When Rem Zamora was tasked to direct Red Turnip Theater’s staging of the Olivier Award-winning play “Cock,” he was terrified.

 

Written by Mike Bartlett, “Cock” tells the story of a gay couple, John (Topper Fabregas) and M (Niccolo Manahan), who gets into an argument and calls it quits. John then meets W (Jenny Jamora) and thinks he’s falling for her. Confused, he goes back to M to ask for his help. All hell breaks loose when M asks to meet the woman.

 

“Originally, I really wanted to play M,” says Zamora. “But the group wanted me to try it out (directing). It took me a month and a half to finally say yes.”

 

Basic set

 

It may be Zamora’s directorial debut, but he is not without experience. He has been assistant director for a number of shows, such as Repertory Philippines’ “Romeo and Bernadette” and “Jekyll & Hyde” and Resorts World Manila’s “Cinderella.”

 

But, unlike other productions with big sets and props, “Cock,” which premiered in 2009 at London’s Royal Court Theater, only has a cockfight ring as its basic set. In London, “Cock’s” set was made up of bleachers that went up. Zamora said that since they can’t afford that kind of setup, they went for the bare cockpit field without the bleachers.

 

Adding to the challenge is that actors aren’t allowed to mime. Although it excited them, Zamora said it took a while for the cast to get used to this kind of setup.

 

“There’s a lot of imagination, thinking [going into it],” he says. “Topper suggested that maybe it would help if we could define our space more.”

 

“I think that’s the early sign of me as a director—being collaborative,” he adds. “I can’t do it alone. It’s challenging to say the least.”

 

Apart from project head Cris Villonco, none of the actors—which also include seasoned thespian Audie Gemora (“No Way to Treat a Lady,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) as F—has seen “Cock.”

 

“We didn’t ask Cris how it was done,” says Zamora. “It was tempting, but this project is our own interpretation.”

 

Refreshing, riveting

 

Jamora (“Mind’s Eye,” “The Blue Room”) says one of the reasons “Cock” was well-received in London and in its subsequent off-Broadway run was because it was well-written.

 

“When a play is so structured that it has no intermission, it’s more riveting that way. It’s also refreshing in the way it’s staged. Sometimes when you watch a play, you expect big sets. But here, you’ll wonder what the actors will do because there’s nothing there.”

 

Zamora recalls a Bartlett interview, where the playwright said that when you stripped away all the theatricality of theater, all you are left with is the text.

 

“When you watch a sex scene, the first thing you see is the body, not even of the character but of the actor. What they’re saying in the scene comes second. For Mike [the playwright], he takes away all of that so that you’re just listening to what the characters are saying.”

 

In October last year, Red Turnip opened its maiden season with “Closer” at Hall B of Whitespace. “Cock” will be performed at the more intimate space of Hall A. Jamora, who has been part of big and small productions, says one is more vulnerable when performing in an intimate setting.

 

“When you are far away from the audience, of course, there’s the challenge of having to throw your energy and making sure it reaches the audience. When doing in-the-round, however, focus is very essential. For example, if my mother’s grinning in the audience during a very intimate scene, I can’t let that get to me and distract me.”

 

In “Cock,” the nearest person to the actor is about three feet away. “Sometimes I like that. You feel that there’s a dynamic between the actor and the audience,” adds Jamora.

 

As a director, apart from the intimacy of the setting, Zamora is concerned about the audience’s reception of the concept.

 

“Are they going to get the whole concept that the cast is acting in a vacuum? Are they going to get the little touches that we have of defining space? Or even if they don’t get that, will they be able to relate to the text? I hope they’d be able to understand the style.”

 

Intriguing subject

 

This early, “Cock” has been generating quite a buzz because of its title and intriguing subject. Jamora is excited to find out what the audience’s reaction will be.

 

“It’s possible that they will take sides, get scandalized. It’s very dynamic. The characters are very committed to what they believe in. There’s no weak character.”

 

Nowadays, unusual romantic pairings have become more accepted. The director and actress both agree that, whatever the gender orientation of the persons involved, it all boils down to the basic chemistry of attraction.

 

Presenting them in a play “just makes the issue bigger and universal,” says Zamora. “That being said, when you strip out all the labels, we all have the same problems. Mas interesting lang ‘to, otherwise, what’s there to watch?”

 

With “Cock,” Red Turnip hopes that it will get even more people into theater.

 

“Great material motivates us to pursue what we do in Red Turnip,” says Jamora. “The spectacle is not always in the grandeur of the material, but what’s in the soul of the characters onstage.”

 

Red Turnip Theater’s “Cock” will run from March 7 to April 6 at Whitespace, 2314 Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati City. Its opening gala will be on Feb. 28. On April 6, it will have a special closing gala at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through TicketWorld (8919999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph) or Red Turnip Theater ([email protected] or www.facebook.com/RedTurnipTheater). A portion of the proceeds will be used to help raise funds for LoveYourself, a nonprofit organization that helps raise HIV awareness.