WE have come to know Lou Veloso as Mr. Harry Truman and a comedian. In Sta. Ana Manila, Lou Veloso is known as a Councilor, a teacher and a thespian.

Luciano Veloso was born in Pasay City. In college Lou took odd jobs ranging from being a dishwasher, a cigarette vendor, an assistant chemist and a medical technologist.

It was in 1975 when he joined a theater group based in Fort Santiago. He stayed with the group for five years and then moved on to join the University of the Philppines Babaylan Theater Group. Behn Cervantes, Doreen Fernandez and Nick Tiongson became his mentors. He also spent 5 years at the Metropolitan Theater where he had the opportunity to collaborate with the late Rene Requiestas.

He became a household name when he became Mr Truman opposite Nanette Inventor in a sitcom called UFO.

He is living in Sta. Ana for more than 20 years now. He then went into politics in the hope of providing revenues for the arts. He believes art can be a venue for non formal education. And Tanghalang Sta. Ana is a living testament of this belief.

Tanghalang Sta. Ana was his brainchild. It started as a small community group and now it had grown to accommodate students, out-of-school youth, teachers and drivers in its membership. Lou could not help but gush on how the simple folk are transformed by theater.

Presently, the group even have their own studio theater right in Plaza Hugo. It was a former mini-community warehouse which they all helped clean up, paint and transform into a theater-in-the round. It seats 150 people and is a smaller version of the Cultural Center’s Huseng Batute theater. It also doubles as an office, a small gallery and a workshop and seminar venue. The main plaza is also an alternative production area but is not as controlled as the studio theater.

Founding, and managing a theater group much more a community-based theater is really a big challenge. The group had to churn out ideas on how to sustain their operations and not having to totally depend on ticket sales. Theater is still marginal compared to television and film.

Each year, the company mounts Martir sa Gologota, a cenakulo type of production. The play has a distinctive community flavor to it. The approach is to show in parallel the sufferings and death of Christ with the trials of the contemporary Filipino. Now in its 18th year, the contemporary discussion centers on rallies and protests.

A number of mainstream actors have joined the production for free. In the past, Alma Concepcion played Mary Magdalene, Bodjie Pascua as John the Baptist, the theater actor Richard Signey as Jesus Christ, newscaster Candace Giron as Veronica, Ricky Davao and Yul Servo have both played Pontius Pilate.

This year is no different. Russel Sorillo is going to play the Christ. Celebrities who are part of the production includes Tommy Abuel as Pontius Pilate, Ivy Violan as the Virgin Mary, Jenine Desiderio as Mary Magdalene, Bodjie Pascua as John the Baptist, Miguel Castro as the Angel and Juan dela Cruz, Allan Mirasol as Judas, Roanne Mallari as the hemorraghic, and Ces Aldaba as Caiphas.

Significantly, the play has evolved to become a musical. Vince de Jesus, a composer and arranger for theater, television and movie productions has created five new songs.

Martir sa Golgota is performed not only in Sta. Ana Manila. Communities of Pagsanjan, Laguna, San Juan, and other Metro Manila venues will be able to witness the passion and death of Jesus Christ.