When the curtains rise for the Repertory Philippines (REP) production of ART, a highly acclaimed comedy by French playwright Yasmina Reza to be staged at the REP Eastwood Theater in Quezon City starting June 13,  all eyes won’t just be on the White Antrios, a $200,000 all-white painting tinged with the faintest off-white stripes that becomes a source of tension among good friends Serge, Marc, and Yvan. 

Sharing the stage with this curious work in canvas are artworks by members of the HOPE Project, an initiative made up of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Lipa City, Batangas. Founded by jail warden Aris Villaester, HOPE Project (or Help One Person Deprived of Liberty Every Day) supports the release of qualified and deserving PDLs who are ill, of senior age, and have no financial means. 

Incredible advocacy

The idea of commissioning works from this incredible group of artists came from ART’s award-winning director Victor Lirio, who happens to own a painting by a Lipa BJMP PDL. “This incredible project and advocacy are very top of mind for me,” Lirio says. 

Lirio got the ball rolling by looping in his friend and author Chary Mercado, who has worked with Villaester in his HOPE Project before. Mercado was introduced to the REP team led by President and CEO Mindy Perez-Rubio, and production designer Miguel Urbino provided guidelines on what type of art he was looking for. 

“There are actually three paintings that the audience sees in the show, each a representation of the character with which the painting resides,” Urbino explains. “I gave Chary a mood board of what each painting should look like, showing examples of techniques, colors, textures, and feelings. As the paintings are created, Chary shares them with me and I respond with notes, with the goal of finding the art that best fits ‘ART.’” 

Remarkably, Lipa’s BJMP houses a lot of talent. A number of its PDL are tattoo artists, carpenters, and house painters. Many are also trained and mentored by professionals through a tripartite agreement forged by the Lipa BJMP with the University of Santo Tomas’ College of Fine Arts and the Rotary Club of Tagaytay City.  

Practical reasons

For Mercado and Villaester, giving PDL the opportunity to come up with paintings for a play by a prestigious theater company is more for practical reasons than it is for bragging rights. 

“In the Philippines, PDLs who were arrested on drug-related charges are not allowed to be released from jail even after they have served their full sentence if they do not pass some medical and psychological tests,” shares Mercado. “Unfortunately, the government requires them to pay for their own tests, and many of the PDLs do not have any money to pay for these tests, which cost about P10,000 per person.” 

As such, the paintings from ART, as well as other art pieces created by the Lipa PDLs, will be displayed for auction throughout the whole run of the production at the REP Eastwood Theater Lobby.  Bid forms will be available and the winning bid will be announced right after the play closes on June 29. Proceeds from the auction will cover much-needed legal fees for the PDLs’ release after they complete their full sentence. 

Second chance at life

Many have benefited from this initiative. In Lipa alone, Villaester, who introduced his HOPE Project in his previous posts in Tagaytay, Naic, and General Trias, all in Cavite, has raised an impressive P400,000 from the sale of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media, earnings that facilitated the release of 100 PDLs. 

Repertory Philippines hopes the inclusion of these creations further drives the conversation on the value and purpose of art—one of the key topics of Reza’s Tony and Olivier award-winning comedy—all while giving people often marginalized by society a platform to share their artistic expression. 

“For collectors, the paintings in REP’s staging of ART are a unique acquisition with an unexpected back story. For the artists who made them, they represent freedom and a second chance at life,” emphasizes Perez-Rubio. “We’re proud to include the HOPE Project as part of our outreach, to share this initiative with the wider art community and to support the needy PDLs of Lipa.” 

ART, the Tony and Olivier award-winning comedy written by Yasmin Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, is part of Repertory Philippines’ 88th season. The production is directed by Victor Lirio and features international cast Martin Sarreal, Brian Sy, and Freddy Sawyer.  The anticipated production will open on June 13 and has been extended until June 29, with regular performances scheduled from Friday to Saturday at 8:00PM, and matinee performances on Saturday at 3:30PM, at the REP Eastwood Theater in Quezon City.

For news and updates on ART, visit www.repertoryphilippines.ph, or like and follow repertoryphilippines on Facebook and Instagram.

For show-buying and ticket inquiries, contact REP at 0966-9054013 or 0962-6918540 send us an email at promotions@repphil.org or sales@repphil.org.