On December 12, 2024, Teatro Punlahi’s play, “A Father’s Promise,” hit the stage as the senior  high school organization’s first theater production of the school year. The play, much like a  musical, exhibited the many talents of its members through their impeccable acting, singing, and  storytelling. With its plot centered around the challenges a family has to go through during the  Christmas season, along with the need for hope and each other, the play dazzled the audience  and set the mood for an auspicious Christmas. 

Behind the curtains that  graced the St. Ambrose  Theater, Venus Valencia  (Director) shared her experiences in preparing this  Christmas-themed play. She  noted how the preliminaries done to create “A Father’s  Promise” had some ups and  downs, with some issues  including conflicting rehearsal  schedules. The schedule was  more packed compared to  the previous year, and they  were only able to use the  theater— the actual venue of  the production— for practice  for only three days. Besides  that, there have also been  some struggles when it came  to brainstorming what the  organization wanted to present  to the school during Christmas.  

Valencia remarked, “We wanted  something simple but also  impactful in a way to introduce  Teatro 2025 before jubilation.” On a lighter note, plenty of  enjoyable moments behind  the scenes made watching the  finished product all the more  satisfying to the members. The Teatro organization could  lean on each other for support  and guidance, and the prior  Teatro Punlahi presidents could  visit and assist in the current  production. The Tech Dress  Rehearsals (TDR) were also very  fulfilling for the members. In  every TDR, the cultivation of the  actors’ performances was clear  to see and the play was slowly  able to come to fruition. Truly, “A Father’s Promise”  encapsulates all of the  

creativity, passion, and effort of Teatro Punlahi, and  despite some of the hurdles  encountered, it became a play  that could definitely introduce  this year’s Teatro organization  to the school. Given the live  reaction of the audience, it is  safe to say that the play was  a success and CSA can  look forward to SHS Teatro Punlahi’s next productions in the years to come.