Repertory forges partnership with British theater school
THE likes of noted Hollywood actors Jeremy Irons, Patrick Stewart and Oscar winning thespians Daniel Day Lewis and Olivia Colman are some of the many prominent names produced by the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS), one of the most successful and well-respected drama schools in the United Kingdom.
There have been five Filipino theater artists who trained at and graduated from BOVTS, namely actors Pinky Amador, Petra Joan Athene, James Bradwell, Kirsten Foster and theater director Victor Lirio.
BOVTS has been attracting students internationally and is known in the industry as a benchmark of quality in professional acting, technical, production and stage management training.
Repertory Philippines (Rep) recently announced that it has forged a partnership with world-renowned Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for Rep’s Bridge Project program that will bring UK conservatoire training to Manila in 2025.
Rep is a Manila-based theater company dedicated to producing English-language productions and providing actor training. Helmed with BOVTS alumnus, director Victor Lirio, Rep’s Bridge Project started in February 2024.
The project is designed as a collaborative congress for Filipino theater practitioners in the Philippines, UK and the US.
Early this year, Rep presented Harold Pinter’s ‘Betrayal,’ recipient of several Gawad Buhay citations, with an international company of Manila, New York and London-based actors and designers including another BOVTS alumnus, Fil-Brit actor James Bradwell.
The program, in collaboration with Mint College in Bonifacio Global City, also offered classes in Shakespeare’s text rhetoric, Stanislavski-based scene study work, fundamentals on scenic design, music composition and a speaker series forum with Victor Lirio.
Joining them are London-based Filipino actors before an audience of local theater practitioners including actors, designers, tutors, stage managers and producers. The sessions were offered to theater practitioners for free.
Naomi Miller, Head of Development at BOVTS, commented: “From our very beginnings nearly 80 years ago, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has always sought to bring storytellers from across the globe together in learning, practice and performance.
“We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Repertory Philippines and Mint College to showcase and share the expertise of our teachers and practitioners, to learn from artists in Manila and to help underpin the amazing talent and potential of Filipino theater-makers with a strong foundation in conservatoire style training.”
Rep’s president and CEO Mindy Perez-Rubio, said: “We are thrilled about this partnership and honored to be associated with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, a prestigious institution known for providing world-class training, which can benefit many theater practitioners in Manila.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our artists here in the Philippines to continue elevating their work to global standards. With the Bridge Project, Rep is committing to a multi-year training program that we will slowly expand.
“We will bring tutors not only for acting courses but also for designers and production arts that include stage management, scenic, lighting and sound design courses.”
Perez-Rubio added: “The founders of Rep were very committed to theater training. I would like to honor their original vision and legacy by expanding our training program.
“With our groundbreaking BOVTS partnership, our new theater venue in Eastwood City and our continued collaboration with Mint College, we will be able to offer more extensive theater courses. Perhaps a proper drama school in Manila will be in Rep’s future.”
The courses for Rep’s Bridge Project will continue to be offered for free and will be programmed with BOVTS under the leadership of Rep’s artistic director, Jeremy Domingo, and the team at BOVTS. They will be announced later this year.
Domingo commented: “I’m excited to launch this global initiative on my first year at Rep as artistic director. We are looking forward to expanding our training institute at Rep and continuing to build and bridge a collaborative theater community for Filipino artists –in production and in training. We have quite a rejuvenated season planned for the next few years.”
Repertory Philippines Foundation Inc. is a theater company dedicated to showcasing English-language productions. Founded in 1967 by a group of actors on the initiative of the late Zeneida A. Amador, who was its president and artistic director until her death in 2005, Rep has often been called “the most professional English-speaking theatercompany in the Philippines.”
Rep produces western plays – both classical and contemporary – throughout the year. To-date, it has staged over 455 productions.
For its summer season, Rep runs a training institute providing performance workshops and showcase productions for amateur and professional actors of all ages.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is an arts and education charity. We believe that stories made and told through theater, TV and film change people’s lives. It is Bristol’s mission to ensure that talented individuals, no matter their background or age, are able to come together and train with inspiring world leading practitioners to become the storytellers of tomorrow.
“Our teaching ethos is known and respected by those in our industry worldwide and our incredible alumni span generations of award-winning actors, directors, writers, designers, costumiers and technicians,” Victor said.
