DRAMA

Drama is a literary work that

tells a story through actions
and dialogues.
It is usually performed on
stage.
ELEMENTS
• Characters – These actors set the scene and flow of
the story.
• Dialogues – These are conversations between the
characters.
• Plot – This is the series of events that take place.
• Stage directions – These statements tell the actors
how they should look, move, and speak. They also give
the director a picture of how the setting looks like, and
what music and other sounds would set the mood of
the play.
PHILIPPINE DRAMA IN ENGLISH DURING THE
POSTWAR PERIOD (1946–1960)
• By the 1940s and 1950s, dramas in English
had been performed on stage in the
Philippines. During that time, three notable
Filipino dramatists emerged.
PHILIPPINE DRAMA IN ENGLISH DURING THE
POSTWAR PERIOD (1946–1960)
• Severino Montano (1915–1980) established the Arena Theatre at the
Philippine Normal College in 1952. Almost two hundred performances were
staged there from 1953 to 1964. Among those performances were the
staging of Montano’s four major dramas, namely, Parting at
Calamba (1953), Sabina (1953), The Ladies and the Senator (1953),
and The Love of Leonor Rivera (1954).
• Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (1910–1995) was a prolific playwright. He wrote over
a hundred plays; most of them were staged. His plays portray the educated
middle class. Among his popular works are Wanted: A
Chaperone (1940), The Three Rats (1948), and Condemned (1943).
• Alberto S. Florentino (1931– ) became known for his drama The World Is
An Apple. It won first prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature in 1954 and was published in the Sunday Times Magazine that
same year. The play as well as the others like Cavort with Angels (1959) and
Oli Impan (1959) is set in Tondo slums.
THE WORLD IS AN APPLE: A SYNOPSIS
• It is payday, and Mario comes home without any money to give
his wife Gloria for their sick daughter named Tita. At first, he tells
his wife that he spent all of his money on a few drinks with his
friends. However, Gloria does not believe him because he does
not look intoxicated. Then Mario attempts to lie the second time
by telling her that he spent it all on a woman. Once again, Gloria
does not believe him because she knows Mario loves their
daughter very much that he could not have done it. Finally,
Mario tells her that he lost his job a week ago and that he has
been looking for a new one ever since. Gloria is shocked to hear
the news and worried that Mario would not be able to find a job
soon. Mario, however, assures her that it will not take long for
him to get a new job.
THE WORLD IS AN APPLE: A SYNOPSIS
• Gloria then asks Mario why he lost his job. Mario relates that he
was accused of pilfering (stealing a small amount of something)
at work. He took an apple that rolled out of a broken crate and
thought of giving it to their child. The people at his work kept the
apple, though, for evidence. Gloria wants Mario to ask those
people for a second chance, but Mario is convinced that they
want to throw him out so that they could bring their own men
into the job. When Gloria suggests that Mario complain, he does
not want to do so for fear of those people finding out about his
police record. Then he tells Gloria that he has found a good job.
He is to be a night watchman for a company. Gloria is thankful
to God, though she feels uncertain because she will be alone at
night without Mario by her side.
 THE WORLD IS AN APPLE: A SYNOPSIS
• Then comes Pablo, Mario’s friend. Mario becomes nervous,
and Gloria is not very happy to see him. Pablo asks about
their child’s condition and offers money to Gloria so that
she can take her to a doctor, but Gloria refuses it. She is
convinced that Pablo has come to lead Mario back to his
old ways. Soon enough, she discovers that Mario has
indeed decided to go back to stealing for their sake. She
tries to stop him from going, but Mario leaves with Pablo
anyway. Before he leaves, he tells Gloria to take care of
their daughter and herself, and he will take care of himself.
The story ends with Gloria shouting Mario’s name as she
watches him walk away with Pablo.
 SUMMARY
• The three notable Filipino dramatists in English of the
Postwar Years are Severino Montano, Wilfrido Ma.
Guerrero, and Alberto Florentino. They produced relevant
dramas during the period. However, because their works
were written in English, they could only reach out to the
educated class.