Zarzuela de Tigbaueña

TEATRO HANDURAWAN kang TIGBAWAN

Founded 31 March 2008, Teatro Handurawan kang Tigbawan is a music theater company composed of students in all educational levels, teachers in service and teacher retirees; Manila-based Tigbauan artists; culture movers and arts aficionados. In Hiniray-a & Hiligaynon, handurawan means memory and imagination. Teatro Han- durawan kang Tigbawan seeks to recover the memory and imagination of legend that was Tigbauan through the revival of the town’s long-vanished traditions and creative industries. Beginning with the revival of zarzuela Tigbauena as its centerpiece project, the music theater company will eventually evolve a holistic approach to community building through its advocacies in arts appreciation & culture development, environment protection & conservation, values formation & spirituality.

Fiesta de Zarzuela Tigbaueña

Tigbauan, Iloilo

Seven new one-act zarzuelas in Hiniray-a with music ranging from traditional & folk melodies to pop & rock to rap & hip hop were created by the town’s writers, performed by students and teachers and presented free to the public during the two-week festival celebrating the past, present and future of Tigbauan in particular and Iloilo in general.


AH…GALEH?! (AH…IS THAT SOH?!) the failures and triumphs of high school kids wrought in pop rock rhythm by librettist/lyricist Rhea Mae Catera. Tigbauan’s acclaimed pop rock band Dahon Kamote (Kamote Leaf) rendered the rumbling music.

ANG KAMAKAMA (THE DWARF) is a zarzuela for children that sings of oneness with Nature and respect for other beings. It also a musical lesson on healing herbs and advocates homeopathy. Libretto and lyrics by Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento set to traditional and folk melodies.

450 CC., DUGO NGA PUTI (450 CC., BLOOD PLASMA) reports the town’s first death by dengue. It also informs the audience about the killer Aedis Aegypti and how to combat it. Libretto and lyrics by Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento set to traditional and folk melodies. Its finale rap elicited raves from the audience.

ANG PAGKATAWO NI HESU KRISTO SUNO KAY MATEO, LUKAS KAG IBAN PA NGA MGA SAKSI (THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, LUKE AND OTHER WITNESSES) is a contemporary reconstruction of the 1930’s zarzuela Tigbauena performed during Christmas. Set to traditional lyrics and music of Tigbauan’s da-igon (carol) with libretto by Henry C. Tejero. The Shepherds’ Song was blown up in hip hop.




HANDUM KAG KABUHI NI PFC. ELISEO GONZALES TEJERO, 1942 (HOPE AND LIFE OF PFC. ELISEO GONZALES TEJERO, 1942) the nobility and courage of the Tigbaueno during the Death March from Bataan to Tarlac revealed when Eliseo’s straggler best friend Tony returns and recalls their ordeal. Libretto & lyrics by Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento set to traditional and folk melodies arranged by Rhoel Rae Saba. Its theme song Adios, Amigo (Goodbye, Friend) was inspired by a birdcall and composed by Tejero Torrento herself and also arranged by Saba.

ANG MAESTRA (THE TEACHER) about the struggles and sacrifices of a teacher who gave up her love for the sake of her seven siblings whom she vowed to see through college. Libretto & lyrics by Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento set to traditional and folk melodies arranged by Anselmo Patriarca.
ANG SUGUILANON (THE STORY) retells the legend of Tigbauan through three sisters and a boy friend reminiscing about the good old days and the stories of their spinster aunt Tiya Celia. Libretto, lyrics & music by Rhoel Rae Saba.