PR
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has filed a resolution expressing the profound condolences of the House of Representatives on the demise of National Artist for Theater Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio.
Hailed as the “Grande Dame of Southeast Asian Children’s Theater” and “Mother of Philippine Puppetry,” Lapeña-Bonifacio was a multi-awarded playwright, author, puppeteer and educator. She passed away last December 29 at the age of 90.
“Lapeña-Bonifacio’s immense talent, artistry and passion for children’s literature, puppetry and theater made a profound impact on Philippine arts and culture, and her life and work will undoubtedly continue to inspire countless generation of artists to hone their craft and create new avenues to further explore and enrich our country’s culture, literature and tradition,” Velasco said in House Resolution No. 1470.
Born on April 4, 1930 in Binondo, Lapeña-Bonifacio studied in the University of the Philippines where she graduated in 1953 with an AB English degree.
She earned a Fulbright scholarship in 1956 and pursued further studies in the United States, obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Speech and Theatre Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1958.
Upon her return to the Philippines, she became a faculty member at her alma mater. At a time when speech and drama courses were being offered at the University’s Department of English, Lapeña-Bonifacio helped establish the UP Department of Speech and Drama in 1959, now the esteemed Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts.
In 1977, Lapeña-Bonifacio decided to stage Abadeja: Ang Ating Sinderela, a puppet play she wrote and directed based on a Visayan folktale, upon the invitation of the Department of Speech and Drama for her to present one of her plays.
Inspired by its positive reception and driven by a long-standing dream of founding a children’s theatre group and a keen interest in set design, Lapeña-Bonifacio founded Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas, the official theater company and puppetry troupe of the University of the Philippines.
With the vision of awakening children to the beauty and richness of the Philippine culture as well as other Asian cultures, Teatrong Mulat became well-known for its musical plays.
The group staged local and international performances over the years, touring the country as well as being invited to various international puppet and theatre festivals and conferences held in Japan, Russia, Indonesia, South Korea, China, India, Thailand and the United States, to name a few.
Lapeña-Bonifacio has authored an impressive body of work, including 44 plays, 136 short stories, 26 books, and one novel, as well as several poems and essays.
She has been the recipient of many well-deserved awards and accolades in her lifetime: as a student, two of her plays won awards at the Wisconsin Playwrighting Competition and staged at the University of Wisconsin Play Circle Theater; in 1995, she was given the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awarded in Literature; in 2013 and 2017, she received the Most Outstanding Citizen Award for Quezon City and the City of Manila, respectively.
In 2018, she was conferred the rank and title of National Artist, the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts, for her excellence and contributions in the field of theatre.
Lapeña-Bonifacio is survived by her husband, UP Professor Emeritus of Sociology Manuel Flores Bonifacio, PhD, her daughter, Professor Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, PhD, the current Dean of the UP College of Arts and letters, and her grandchildren.
