'AN ACTOR CAN DO ANYTHING!"--- MASANORI MENTUDA

masanori: "no small or big roles for a theater actor"

masanori: trained under the "GTF 4 classics"

Actors plays a very important part in the society. They are our reflections, our mirrors, our souls. They transform lives, they inspire, they motivate,  And no matter what they say, an actor's life is far too emotional than anyone else. It's like, laughing on the outside but crying on the inside.

And now, there's a raw and fresh young theater actor that caught our attention on one cozy afternoon during the rehearsals of Gantimpala Theater Foundation's EL FILIBUSTERISMO-, a rather low-key and humble play under the direction of Jose Jeffrey Camanag. And that actor, an unassuming one but so dedicated in his craft, would steal your glances and provoke your feelings in one heavy scene of the play.

His name: MASANORI MENTUDA.

And how lucky could he be, because director Jeffrey chose him to play a part in the play that would highlight the lead character's great pains, anger, passion and redemption. The dialogue was heavy and real. The overpowering emotions were so intense for an actor to portray...

Wherein his head could only be seen in the middle of a table. Almost like a magician's act and under the spell of the avenging lead character. So powerful, indeed.

"I am the man named Imathis in this play, the avenging spirit in a carnival act choreographed by Simoun", Masanori said at the start of an interview. "Under the provocation of Simoun (the play's lead character), I will tell his life like a spirit and a ghost of Crisostomo Ibarra, who happens to be Simoun also. The spectators will all cuddle in great fear as I narrate his life. And as an actor, doing that part offers a lot of challenges."

"You see, Sir, there's no small part or big part for an actor", Masanori continued to say. "No matter how big or how small your part is, as long as you did your best, you will get noticed somewhere along the way.

"An actor can do anything!", he further quipped. "An actor can offer anything and actor is willing to do it for Arts' sake. It's our job to give life to a role being given to us."

Now on his late 20's,  he started it out in the year 2012 (seven years ago) by joining the Gantimpala Theater Foundation's Acting Workshop at that time. 

"My mentor there was no less than Roeder Camanag, who happens to be director Jeffrey's older bro", Masanori reminisced. "The recital of our acting workshop at that time was the play Ibong Adarna.  Then came my first participation in a legitimate theater play that happened to be Florante at Laura, and I played the young Adolfo character on that play. After that, nag-tuloy-tuloy na ang pagiging theater actor ko. Nothing stopped me, because I really loved it."

Masanori's father is a Japanese, and his mom is a Filipina. But you would never doubt his Filipino ways, attitudes and manners. For us, he is more of a Filipino than a Japanese.

"I also spent quite a number of years to further prove that", came Masanori's last words. "And to convince them that I can do a role perfectly, I gained their confidence in the end. It's the director who knows what is fit to you. If director Jeffrey put me to portray the Imathis role, maybe he knows why. Actors like me only earn what they deserve."

And in whatever personal pains that theater actors - in the backstage, in the out-stage, or right there in the very center stage- it's only the pains that somehow could make them better- FOREVER.




(as written by robert manuguid silverio)

masanori with his director jeffrey camanag and a friend

masanori with his mentor roeder camanag and a female friend

masanori with fellow theater actors

masanori during an event at cinemalaya film festival with veteran film actors