Maria Luisa F. Torres 
 
 
Philippine realities, the scenic design, the narrative, the acting, the 
character, the direction and motivation combine to underscore the 
theme of tyranny and injustice and point out the need for actors and 
audience alike to be part of the organized effort to achieve social 
transformation. 
     To date, The Caucasian Chalk Circle alone has been done in at 
 least six versions to our knowledge, based on earlier translations and 
 adaptations in other places in the country. It has a PETA version, which

 was translated in Pilipino and produced in 1977, a community version in

 Davao, which was adapted in 1980, a Mindanao version, a Cebuano 
 version, a children's version, a version performed by such groups as 
 Ugnayan, and a Surigao version. Life of Galileo has had several 
 versions, too, first by PETA, translated in Pilipino and staged in 1981,

 which became the basis of other adaptations, like the Cebuano version, 
 based in part on the Manheim translation. Senora Carrar's Rifles, too, 
 has had several versions, the Visayan version, the production in 
 Davao, and the 1985 version in the regional congress of Bayan, an 
 alliance of nationalist and democratic organizations. 
     Except perhaps for PETA, based in Manila, which has been more 
 theoretically prepared and trained in the actual productions of Brecht's

 plays, most theater groups, especially those based in the communities 
 in the provinces have had very little systematic and conscious training

 in Brecht's theater. In a society that is hardly able to provide the 
 requirements for survival and amenities for learning and literacy, most

 of the productions of Brecht's plays in the communities have taken the 
 form of training workshops of PETA for these community theater groups 
 through an interregional network. It is important to note that the cultural

 workers, playwrights, actors and directors are not professional in the 
 sense that only a handful can afford to live on theater productions. 
 Almost every one involved in theater, especially community theater, 
 has to eke out a living to survive to be able to do theater. Besides, he
is 
 not only a cultural worker; perhaps, he is also a community organizer, a

 student, a teacher, a mother, a breadwinner for the family. These people

 learn their craft in theater not through attending lectures or through 
 extended training programs in playwrighting, acting, scenic design or 
 directing; they learn to do theater through the school of hard knocks of

 the urgency of the needs of the community and the nation as a whole. 
 They learn not from books but from seeing each other's productions; 
 and based on what they have seen, they try out ideas and devices in 
 their own communities. What proves to be effective is kept, and what 
 proves to be ineffective is thrown away or modified or distilled to suit

 their audience. 
    The production of Life of Galileo by PETA and directed by Fritz 
Bennewitz, a visiting director from the German Democratic Republic in 
1981 would be the source of many lessons and inspiration in Brechtian 
theater which would have no small impact on the many other community 
groups in the country. With PETA's outreach program, more productions 
of Brecht's plays would be under way with the training workshops that 
PETA held within and outside Manila. 
 
 
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