In commemoration of Carlos Palanca Awardee Alberto Florentino’s one-act play, Cadaver is set at the dark, muddy, and the pungent smell of cemetery slums—revolving around the dead souls living in poverty from the 1950s to the present; a reflection of the decayed human rights situation of the poor.
The play starts with the character of Torio, portrayed by Photography student Elijah Castillo, as he screams in pain because his wounded left foot, symbolizing the unjust situation of the dead resting in peace; he barely survives a day without any worries.
Filled with sorrowful emotions, Torio also expressed his betrayed sentiments of love between his wife Marina, performed by Theater Arts major Alexandria Farrales, and his friend Carding, characterized by Multimedia Arts student Ioel Briones.
As Torio continually bleeds and has gotten sick, he digs into the truth that he and Carding decided to steal from corpses for a living. With insecurity, hatred, and grievance, he reminisces on how one stormy night made him realize that dead people are lucky lying beneath those graves; as he suffers sheltering himself under a cardboard. “It was so beautiful—a tomb. It looked more like a palace than a place for the dead,” stating these words before his last breath. Marina and Carding have then prayed for Torio’s reposed soul to be at peace.
In an interview with The Benildean, Director Kyle Confesor shared that aside from being a form of entertainment through play, he wanted to highlight a politically inclined and social relevant story.
“I want [Cadaver as] a protest art. A call for action [and a] call for humanity, [especially] to the people who are not that empathetic enough,” Confesor said.
Confesor, an ID 115 Theater Arts student, also believes that its significance is portraying without any forms of censorship—from fake relocation promises to the perilous drug wars along the urban poor areas in general.
Ultimately, with wounded faith and free will, the story displays the cemetery slums from past to present society. Emphasizing on the ghosts of despair, reality continues to haunt people, particularly those who are part of poverty.
Cadaver, produced by Teatro 77 production, an organization under De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s (DLS-CSB) Theater Arts Program, was staged at the 6/F Blackbox, School of Design and Arts (SDA), DLS-CSB, from July 24 (7 p.m.) to July 27, with 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows.
