Talking With takes center stage tonight at MCS

1992 AlumKnight Marissa Flores rehearses her piece for Talking With. (Contributed photo)

A special show featuring the talents of Mount Carmel School AlumKnights and parents of current Knights will take center stage tonight at the school’s auditorium beginning at 7pm.
The tagline, “What happens when people stop being polite and start getting real,” used for MTV’s The Real World, could very well apply to tonight’s production of Talking With, a series of monologues inspired by the original play of the same title by Jane Martin.

Tonight’s show, while not polite due to its mature content, will be no less riveting and moving as seven women take the stage to give voice to seven unique characters with funny, emotional, and very real stories.

The production is the brainchild of 1989 AlumKnight Yvonne “Boni” R. Pangelinan. The idea came to her in December last year when the school launched its “Save the Stage” campaign to repair and renovate the school’s historic stage.

Watching the school’s Christmas program, at which the campaign was announced, Pangelinan remembered all her years performing on the school’s stage. She was inspired to network with other AlumKnights to stage a benefit performance to help with the “Save the Stage” campaign.

Reflecting on this inspiration, Pangelinan said, “I’m happiest when I’m busy creating and giving. Whether it’s a dish for my family, getting neck deep in ribbons and tape, or doing something for someone who will never be able to repay me, I think that pretty much sums up what being a Knight means to me, service to others and the living expression of religion.”

Over the next several months, Pangelinan assembled a cast of seven actresses, including herself, to take on Jane Martin’s famous play. Besides herself, the cast includes 1994 AlumKnight Roxanne Diaz, 1992 AlumKnight Marissa Flores, 1994 AlumKnight Maisie Bermudes Tenorio, 1989 AlumKnight Charlotte Cepeda, parent Linda Muña, and 1990 AlumKnight Rosemond Santos. To help the play resonate with a local audience, the cast localized their pieces, and Pangelinan went so far as to write an entirely new piece called “Ladypipes.”

When asked about the experience of staging Talking With, the cast shared an appreciation for working together on such an important project.

Flores said, “This path has led me to stand alongside these amazing women who, like me, have a story.”

Echoing Flores’ sentiment, Cepeda said, “My heart smiles at the meaningful tears and heartfelt laughter shared as we unknowingly yet willingly created lifelong memories while both in and out of character.”

Likewise, Tenorio said, “I will be forever thankful for the amazing women I had the honor of sharing the stage with tonight.”

Talking With will be shown tonight at Mount Carmel School’s auditorium in a special “in-the-round” stage. Admission is $20. Due to the show’s mature content, parental discretion is strongly advised. For more information, call 234-6184, email bherealways@gmail.com, or visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com.