MANILA, Philippines – Somewhere along the road in Pasig, a huge gate stands, and if you don’t look closely enough, you might miss it entirely – a sign that reads “Studio A.” The guard at the door will tell you to walk straight until you reach a corner and take a left. If you’ve stumbled upon this hall at random in the middle of the night, you’re led down a dark, eerily quiet passageway between a cluster of old warehouses, quiet and disturbing.
Repetition isn’t the set of a typical horror movie, but it might as well be. This is Studio A Productions, an independent production company that produces original Filipino dramas and music. Founded in 2023 by a group of friends – both amateur and professional artists – Studio A has since taken the theater scene by storm with 10 shows to date, each offering its own unique take on the horror genre.
Bones to skin
From psychological thrillers like their debut Wake upstrong horror shooters like visit, to more serious, mythic experiences such as Right Black and their recent ones MakaraStudio A’s chosen niche is a point of pride for the team.
As writer, producer, and operations manager Danna Bernardino explained in Filipino, “It’s risky because, to be honest, it’s hard to scare people without looking like you’re trying too hard. But we came up with things, we tried them, and we made some signatures that we discovered by accident, that also worked well with the audience.”
In the early days of the company, the small crowd was the main factor that helped build the formidable power of their production. Shows designed around intimate audiences in cramped sets created a more engaging and interactive experience, where, as a viewer, you were never quite sure if you were safe among what lurked in the shadows of the theatre.
Beyond the theaters of Studio A, darkness falls over the entire renovated warehouse they call home. Between the dark walls, floors and ceilings of the same color, dim lighting, and minimal decoration, the unguided visitor is left to fumble through narrow hallways and steep stairs like an unknown void, every corner is a checkpoint of something unseen. Members of the team also insist it is very disturbing, citing instances of invisible singing and inexplicable CCTV glitches.
The environment certainly looks amazing, but maybe that’s what their members need to focus on their roles and the environment of each production.
Makara actors Cherry Morena and Emi Felix emphasized the urgency of this effort. Morena, who was chosen to play the first role, has the head of a snake Makarahe has been part of three Studio A shows since his first one last January. Usually, rehearsals for a production, especially a musical, will run for at least a few months before opening night. Studio A will rehearse for as little as two weeks before the show goes live, as Felix noted.
A lot happens during and before these two weeks. Bernardino is the sole writer of Studio A Productions, but he is not the only one who creates his stories.
“It’s like a group project,” Bernardino said. “We exchange ideas, and that’s how we start the show.”
Bernardino starts with a concept or theme that interests him – usually, something strange or unusual like, say, a corpse, or an archive – and writes a skeleton text around it. He is working with the director of Studio A to further develop this script, considering the possibility of restricting the actor, equipment, and set design. All this preparation, however, does not end in the finished product – it only lays the groundwork for each performance before it continues to evolve through the hands, bodies, and instincts of its actors.
“Our writer, when he writes the script, he is not what he seems to be,” Felix, who plays the beloved girl next to Neraya Makarahas been defined. “As soon as we go on set and our director injects his creativity, A document is like a map. As time goes on, everyone can add their own interpretation of the event.”
(When our writer finishes the script, it is never considered final. When we get to the set and our director injects his creativity into it, the script becomes like a map. As the process continues, everyone can insert their own interpretation of the scene.)
The intense daily schedules and rehearsals – which spilled into the wee hours of the night – demand humility and camaraderie between the actors to ensure they successfully overcome the pressure. Morena cited the relationship between the companies as one of her greatest strengths, the value they maintain on and off the stage through trust, collaboration, and informal hangouts.
“It really shouldn’t be blocked,” Felix confirmed. “Because when there is an artist’s feelings or feel a big star, I think it spoils the pack.
(Actually there shouldn’t be any competition between us. Because when someone starts acting like he’s above everyone else or like a big star, I think it destroys the group.)
Opening night, then and now
The “A” in Studio A Productions, as the team shared, stands for “changes” – a nod to the constant changes made to every aspect of the show, often up to minutes before the official start.
Shortly before Makara on opening night last April 17, the cast waited in the wings with nervous anticipation. Morena said that they felt the show had not yet been improved, recounting their director’s disappointment with the sudden walkout during rehearsal the day before.
Hoping to ease the worries of her colleagues, Morena told them, ”Man, the stage is magical. You will be surprised.’ And he appeared. Everything flowed, and the adrenaline really worked.“
(“Man, the stage has its own magic. You’ll be surprised.” And it really did. Everything flowed, and the adrenaline really kicked in.)
The team described the positive effects in abundance Makara and the twists and turns of his emotional journey. Makara You are set in a small coastal town and immersed in the tragedies and mysteries of its rich people. The musical merges mythic and mundane life, combining everyday Filipino life with the haunting legend of Makara, a serpent-crowned protagonist whose gaze turns people to stone.
Bernardino noted that Makara it’s the first time the studio is experimenting with a love story. This love does not stop at love. While it focuses on that, it also shows family and friendship, and what people are willing to betray and sacrifice to stay attached to the people they respect.
Still, as Morena said, the difficulty of Makaravarious characters and organized plots create a story that is “open to interpretation.”It depends on how people interpret it. And sometimes, we’re also surprised when we see reviews, like, ‘This is how they interpreted the story.’
(It depends on how people interpret it. And sometimes, even we are surprised when we read reviews and realize, “That’s how they interpreted the story.”)
In and beyond his story, Makara marks a change for Studio A Productions. Following its first run at RCBC Plaza Makati last April 17 to 18, the show’s second run will be held from May 23 to 24 at the Proscenium Hall for the first time.
Through such great success, Studio A Productions continues to innovate, develop, and explore, its horizons open to limitless possibilities – all of which are free to change as they see fit. – Rappler.com
Raine Romero is a Rappler student studying AB Political Science with a minor in Creative Writing at De La Salle University.
