lessons, acting lessons.” Kane was aware that life in theater would always be in flux. She armed herself with enough skills in several other fields in the preceding years: taking up psychology instead of theater arts in college and teaching herself how to become a photographer. In her four-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, she worked as a stylist—a job that gave her the comforts that theater, especially in the Philippines, cannot always provide. “I felt more stable in my job and the everyday routine,” says Kane. “Pero nawala yung gana.”
But in January this year, an invite to audition came. It was for Repertory Philippines’ I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. “I didn’t have to think about it. I saw it as my door back into theater,” says Kane. She resigned from her stylist job. “When I’m onstage, I don’t feel nervous or scared. I feel at home. I feel at ease.” Suddenly, all the detours that seemed to distract her from theater brought her back to it, with new lessons to apply. Psychology now informs not only how she inhabits and reacts to characters onstage but also how to separate herself from them offstage; while fashion has allowed her to be involved in styling behind the scenes. “It’s all my worlds coming together and it’s something that I’m now enjoying.”
Angela Ken
Angela Ken opens our conversation with a disclaimer: “I’m not a theater kid!” Though she had friends who were in theater or were fans of musicals, she hadn’t had the same energy for it. “Lagi ‘pag nagbobonding kami, may kanta silang alam na ako hindi.” Like Shanaia Gomez, Ken’s entry into theater was mostly serendipitous—landing the role of Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Ken already had a career as a singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress, most notably playing Verlyn in Lyric and Beat. But she hadn’t been aware of how much was at stake performing material that wasn’t her own in front of a crowd she could see. “I started my career as a pandemic artist, so ang nakikita ko lang (ay) mga comments. Kung may makikita akong tao, (minsan) director (or) cameraman. Not fans or audiences in general,” says Ken. “So nung pinakastart ng taon, nung nag-show, grabe yung kaba.”
But the initial fright opened Ken up to something new about herself. “I discovered my love for live audiences.” The anxiety is curbed by Ken’s treatment of the live audience as one of her scene partners. “Kung ‘yung goal ko ay mapaiyak sila and may naririnig na akong pagsinghot or konting iyak, I’m good,” says Ken. “Feedback becomes fuel to do better every single show. Mas umaapaw ‘yung satisfaction when I see the audiences’ faces.”
“If this is my last show, ano ‘yung gusto kong ipakita sa ibang tao? Anong gusto kong maalala nila tungkol sa akin?” adds Ken. “Nadadala ko na po ‘yun sa iba kong work.” This paradigm shift has allowed Ken to create art differently—whether as a singer, a songwriter, or even an artist with a band—now more conscious that it’s in conversation with this audience rather than only purely for self-expression.
Theater has become a space where she fully immerses herself into the work, where she can live as another person for a few hours. “Magkaiba si Angela sa teatro at sa mainstream. Pero ang pagkakapareho nila is laging sinasapuso kung anong ginagawa.” This renewed commitment to being present has enabled Ken to enjoy the process more, kept her away from overthinking the work, and renewed the freshness of the story every single time. “Mas nalulunod ka sa storya. (Bilin sa amin na) ‘wag mong i-anticipate kung ano ‘yung next scene para laging bago sa iyo. Kahit pareho ‘yung story, lahat ng (pinanggagalingan nung) choices ko pwedeng magbago.”
Thea Astley
Astley was first acquainted with local theater in 2018 when she was in the collegiate production of the musical Carrie. While most shows had her playing goody-two-shoes Sue Snell, she had the rare opportunity to become the shy-turned-murderous Carrie White. Several years later, she’s returned to theater with diametrically opposite characters again—in Rent as the wild and flirtatious Mimi Marquez and Once on This Island as the innocent island girl Ti Moune. Such switch-ups aren’t as surprising, especially when one remembers how Astley mixed rap and belts in her rendition of Gloc 9’s Upuan in season two of The Clash, where she was the runner-up.
“Nothing much has changed since then. I’m blessed enough that in both my experiences in collegiate theater and now, the production has allowed us to cultivate and discover the characters with guidance,” says Astley. “There’s definitely higher stakes. I want to affect the audience and leave the theater with the message the story wants to tell. It’s good pressure.”
Since being last in theater, her platform has grown and so have pressures associated with being a role model. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it. The thing that really launched my ‘career’ was a singing contest. I was 19 and I’ve been here for about four or five years. These were such formative years of my life. I was transitioning into adulthood,” says Astley. “Being put in the public spotlight was difficult for me. You’re forming your opinions about the world. But you have to be careful what you put out there because people are looking up to you. I recognize the responsibility and make sure I’ve educated myself before I speak.”
Astley finds her character, Ti Moune, to be her north star nowadays. “I hope to be as fearless as her. We live in a society that is so afraid of being cringe. I wish I could embody her,” says Astley, whose return to theater has also made her more thoughtful about song interpretations, treating and questioning everything as text to get into intention. “Now when I sing on a different platform, I think: Why are the notes like this? Why did the lyricist write this? What’s the story here? That way, what’s at the forefront is the message.”