SUNSET BOULEVARD: COC’S ODE TO FEMINISM

by Francesca Magtanong

The College of Communication of New Era University presented its rendition of Sunset Boulevard last September 2017 during the first semester of the school year.  The production was the culminating activity of the performance class of the sophomores.

Sunset Boulevard spelled on-screen as “Sunset Blvd.”  was a 1950’s American film directed and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was named after the thoroughfare that runs through Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California. The film had musical adaptation with the same title with the book written by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber,  staged in 1993 in London.  The story of Sunset Blvd. is about a screenwriter hired to rework a faded silent film star's script, only to find himself developing a dangerous relationship with her. It is a classic black comedy/drama, and perhaps the most acclaimed, but darkest film-noir story about "behind the scenes" Hollywood, self-deceit, spiritual and spatial emptiness, and the price of fame, greed, narcissism, and ambition. The lead character, Norma Desmond,  was the film's  tour de force who did the most intense scenes in the play. In the sense, girl power.

Janella de Leon as Norma Desmond

The College of Communication paid its homage to the said project by adapting it using the exceptional talents it had. Janella de Leon was Norma Desmond. She played the role with justice. Everyone who watched the CoC musical was impressed with her performance. She sustained the intensity and passion required by the role. She was consistent and steadfast throughout the play.

Underneath, the choice of Sunset Boulevard as the piece to be staged by the sophomores was a positive indication of women empowerment highly regarded by the college. This musical paved the way for female talents in the college to shine extra brightly that night and be looked up to in the days to come. In the past, musicals staged by Communication students were often about love teams where the significance of the roles were equally represented by both the male and female lead stars. Sunset Boulevard was very different from the rest, ultimately because the main character was a multi-faceted woman who owned the limelight with some of the best and most intense scenes and performances seen in the theater world.

Through this musical, the college and even the whole of university saw that the women of the College of Communication, represented by Janella de Leon at the time, were very talented, very passionate in their work, well-rounded and should be taken really seriously. Women of Coc mean business. They work hard and do whatever it takes to be the best they can be. Thankfully, the college not only supports them, but also showcase them. When Sunset Boulevard was handed down to the sophomores, it was not even a challenge at all but a “hair flip” moment of acceptance and dedication.

Not only Janella shone during the musical, it is also right to give credit to all the cast members of the play, women most of them. Both men and women did their parts really well. The show was a success owing it to the collective effort of the actors and offstage staff. The technical team was an all female group. Who said only men can facilitate the lights and audios? The stage design team was mostly composed of female students as well. These women strongly carried heavy furniture and props in and out of the stage as the scenes required in a matter of seconds. In the College of Communication, men and women are equal, equally trusted and expected to thrive. Women with remarkable  talents and skills are commended just as good as how men are applauded.

Actors during rehearsal

Set Design Team

Technical Team

The College of Communication is a neutral ground to showcase what you got and enjoy the glory of it. Why not, when the program itself is all about honing the students’ communication skills intended for an all-inclusive society. As compared to other colleges like the College of Criminology and the College of Engineering where men are the more dominant population, the College of Communication is mostly composed of women. It says a lot. Here you are not judged and rated according to your gender but according to your work and attitude. Here you are trusted with tasks that both men and women can do equally well but maybe with different strategies. 

The College of Communication is known to be the noisiest college in the campus. An attribute directly linked to being a woman. We don’t recognize it as noise but simply “voice”. Noise is something that harms and merely dismissable, voice is the power to speak up and be heard. The women and men of the College of Communication may have created noise for some, but they are noises that matter.

Sunrise Production