THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is making HD and archival recordings from its Cultural Content Digital Archives available to the public through CCP Online.

“Together with the CCP Cultural Content Development Team, we asked for recommendations on social media on what audiences wanted to see online. We noted the recommendations. Many of the titles suggested by audiences were in the lineup of digital content being prepped by the team for streaming even before the quarantine period,” CCP Vice-President and Artistic Director Chris B. Millado told BusinessWorld in an online interview.

“Most of the titles were in the digital archives. We make sure that CCP has secured the rights for the streaming of the productions before releasing them online,” he added.

On April 12, the BULAWAN: The CCP 50th Anniversary Gala Concert held in September 2019 went online.

This week, CCP Online will stream the following shows at 3 p.m.: SINAG: Festival of Radiance on April 14; Alice & Friends: A Tapestry of Dances in Celebration of 50 Years in Dance on April 17; and Philippine Madrigal Singers: MMMM…MORE! on April 20.

Mr. Millado noted that the shows will be available for a week of streaming for free before they are replaced with new shows.

“CCP Online [will] continue beyond the quarantine period but as a subscription platform. It will be accessible for free during the quarantine period,” he said.

50TH ANNIVERSARY ADJUSTMENTS
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and enhanced community quarantine being enforced to control it, the CCP’s programs have been canceled, postponed, or modified.

The 2020 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which is held annually in August, has been pushed back to 2021. The 16th edition of the Virgin Labfest festival of new plays will still be held on June 10 to 28 as scheduled, but it will be modified into an online festival with performers reading the text online. “The creative team continues to brainstorm on how to make this unique and exciting,” Mr. Millado said.

The 32nd Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video continues as an online short film competition. The Luces: Festival of Light, which was scheduled to close the CCP’s 50th anniversary celebration in September, has been canceled.

“The September Gala Show will now be repurposed, in the future when the condition allows, as a remembrance to those we lost during COVID-19 and as a thanksgiving concert for the frontliners,” Mr. Millado noted.

The CCP will continue to make other arts and culture programs accessible online such as ballet masters giving warm-up classes from their living rooms; music instructors giving tips on conducting and performance for rondalla players; and orchestra members performing for persons hospitalized or in quarantine.

“We expect to see a lot more of these innovations of engaging with audiences and artists online,” he said.

To stream the shows, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/culturalcenterphils. For further information, visit https://www.facebook.com/culturalcenterofthephilippines/. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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