"Mind’s Eye", a play based on an award-winning novel of the same name written by acclaimed children and young adults book writer Paul Fleischman, will have its world debut in the Philippines on November 9-10 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.
The play is helmed by veteran stage director Jaime del Mundo and stars Joy Virata and Jenny Jamora, who will play the lead characters Elva and Courtney, respectively.
Virata is the founder and artistic director of Repertory Philippines’ Theater for Young Audiences. She has 35 years of experience in the theater, having performed 200 roles including "Evita", "Piaf", and more recently, roles in "Peter Pan" and "Little Women".
Jamora is an Aliw Award-nominated actress and has an impressive theatrical credits in Philippine and international productions, such as "The Joy Luck Club", "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", "Legally Blonde the Musical" and "The Vagina Monologues".
Other cast members include Caisa Borromeo, Red Concepcion, and Naths Everett, with the special participation of legendary theater actress Naty Crame Rogers.
"Mind’s Eye" is about the relationship between 88-year-old Elva and 16-year-old Courtney in a nursing home in North Dakota. Elva and Courtney overcome their physical limitations to take a shared imaginary trip to Italy and a 1910 Baedeker travel guidebook. This fantasy journey allows them to visit some of the greatest museums, art galleries and architectural monuments in Italy.
"The moment I read Mind's Eye by Paul Fleischman, I knew it had to be staged. I loved the strong characters, the sometimes serious and sometimes funny dialogue, and its intriguing plot,” says Virata. “It talks of the importance of reading, of literature and art, and of imagination.”
Jamora says that playing paraplegic Courtney is one of her most challenging roles. "Courtney has a bit of a dark side in her. She hasn’t accepted what happened to her yet, and she wants revenge. The challenge is how can I show that to the audience."
What's even more challenging, both actors say, is convincing the audience that they are traveling across Italy when the setting is in their nursing home in North Dakota.
"Elva's dialog is mostly lines from different literary pieces so we needed to make them powerfully real," says Virata, adding that Mind's Eye is "far different from the productions I did way back then. Apart from actors on stage, the audience also needs to participate by using their imaginations. This play really promotes the power of creativity, the power of the mind.”
“I’ve done various roles in the past, all different, each one unique. Being in the cast of Mind’s Eye, and knowing that this is its world premiere is something special for me. I’m so happy and proud to be included in this great team,” expressed Naty Crame Rogers, who played a special role in the production.
"Mind's Eye"'s debut is presented by C. Virata Advisory and Gillian Joyce Virata, and supported by Repertory Philippines Foundation, Inc., Arts in the City, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Jinggo Montenejo, and TeamAsia.
For tickets, visit mindseyeplay.eventbrite.com or get in touch with Elaine Coloma at 0905-4392027 or 9287419.