Arts & Culture
Make Your Summer Memorable With 2TinCans’ Musical Theatre Workshops
Learn the paces of theatre through body movement, vocal workout, storytelling, and drama improvisation, culminating in stage performances of Broadway classics and contemporary showtunes with Cebu’s premier theatre company.

School’s out, it’s showtime!
Develop your child’s imagination and self-confidence in a summer to remember. The 2TinCans Theatre Lab, the educational and professionalization arm of homegrown production house 2TinCans Philippines, will be launching a series of Summer Musical Theatre Workshops beginning in April.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Davelyn Cuenco, Zyradee Ramos, Sharlene Racoma, Dion Cecilio, Christian Niño Luy, Benjun Yu, Alem Garcia, Dave Feril, Dan Michael Sindajan, Chiqui Cañete, Shiella Pestaño Gemperoa, Joer Gallur, Vincent Gaton, Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, Tiffany Neri, Laurie Grace Tul-id, and Charlene Virlouvet.
Taught by theatre artists led by 2TinCans’ producing artistic director Sarah Mae EnclonaHenderson, the month-long workshops will instill habits of self-discipline through body movement, vocal workout, storytelling, and drama improvisation.
Thrice a week, in two-and-a-half-hour sessions, students are put through their paces in all aspects of musical theatre, including acting, dancing, and singing. The workshops culminate in the students’ very own stage performances of Broadway classics and contemporary showtunes. From lights to sound to stage management, every aspect of these productions is run by a professional team of experienced theatre specialists.
2TinCans Theater Lab’s Summer Musical Theatre Workshops are not only about performance, but about supporting and encouraging students. They provide a safe and supportive environment for people to exchange ideas, express themselves and, most importantly, be themselves.
The workshops will be held at the Cube Wing Atrium of SM Seaside City Cebu, and at the UV New School of Art & Design (UVNS) in Banilad.
Workshops at SM Seaside City Cebu are open to kids. Dates are from April 17 to May 6, May 8 to May 27, May 29 to June 17, and June 19 to July 8. At UVNS, the first batch kicks off on May 7 to June 1, followed by subsequent batches on June 4 to June 29, and July 2 to 27. Besides children, UVNS will also be offering workshops for teenagers and adults.
2TinCans Theatre Lab is also set to offer theatre courses to senior high students at UVNS starting August 2018.
Enroll by calling 6332. 516 2802 or +63 917 896 2181 or e-mailing plays@2tincans.ph. For more information and updates, visit the 2TinCans Philippines website, or check them them on Facebook.
Arts & Culture
Chaos and Clarity: Zen Aesthetic in Oj Hofer’s Art

by Jing Ramos |
Oj Hofer, our fashion contributing editor, is a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines. Though he began painting at the age of eight, his artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2013. While volunteering as a costume designer for Siddhartha: The Musical, he encountered Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy, sparking a deep devotion to Japanese sumi-e painting and kanji calligraphy. Over the years, he refined his craft, using his art to share the Dharma through exhibitions while supporting the Hsing Yun Educational Foundation. In 2022, his spiritual path deepened at Nan Tien University, where he embraced Zen and Humanistic Buddhism, shaping his artistic philosophy.

“Plum Blossoms in Moonlight.” Serigraphy on abaca.
In his recent works, Hofer merges traditional calligraphy with serigraphy, drawing inspiration from his friend Charles Lahti—an internationally recognized New York-based painter and printmaker. Lahti, known for his collaborations with post-war American artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, and LeRoy Neiman, introduced Hofer to silkscreen techniques. Through a workshop Lahti conducted in Cebu—arranged by their mutual friend Greg Urra—Hofer integrated silkscreen into his Zen artworks, particularly those on abaca.

“The Circle of Harmony” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.
Hofer’s cross-disciplinary approach challenges conventional Zen aesthetics. His layered paintings on abaca may seem far from tranquil at first glance, but closer contemplation reveals a meditative core. His serigraph of an Enso circle, for example, initially appears chaotic, filled with Tang Dynasty poetry and overlapping, repetitive forms. Yet, by focusing on a single calligraphic element, the viewer experiences a moment of clarity—a glimpse of awakening within the visual complexity.

“Monkey Mind” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.
Even more engaging is his diptych Monkey Mind. At odds with the traditional Zen emphasis on negative space, this piece is deliberately busy, reflecting the restless nature of the mind. A distracted viewer may struggle to find a focal point, but one attuned to emptiness and presence will perceive clarity amidst the seeming disarray.

Ink and intention—creating calligraphy in support of one of my advocacies.
By fusing Zen philosophy with the discipline of serigraphy, Hofer invites his audience to look beyond surface impressions and discover stillness within movement, balance within complexity. His art does not merely depict Zen—it embodies the paradoxes at its core, offering a path to mindfulness through the act of seeing and the experience of doing.
Arts & Culture
What is Sappia? The Rice Myth Goddess of Bohol Who Helped Feed the People During a Great Famine

by Emma Gomez
The story began when the people of Bohol started to experience hunger and famine. All the livestocks were inedible and the fields were dried out leaving only weeds planted on the ground. The people prayed to the goddess of mercy, Sappia, to ask for food.

Sappia, the rice myth goddess of Bohol
Sappia, from the heavens, heard the cries of the people. She saw the dense population of weeds and offered to help them. Sappia thought of nourishing the weeds to be edible and healthy for the people of Bohol. Straightaway, she sprinkled the weed with milk from her bossom. She emptied each breast until blood came out. Before she left, she whispered to the weeds that they may be nourished and be able to feed the people.
When harvest season came, the people of Bohol quickly gathered the nourished weeds. They observed that the ones sprinkled with milk were white, while the other were red. They called the new plant rice and they replanted these in honor of Sappia, and for the people to devour.
Arts & Culture
Kimsoy’s Canvas of a Lifetime in Full Display

by Diana Gillo
There is nothing more fascinating than seeing an artist’s lifetime of work in one room. Such is the experience in Jose “Kimsoy” Yap’s third solo exhibit entitled “Kimsoy: Episodes of Mastery,” at Galerie Raphael Cebu. This serves as the truest form of homage to his enduring journey, showcasing works that span over decades.

Kimsoy with his student and muse, Zhara Rivera Mercado, at the entrance of Galerie Raphael
The exhibit speaks greatly of Kimsoy’s evolution as an artist, with his shifting mediums and remarkable variety of subjects. His creations range from heartfelt portraits of individuals he encountered along his journey to detailed landscapes inspired by the different walks of his life. The room’s layout carries the weight of his years of craft with one wall lined with pastels, another with watercolors, and another with oil painting.

As the River Flows Onward by Kimsoy Yap 2020 | Oil on canvas | 82×48 inches
The exhibit transcends beyond just the commemoration of Kimsoy’s masterful periods. It wanders more into a sense of intimacy reflecting Kimsoy’s life’s journey—from his roots as a young boy in Negros Oriental, through his pursuit of greater artistic mastery in New York, to his prominence in Cebu’s art scene. All his work freehanded, created both with his left and right hand, depicts the ways in which we all leave traces of ourselves in our work and in the world.

A Friend of Mine 1979 | watercolor on paper | 24×18 inches

In a Relaxed Mood 1977 | water color on paper | 16×19.5 inches
The opening ceremony featured Ambassador Jose Mari Cariño, alongside special guests Ivy Ang Gabas, Paolo Li, Angbetic Tan, Laurie Bouquiren of the Visayas Art Fair, and Valerie Go of Galerie Raphael Cebu. The exhibit is open until March 21, 2025.
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