On a Saturday evening, seeking a new and energizing experience, I watched the UP Dulaang Laboratoryo's production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman. This wasn't a typical grand theater experience; instead, it took place in the intimate setting of the UP Diliman College's Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, a small theater laboratory designed for student performances. With an audience of less than a hundred seated in monobloc chairs, I found myself in the front row, mere feet from the actors. This proximity created a unique and powerful connection to the performance.
The production was ambitious: a translation of The Pillowman into Filipino. This wasn't just a linguistic change; it was a transformation that breathed new life into McDonagh's dark and complex narrative, making it deeply authentic and resonant with the local audience. I went into the play without any prior knowledge of the plot, allowing the story to unfold naturally and each revelation to be a genuine discovery.
The four lead actors, all students who had intensively studied the piece, delivered fearlessly committed and magnetic performances. Directed by fellow student Chris Joseph Junio, their authenticity shone through despite the spatial limitations and lack of technical sophistication. The messaging of the play was delivered loud and clear.
The Pillowman tells the story of detained Katurian, a writer whose fictional tales eerily mirror real child murders facing two interrogators. At its core, the play unfolds with the uncomfortable question of artistic responsibility: when does a writer's imagination become dangerous? The plot meticulously revealed itself, building tension around the central mystery of who was turning Katurian's stories into tragic reality.
The intimate setting intensified the experience. Every emotion felt immediate and urgent; the actors' vulnerability was exposed, their whispers drew us in, and their rage resonated deeply. The Filipino dialogue, translated by George de Jesus III, enhanced my understanding of the characters' motivations and the more than 6 stories embedded in the play (even the two interrogators have their stories). This close proximity was unsettling, removing the traditional theatrical distance.
The provocative themes of death, suicide, childhood trauma, unhappiness, and mental health, symbolized by the "pillowman" figure, became lived experiences, demanding an emotional response. I found myself moved and hurt too with the struggles Katurian went through, even unashamedly tearful as act one ended.
As the mystery deepened, the play forced a confrontation with the writer's responsibility to society. The truth—that Katurian's intellectually disabled brother Michal had been acting out the stories—felt personal and invasive due to the actors' proximity. As a writer, I felt the weight of McDonagh's ultimate message: stories hold immense power for both creation and destruction.
The play subtly reminds us that each one of us has a story to tell, whether we are writers or not, and whether we seek an audience to listen or not. Just as Tupolski recounts her role in saving a deaf child from a train, or Ariel reveals his traumatic past, these individual narratives shape who we are and the decisions we make.
In the end, Katurian is willing to sacrifice his life to save his works, embodying the idea that while the writer may die, their works of art and the stories they tell, live on. To the writer and the interrogators, after creation, preservation is valuable.
The curtain call was met with well-deserved applause. McDonagh's final message, "The only duty of a storyteller is to tell a story," resonated powerfully, underscored by the play's adaptation by UP Dulaang Laboratoryo..
Katurian's execution, despite his stories' survival, highlighted the complex relationship between imagination and reality. In that laboratory space, strangers like me were witnesses to something extraordinary: the alchemy of live performance, the power of native language, and the fearless artistry of students tackling challenging material, a compelling piece of literature.
Leaving the theater, I gained a deeper understanding of intimate theater's significance. It strips away pretense, forces genuine connection, and transforms literature into a living experience. It reminds us that the most powerful art often comes from passionate commitment and vulnerability.
The students and their director created an unforgettable experience that a grand theater could not replicate—a space where art and audience merged, and where the proximity of human experience revealed profound truths.
A critically acclaimed globally work of art was within arms' reach thanks to the team. And all they asked was a donation.
The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh. Juan Moreno as Katurian, Ray Rana as Michal, Ony Torres as Ariel, Pamy Villa as Tupolski. Directed by Chris Joseph Junio. Translated by George de Jesus III.
UP Dulaang Laboratoryo is a student production in fulfillment of TH143: Directed Studies in Theater Directing. 12 July 2025
