Shakespeare on the Ateneo Stage: A History of Post-colonial Shakespeare in the Ateneo de Manila University

Abstract

The article traces the development of Shakespearean productions inthe Ateneo de Manila University from 1910 to 2012. It narrates how theinitial purpose of early productions during the American Occupationof the 1900s has been transformed from being a colonial pedagogicaltool into a post-colonial theatrical form at the turn of the 21st century,because of the Filipinization movement of the 1960s and the 1970s. Thearticle recapitulates Fr. Miguel Bernad’s research on the first productionsdirected by the Spanish Jesuits and accounts of productions directed byFr. Henry Lee Irwin, then narrates the history of Ateneo theater by goingthrough a survey of The Guidon reviews throughout the 1960s and 1970s,then finally recounts theatrical experiences and personal interviews withOnofre Pagsanghan, Salvador Bernal, and Ricardo Abad.