A couple of months ago, Dreamboard Artists founder Donie Galigao asked me if I could write a poem for the group’s anniversary show. Since I was busy with “Reyna Elena” and”Lima”, it was exactly one week before their December 4 show when I finally sent the poem to Donie.
My inspirations for the poem are the people who supported my grand dream of staging my mom’s Palanca-winning play. “Reyna Elena” was staged at the Xavier University-Little Theater last November 10&11. We had four successful shows (3pm and 7pm on each day). Well, they weren’t SRO shows, but the performances definitely deserved standing ovations. Most of the cast members of the play have been with me since I started staging Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” (2013). Two of them are former students, both active members of the school’s drama club, which I moderated and coached. The others, I met only during the two-day auditions we held at Loreto’s Grill.
I wrote the poem “The Actor” for all of them. Because they helped fulfill a dream that I once thought was impossible to achieve. I wrote the poem for them because they are selfless performers; because they are talented. “The Actor” is for everyone who supports our advocacy of focusing the spotlight on original plays by Kagay-anons.
I am sharing the poem to everyone – artists and non-artists alike – who wish to read it. May this poem help you realize how valued you are as an artist. May this poem help people realize how important artists are in inspiring and facilitating change. Especially change within one’s self.
THE ACTOR
When the lights turn on
All the faces I see disappear
It’s just me, the stage, and the lights.
And I begin to feel myself float
I begin to soar
I begin to reach new heights.
Every time I do this
I become a totally new person.
I become Juan,
Martin,
Luis,
Joe,
Andy.
I become somebody else.
But when the lights dim
I retreat backstage
Sometimes too tired to face the real world.
Up there, onstage, I could be who I want to be
Back here, I could drown.
Drown in loneliness
Drown in pain
Drown in fear
That people won’t like me for who I am.
I am not Juan,
Or Martin
Or Luis,
Or Joe,
Or Andy.
I am myself, the way I want to be.
There’s just one me
And I’m afraid it’s not who you want to see.
There’s just one me
Not the many faces you see onstage.
There’s just one me
I’m not the actor illuminated by the lights.
Sometimes, people forget me
Because all they see is who they want me to be.
But life is as it is
And the cycle continues…
I go up on stage
And the lights turn on again.
And I begin to float,
To soar.
I begin to become who I am not
Because it’s who the people want me to be.
-The Actor
By Maia Fortich-Poblete
November 29, 2016
Cagayan de Oro City
Kudos to all Kagay-anon artists! 🙂