BEING in the theater since her elementary days, actress Micaela Pineda urges millennials to develop a stronger appreciation for theater.
“Theater develops patience and appreciation for things that are not instant, because it is a product of a long and tedious process,” Pineda told the BusinessMirror. “It is nice to see things develop in a longer way rather instant manner.”
She adds people, especially millennials, should abstain from electronic gadgets. According to Pineda, doing so will enable them to understand humanity through time.
“That is art.”
With theater, Pineda points out the audience can experience the “possibility of human error, which is interesting to see and watch.”
“The beauty of the theater is that every show is not the same, and it gives different audience interactions,” she added.
Old soul
THE 30-year-old Pineda considers herself an “old soul”, as she values things from the past. In fact, she recently bought a manual camera.
“I take joy in seeing pictures that will bring surprises when they’re developed,” she said in an interview during a rehearsal break of Repertory Philippines’s 2017 opener Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike.
Bitten by the theater bug since she was 8 years old, Pineda knew already she was born to perform. “I’ve been watching Repertory shows as long as I can remember.”
Even as a child, Pineda enjoys performing for people, singing and acting before a crowd.
“I think, my exposure to a lot of [theater] plays, listening to a lot of musicals and lullabies from cassette tapes developed my appreciation.”
When she was 12, she enrolled in Audie Gemora’s Trumpets for a summer workshop that provided her a deep foundation for her craft.
At 18, she made her debut as a professional actress in Trumpets’s cover of Little Mermaid. After high school, she went to the University of the Philippines Diliman, and took up theater arts. In college, she was mentored by the likes of Floy Quintos, Tony Mabesa and Anton Juan.
Going home
PINEDA pursued graduate studies in London to study musical theater under the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Her stint in the British capital was memorable, because she was the first Filipina who finished Master’s in Musical Theater in the United Kingdom.
Pineda said agents recognized her talent and Asian roots, and offered her to audition. “I had a niche market, and my classmates were telling me that I was so lucky.”
Nevertheless, the bubbly Pineda experienced homesickness since Day One in the British capital. Even though she signed with an agent, she told her group she had to go back to the Philippines. After finishing her masteral studies, Pineda immediately packed her bags and went home.
She became part of Repertory Philippines’s ensemble of the Producers and appeared in a couple of shows before appearing in the A Game’s Afoot. Prior to her Repertory Philippines stints, she appeared in Uptrends’s Lovesick.
Entrepreneurial spirit
PINEDA will also wear an entrepreneur’s hat by managing the family business: a bed and breakfast establishment in Tagaytay City.
“This is not a new business for us, because the family has been in this business since I was young,” Pineda said.
Moreover, she and her two business partners are managing Shutterheads, a company specializing in providing photography services to artists and professionals.
“We also cater to families and other people who want to have professional photos for their Facebook accounts,” Pineda said.
Pineda sees no problem in juggling her career as a theater actress and restaurant manager. “Being involved in the restaurant business is a pragmatic move to be able to pursue my passion in theater,” she said.
“Going through this Tagaytay thing gives me steady income, allows me to go to places where I want to go and, more important, continue my acting without worrying about the finances.”
She also worked as an assistant professor in UP, but requested to be lecturer to address her other commitments, such as managing the business and performing in theater.
Impressive Asians
PINEDA said she is very happy on the current state of Philippine theater. It has shown impressive growth in the recent years, as manifested mainly by the emergence of several theater companies, she added.
“This means more work for us artists. Sometimes, the demand is greater than the supply,” Pineda said.
She is also happy Asians are getting recognized worldwide for their talent onstage.
With various credits in her acting résumé, Pineda yearns to do the role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, which was popularized onstage by Julie Andrews and onscreen by Audrey Hepburn.
Pineda is in a zone when she is performing for her countrymen. She could have grabbed the opportunity to perform in London. But she said her heart belongs to the Philippines.
“I am happy where I am,” Pineda said. “I came back to the Philippines because I wanted to perform here.”
She added she has no regrets.
“I belong here.”