Press Release: “M. BUTTERFLY” NATIONAL TOUR 2019 ALL SET FOR SIX- CITY RUN FROM FEBRUARY TO JUNE

PRESS RELEASE

The M. BUTTERFLY National Tour 2019 is all set to spread its wings even wider to reach major cities namely Iloilo, Dumaguete, Cebu, Davao, Manila, and Baguio.

Presented by Tony and Grammy award-winning producer Jhett Tolentino and FRONTROW Entertainment (producer of highly-acclaimed independent films Bhoy Intsik and Bwaya), the M. BUTTERFLY National Tour 2019 was decided upon by the producers to bring this world-class masterpiece to those who did not have the opportunity to catch its 2018 Manila run. After all, the location should not limit one’s exposure to the arts and culture.

Most theater companies in our country whose successful productions in Manila are often hindered from bringing their projects to other key cities because of the many challenges and technical details involved. And this is why Jhett Tolentino and FRONTROW Entertainment are taking this bolder step to carry on their mission and advocacy in the performing arts and to further enhance audience development throughout the Philippine archipelago.

This revival production of David Henry Hwang’s M. BUTTERFLY is the winner of the 2018 ALIW AWARDS for Best Play, Best Actor and Best Director. It was also nominated for two Best Featured Actresses in a Play and Best Ensemble.

M. Butterfly, which tells the story originally premiered on Broadway in 1998 and won 3 Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Featured Actor and Best Director.

Synopsis: René Gallimard is a member of the French embassy in China. René is mild-mannered and considers himself to be poor with women. He meets and falls in love with Chinese opera star Song Liling, a woman whom he considers to be the embodiment of the perfect woman, Madame Butterfly. But when West meets East, everything is not what it seems….

Targeting audiences between ages 18 and beyond, the producers are hoping that this classic drama, inspired by Giaccomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly’, will likewise resonate to theater audiences from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that “ love, power, and deception holds no boundaries – whether this be in a rural or urban setting.”

RS FRANCISCO, the 2018 Aliw Awards Best Actor for M. Butterfly shall reprise his iconic portrayal of Song Liling, the Chinese opera singer who is Gallimard’s object of affection and seduces him through his biases of the East then exploits their intimacy to collect classified information for agents of the Chinese Communist Party.

RS first essayed this role in May 1990 for Dulaang UP, opposite veteran actor, writer, and critic Behn Cervantes. On its debut, M. Butterfly immediately rose to critical acclaim with packed houses and box office success in over 100 performances throughout the Philippines.

In the many years thereafter, RS Francisco’s theater credits in numerous productions and variety of roles continued to hone his craft as a complete artist. In films, his most recent awards include the SINAG MAYNILA Best Actor, the STAR AWARDS Movie Actor of the Year and the SUBIC BAY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Best Actor.

When M. BUTTERFLY was revived recently on Broadway, RS had thought of bringing it to life once again to the new theater audiences of today. After all, this is the only ‘one’ role that continues to remain as closest to his heart.

To add a diverse twist to the M. Butterfly National Tour 2019, young actor AIRA IGARTA will step into the role of Song Liling as alternate in certain performances. As an original member of the Kurogo ensemble of the play’s 2018 Manila run, Aira is a stage and film actor from the Theatre Arts Program of UP Diliman where he took part in several Dulaang UP and Dulaang Labortoryo productions. Trained by the likes of Tony Fabella and Luther Perez, Aira was originally a dance and voice scholar at Quezon City Performing Arts Foundation (QCPADFI).

French actor OLIVIER BORTEN shall essay the role of Rene Gallimard, a former French diplomat, who relates the story of his passionate, disastrous affair with Song Liling from his cell in a Paris prison, where he is serving a long sentence for treason.

Philippine theater royalty JENINE DESIDERIO, who among many other theater, film, television and recording credits, assumed the lead role as Kim in the West End’s original Miss Saigon, will portray Gallimard’s wife – Helga. The pair married as a matter of convenience; Helga’s father had diplomatic connections that helped Gallimard ascend in his career.

After 25 years of stage acting experience in the United Kingdom, Scottish NORM MCLEOD has stepped in the Philippine stage as Manuel Toulon, the French Ambassador to China who also happens to be the dominant and strong-willed superior of Gallimard at the embassy in Beijing. Toulon promotes Gallimard to vice-consul and charges him with collecting information to aid the American war in Vietnam.

Trilingual American actor LEE O’BRIAN will once more personify Marc, the sexually unapologetic best friend of Gallimard. He encourages Gallimard to take sexual advantage of the women around him without regard for their feelings or even their consent. Although M. Butterfly was Lee’s first theatrical endeavor, his acting skills have already been tried and tested in international films Edsa Woolworth and Forgive Me Father. O’Brian also portrays Sharpless in M. Butterfly for a brief while.

Portraying the different roles of Suzuki, Comrade Chin, and Shu Fang is powerful and well-rounded artist MAYEN ESTAÑERO. Her impressive performance in the 2018 run of M. Butterfly landed her an Aliw Awards nomination for Best Featured Actress. Mayen’s previous theater credits include Dalanghita Production’s Corazon Negro, An Operetta as Maestra, Virgin Labfest’s Mula sa Kulimliman as Leila and Sugid Production’s Buwan at Baril as Asawa. Comrade Chin is a member of the Red Guards, a paramilitary arm of the Communist Party in China. Song communicates with Comrade Chin often, to pass on the classified information he gathers from Gallimard.

Twice a finalist as Best Actress for the Aliw Awards, MAYA ENCILA receives her third nomination as Best Featured Actress for her unique characterization of Renee and Pin-Up Girl in M. Butterfly. The stunning Arizona native plays a young, sexually liberated Danish woman with whom Gallimard has an affair. Renee’s boldness presents a stark contrast to Song’s modesty, which Gallimard finds both exciting and obnoxious. A true expert in performing arts, Maya has taken the stage countless times as Mary Lennox for The Secret Garden, as Belle for Repertory Philippines’ Beauty and the Beast musical and as Lara for Philippine Stagers’ KATIPS, to name a few.

Rising soprano star JASMIN SALVO will be the new Opera Singer for the national tour.
The members of the ensemble playing the role of Kurogo are as follows: PHEITH IENA BALLUG, ULLYSES BASA, SASA CABALQUINTO, FRANCO FERRER and JOHN PAUL ORTENERO.

The artistic team of M. Butterfly is as follows: Jhett Tolentino and RS Francisco (Producers), Ohm David (Set), Eric Pineda (Costume), John Batalla (Lighting), Jethro Joaquin (Sound), Joed Balsamo (Music) and Carissa Adea (Choreography).
The M. BUTTERFLY NATIONAL TOUR 2019 will benefit 10 charitable institutions namely: Iloilo Prima Galaw, Philippine National Red Cross Iloilo Chapter, The Children of Cebu Foundation, Silliman University Culture and Arts Council, the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Love the Children Foundation, House of Hope Foundation, Halfway Home for the Boys and St. Louis University Culture and Arts Center.

PLAYDATES:
ILOILO CITY
VENUE: SM City Iloilo Cinema 6
Feb. 14 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm
Feb. 15 – Friday – 2pm / 7pm
Feb. 16 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm
Feb. 17 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

DUMAGUETE CITY
VENUE: Luce Auditorium, Silliman University
Feb. 28 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm
Mar. 01 – Friday – 7pm
Mar. 02 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm
Mar. 03 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

CEBU CITY
VENUE: SM Seaside City Centerstage
Mar. 14 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm
Mar. 15 – Friday – 7pm
Mar. 16 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm
Mar. 17 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

DAVAO CITY
VENUE: SM Lanang Premier Cinema 6
Mar. 28 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm
Mar. 29 – Friday – 2pm / 7pm
Mar. 30 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm
Mar. 31 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

MANILA
VENUE: Maybank Performing Arts Theater
May 8 – Wednesday – Opening Night – 8pm
May 9- Thursday – 8pm
May 10 – Friday – 8pm
May 11 – Saturday – 2pm / 8pm
May 12 – Sunday – 2pm / 8pm
May 15 – Wednesday – 8pm
May 16 – Thursday – 8pm
May 17 – Friday – 8pm
May 18 – Saturday – 2pm / 8pm
May 19 – Sunday – 2pm / 8pm

BAGUIO CITY
VENUE: St. Louis University
May 30 – Thursday – Opening Night 7pm
May 31 – Friday – 7pm
Jun. 1 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm
Jun. 2 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

Ticket merchants per area:
ILOILO, DAVAO, CEBU, BAGUIO – SM Tickets at any SM Mall nationwide or online at SMTickets.com
DUMAGUETE – Culture, and Arts Council Office, Silliman University through contact nos. (035) 422-4365, (0917) 300-0346, (0999) 797-7825
MANILA – TicketWorld through contact no. (02) 891-9999 or ticketworld.com
The ticket prices vary per city between P500 to P2,000 plus taxes and fees.
Check out M. Butterfly at the following social media:
Facebook: /MButterflyPH
Twitter: @MButterflyPH
Instagram:@MButterflyPH
YouTube: MButterflyPH
For further inquiries, please contact JHETT TOLENTINO at (0906) 576-6914.

How will technology impact the future of medicine

***image from Quartzclinical.com

Technology and medicine consequently come along the way when it comes to changes and updates. With this clinical studies can be done using a specific type of technology for better, easier, and faster results leaving minimal room for errors. The progress of determining and elevating on how a patient can be treated can be monitored with less human intervention- to more precise analysis, compared to earlier times when a manual technique is applied just to attain certain medical result to use for future reference. The kind of manual medical technique can never be set aside because it was the foundation and guide for the current scenario in hospital, clinical, and a wider setting as laboratory facilities. 

In a hospital-based setting where medical staff is scheduled to monitor patients from their medication and any medical intervention needed, this is the so-called traditional way of attending to patient's needs except hospital interventions when physical management is required. Today, providing health can be done using any medical technology which is hooked and connected online. From prescribed medicine, updating of scheduled surgery, follow-up appointments, availability of the physicians and other medical interventions needed by a patient. 

Due to the evolvement of technology, machine learning can be additional medical techniques that can be used in this present time. This is somehow considered artificial intelligence using information through data gathering of a certain patient to a specific mode of medical action. 

A company such as Quartzclinical is an online platform that provides technology-based, safe, cost-effective, healthcare to patients, as they claimed.

Can we welcome such modifications and improvements? I believe so, it can gather a massive amount of information in a given time which means the future of technology in the field of medicine. 

What is the first sign of Measles

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40 °C (104.0 °F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes.

 

Koplik's spots (https://phil.cdc.gov/details.aspx?pid=3187)

This image depicts an intraoral view of a patient, who had presented to a clinical setting exhibiting redness and edema of the oropharynx, and small red spots, on the soft palate mucosa. A diagnosis of Koplik’s spots on the soft palate and oropharynx was made, due to pre-eruptive measles, on day-3 of the illness.

Koplik's spots are believed to be the first or an early sign of measles, rashes will appear all over the body after 3-5 days after symptoms start. 

A few hours ago, the Department of Health declared an outbreak in Manila, Central Luzon, Philippines, leaving people inattention to symptoms surrounding the cases reported. Since measles is transmitted by coughing and sneezing which means airborne in origin. If a person is infected with measles, one is contagious from 4 days before and 4 days after the onset of rashes. 

***images from Department of Health, Philippines

What to do and how to prevent measles contamination?

1. Avoid and prevent kids from exposing them to crowded places.
2. Wear a mask if needed.
3. Educate people to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing. Avoid covering your mouth with your hands as this will spread contamination when you touch things or even a touching a person. Use disposable napkin and tissue and know how to dispose of properly. When there's no available tissue or napkin, use your arm by positioning it between your nose and mouth, see image above. Also, using the collar part of your shirt your wearing, cover your nose and mouth. 
4. Wash hands as often as possible, proper hand washing technique and personal hygiene are important.
5. Eat nutritious foods; vegetables, fruits, increase fluid intake, and add supplemental vitamins can help too.
6. Monitor your temperature if you feeling sick, watch out for rashes and early sign of measles.
7. Vaccination, have your babies vaccinated to prevent possible worsening of the condition on the latter part.
8. Report to your doctor, have your self be recorded.

Take care and be aware.