Oedipus, the award-winning production by Dulaang Filipino of the Greek tragedy by Sophocles, will represent the Philippines in the Teatralny Koufar International Theater Festival in Minsk, Belarus from Sept. 20 to 28.
Dulaang Filipino, the resident theater group of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), recently announced its inclusion in the final list of competitors.
A total of 21 theater companies from Belarus, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the Philippines are among those competing. Twelve other teams from around Europe have been waitlisted for participation in the event.
The Teatralny Koufar International Theater Festival is considered to be one of the most influential youth theater forum in Eastern Europe. Organized by the Belarusian State University, it aims to serve as a transnational platform that unites talented and active young people from around the world. Ongoing for 13 years, it has hosted theater groups from more than 60 countries.
An independent jury of theater professionals will proclaim winners in three categories, namely Best Amateur Theater, Best Theater of Professional School, and Best Youth Professional Theater.
Individual prizes will likewise be given for acting, direction and scenic design, while the festival grand prize known as The Big Koufar will be decided on by the viewing public.
Dulaang Filipino’s Oedipus, first presented in 2014, is a one-hour reduction of Sophocles’ Theban trilogy, consisting of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, in Filipino translations by Rolando Tinio and Onofre Pagsanjan. The production, directed by Riki Benedicto, has been performed at the UP Theater Council’s Curtain Call play festival in 2014 and at the Mont-Laurier International Theatre Festival in Quebec, Canada in 2015.
It recently won the International University of La Rioja Award (UNIR) for Best International Show in the IV Premios Escenamateur “Juan Mayorga” de las Artes Escénicas.
Dulaang Filipino will restage Oedipus at the DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts (SDA) Theater scheduled later this month as part of its send-off and fundraising activities.