PORTRAIT OF AN FILIPINO AS AN ARTIST
A Portrait of the Artist As Filipino
First Scene
Nick Joaquin
THE SCENES
FIRST SCENE: The sala of Marasigan house in Intramuros. An afternoon towards the beginning of October, 1941.
THE PEOPLE
Candida and Paula Marasigan, Cora, a news photographer Spinster daughters of Don Lorenzo Susan & Violet,vaudeville artists
Pepang, their elder married sister Don Perico, a senator
Manolo, their eldest brother Doña Loleng, his wife
Bitoy Camacho, a friend of the family Patsy, their daughter
Tony Javier, a lodger at the Marasigan house Elsa Montes & Charlie
Pete, a Sunday Magazine editor Dacanay,friends of Doña Loleng
Eddie, a writer A Watchman
A Detective Policeman
Don Alvaro & Doña Upeng, his wife
Don Pepe
Don Miguel & Doña Irene, his wife friends of the Marasigans
Don Aristeo
THE FIRST SCENE
(The curtains open on a second curtain depicting the ruins of Intramuros in the moonlight. The sides of the stage are in shadow. Bitoy Camacho is standing at far left. He begins to speak unseen , just a voice in the dark.)
Bitoy: Intramuros! The old Manila. The original Manila. The Noble and Ever Loyal City…
To the early conquistadores she was a new Tyre and Sidon; to the early missionaries she was a new Rome. Within these walls was gathered the wealth of the Orient-silk from China; spices from Java; gold and ivory and precious stones from India. And within these walls the Champions of Christ assembled to conquer the Orient of the Cross. Through these old streets once crowded a marvellous multitude-viceroys and archbishops; mystics and merchants; pagan sorcerers and Christian martyrs; nuns and harlots and elegant marquesas; English pirates, Chinese mandarins, Portuguese traitors, Dutch spies, Moro sultans, and Yankee clipper captains. For three centuries these medieval town was a Babylon in commerce and a New Jerusalem in its faith…
Now look: this is all that’s left of it now. Weed and rubble
First Scene
Nick Joaquin
THE SCENES
FIRST SCENE: The sala of Marasigan house in Intramuros. An afternoon towards the beginning of October, 1941.
THE PEOPLE
Candida and Paula Marasigan, Cora, a news photographer Spinster daughters of Don Lorenzo Susan & Violet,vaudeville artists
Pepang, their elder married sister Don Perico, a senator
Manolo, their eldest brother Doña Loleng, his wife
Bitoy Camacho, a friend of the family Patsy, their daughter
Tony Javier, a lodger at the Marasigan house Elsa Montes & Charlie
Pete, a Sunday Magazine editor Dacanay,friends of Doña Loleng
Eddie, a writer A Watchman
A Detective Policeman
Don Alvaro & Doña Upeng, his wife
Don Pepe
Don Miguel & Doña Irene, his wife friends of the Marasigans
Don Aristeo
THE FIRST SCENE
(The curtains open on a second curtain depicting the ruins of Intramuros in the moonlight. The sides of the stage are in shadow. Bitoy Camacho is standing at far left. He begins to speak unseen , just a voice in the dark.)
Bitoy: Intramuros! The old Manila. The original Manila. The Noble and Ever Loyal City…
To the early conquistadores she was a new Tyre and Sidon; to the early missionaries she was a new Rome. Within these walls was gathered the wealth of the Orient-silk from China; spices from Java; gold and ivory and precious stones from India. And within these walls the Champions of Christ assembled to conquer the Orient of the Cross. Through these old streets once crowded a marvellous multitude-viceroys and archbishops; mystics and merchants; pagan sorcerers and Christian martyrs; nuns and harlots and elegant marquesas; English pirates, Chinese mandarins, Portuguese traitors, Dutch spies, Moro sultans, and Yankee clipper captains. For three centuries these medieval town was a Babylon in commerce and a New Jerusalem in its faith…
Now look: this is all that’s left of it now. Weed and rubble