Robert Encila-Celdran
Born and raised in Cebu, Philippines, Robert Encila is a professional singer, actor, and certified teacher. An alumnus of the University of Arizona, he taught high school and college theater in his beloved Tucson where he also founded Studio Connections, a non-profit theater company and arts organization for children and youth. Since 1994, he has directed over a hundred productions, including some of his favorites: Chicago, Noises Off, Man of La Mancha, JB, A Man of No Importance, Pippin, America Hurrah, and Sunday in the Park with George. Robert returns to Manila with his daughter, Maya, a budding triple-threat performer who is currently cast in David Henry-Hwang’s M. Butterfly, produced by Frontrow Entertainment and Tony and Grammy Award-winning producer Jhett Tolentino. Robert is a freelance musician and a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association.
BWW Review: Sing Your Heart Out, Enjoy BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Sing-Along Version
BWW Review: DUP's NANA ROSA Is Alternately Mournful And Optimistic
BWW Review: Superb Cast, Serviceable Script Mark The World Premiere of ALL OUT OF LOVE, The Musical
BWW Review: CARRIE, A Bedeviled Material Given Every Ounce of Emotional Commitment
BWW Interview: Broadway Producer Jhett Tolentino Talks M. BUTTERFLY Philippine Tour, LINGUA FRANCA & HERE LIES LOVE on Broadway
BWW Review: Atlantis Theatrical Crafts A Polished Rendition of MILLENNIUM APPROACHESBWW Review: Atlantis Theatrical Crafts A Polished Rendition of MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
March 28, 2019
Acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl began her career as an avid consumer of other people's works. A church in Chicago was the unlikely venue of her first encounter with 'Angels in America,' where she gushed about Tony Kushner's work for its 'seriousness, endurance, political engagement, and language.'
BWW Review: DUP's NANA ROSA Is Alternately Mournful And Optimistic
March 8, 2019
Stay woke, as it were, while a new battle is waged and revisionist delusions are trending. On that note, leave it to war-crime apologists to rely on well-worn talking points to keep the beasts of old from rearing their noggin.
BWW Interview: Broadway Producer Jhett Tolentino Talks M. BUTTERFLY Philippine Tour, LINGUA FRANCA & HERE LIES LOVE on Broadway
January 14, 2019
If diligence is the mother of good luck, it makes sense that good karma succeeds right action. Accordingly, Jhett Tolentino personifies the insight of Benjamin Franklin's instructive aphorism. The Grammy and three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer (“A Gentleman's Guide to Love And Murder,” “A Raisin In the Sun”) is unflagging in his pursuit of excellence. His inspirational career (“behind the scenes,” as he likes to point out) anchors on the abiding tenet of managing opportunity with painstaking research.
BWW Review: Sing Your Heart Out, Enjoy BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Sing-Along Version
November 13, 2018
The sing-along version of the film 'Bohemian Rhapsody' arrives as a boon to Queen fans nationwide. Whether you're a die-hard follower or a hapless non-singer, the projected lyrics on the big screen make it a difficult invitation to resist.
BWW Review: CARRIE, A Bedeviled Material Given Every Ounce of Emotional Commitment
November 13, 2018
Sneer if you must, but it seems 'Carrie, The Musical' keeps finding an agreeable audience. The cult classic has endured all manner of critical rebuke and inspired a few vicious parodies along the way. But certain companies remain undaunted, hell-bent on resurrecting a departed and beleaguered heroine (who'd just as soon stay invisible if she had any choice in the matter).
BWW Review: Superb Cast, Serviceable Script Mark The World Premiere of ALL OUT OF LOVE, The Musical
October 22, 2018
Lonesome is the perch where this avid music fan must critique a genre consumed by a devout subculture. Musical taste is a subjective value, which ought to render all taste buds sacrosanct and perhaps left alone. The task is more involved when said genre becomes a basis for an international musical.
BWW Review: A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2, A Fine Tribute To A Great Literary Classic
September 19, 2018
George Bernard Shaw is believed to have given his stamp of approval on one of the theater's most famous acts of defiance. He called it 'the door slam heard around the world.'
BWW Review: SIDE SHOW Delivers A Spirited Performance Worthy of a Packed Run
September 4, 2018
It's a fitting irony that Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group commences its season with 'Side Show,' a relatively untapped musical in contemporary theater canon. It's a gutsy show, flaunting with unabashed elan the grim underbelly of circus entertainment.
BWW Review: Eheads Fan or Not, Find Time to Watch ANG HULING EL BIMBO
August 2, 2018
Whether you're up for it or not, jukebox musicals are back in full swing. The genre assumes a new swagger--aimed not merely to regale, but ostensibly to prove artistic legitimacy.
BWW Interview: Acclaimed Film-Stage Director Kanakan-Balintagos Talks M. BUTTERFLY; Show Premieres 9/13
July 31, 2018
A prolific dramatist, Tennessee Williams proved most succinct in declaring an ironic dictum: A play does not exist until it's on the stage.
BWW Interview: SPAMALOT's George Schulze Talks Life As An Actor
April 9, 2018
He bears the countenance of an artist on a mission and speaks with the fluency of a refined gentleman. You might infer his self-assurance as a product of rigorous training, but George Schulze has been exuding cool confidence long before his introduction to the theater.
In the Spotlight: Philippine Stagers Foundation's Widespread Appeal Among School-based Audiences
March 25, 2018
It's in the spirit of the arts as a conduit for education that I found myself drawn to the theater for young audiences, with a particular interest in the work of Atty. Vincent Tañada and the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF). Tañada's work--as it relates to the current demands for the arts in schools--will be my main focus of this discussion.
BWW Review: SILENT SKY Gathers Women With Requisite Blend of Grace and Ferociousness
March 7, 2018
Chalk it up to antiquated gender politics that a woman must shatter a glass ceiling to validate her achievement. Despite a long history of injustice, the establishment is relatively unscathed and rarely accountable.
Globe LIVE, 9 Works Theatrical Bring Back A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/7-27
December 27, 2017
In upholding the Christmas tradition, the Philippines is without peer among nations. Let the world tend to its business while local radio begins the celebration with a Yuletide playlist--on the first of September.
BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Is Big-Hearted In Many Aspects
December 16, 2017
If it's true about Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year, Manila's theater fans may add to their list of good tidings a promising new tradition courtesy of Globe LIVE and 9 Works Theatrical.
Globe LIVE, 9 Works Theatrical Bring Back A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/7-27
November 16, 2017
In upholding the Christmas tradition, the Philippines is without peer among nations. Let the world tend to its business while local radio begins the celebration with a Yuletide playlist--on the first of September.
BWW Interview: Cara Barredo Talks Career Path, The Legacy of HAIR
November 14, 2017
Cara Barredo is one such player who comes prepared for artistic challenges, whose work inspires the artistic circle and the audiences who get to see her in action. Granted, an actor's protest is buffered by a certain aesthetic distance, but Cara, the woman behind many roles, is quick to affirm her passion for an ideal world order.
BWW Review: OBRA NI JUAN Delivers Devastating, Moving Homage to Tragic Hero
September 9, 2017
You'd be hard-pressed to find a busier man in the industry than Vince Tanada. Now in his 16th year as the president and founding artistic director of the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF), he also serves as the company's creative heartbeat--writing and directing productions with a history of reaching far-flung viewers. Just when you think he's due for a well-deserved sabbatical, Tanada is back with a major theater project as though he was checking a mere deadline from his law office (yes, he's still an attorney). From the looks of it, there's no sign of the playwright letting up; in fact, 'Obra ni Juan' shows all the signs of another critical renown.
BWW Review: BLACKBIRD Disturbs, Asks The Most Urgent Questions
September 3, 2017
Most of us probably harbor an old skeleton or two, though we see no urgent reason to empty that closet before we can go about our business. Secrets are part of the dubious norm we share.
RWM Places Its Bet on Family-Friendly Musical CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
August 28, 2017
If timing is everything, wisdom is the impulse to tighten the cue or the restraint to yield the appropriate pause. It's one of the hallmarks of a seasoned thespian.
March 28, 2019
Acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl began her career as an avid consumer of other people's works. A church in Chicago was the unlikely venue of her first encounter with 'Angels in America,' where she gushed about Tony Kushner's work for its 'seriousness, endurance, political engagement, and language.'
BWW Review: DUP's NANA ROSA Is Alternately Mournful And Optimistic
March 8, 2019
Stay woke, as it were, while a new battle is waged and revisionist delusions are trending. On that note, leave it to war-crime apologists to rely on well-worn talking points to keep the beasts of old from rearing their noggin.
BWW Interview: Broadway Producer Jhett Tolentino Talks M. BUTTERFLY Philippine Tour, LINGUA FRANCA & HERE LIES LOVE on Broadway
January 14, 2019
If diligence is the mother of good luck, it makes sense that good karma succeeds right action. Accordingly, Jhett Tolentino personifies the insight of Benjamin Franklin's instructive aphorism. The Grammy and three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer (“A Gentleman's Guide to Love And Murder,” “A Raisin In the Sun”) is unflagging in his pursuit of excellence. His inspirational career (“behind the scenes,” as he likes to point out) anchors on the abiding tenet of managing opportunity with painstaking research.
BWW Review: Sing Your Heart Out, Enjoy BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Sing-Along Version
November 13, 2018
The sing-along version of the film 'Bohemian Rhapsody' arrives as a boon to Queen fans nationwide. Whether you're a die-hard follower or a hapless non-singer, the projected lyrics on the big screen make it a difficult invitation to resist.
BWW Review: CARRIE, A Bedeviled Material Given Every Ounce of Emotional Commitment
November 13, 2018
Sneer if you must, but it seems 'Carrie, The Musical' keeps finding an agreeable audience. The cult classic has endured all manner of critical rebuke and inspired a few vicious parodies along the way. But certain companies remain undaunted, hell-bent on resurrecting a departed and beleaguered heroine (who'd just as soon stay invisible if she had any choice in the matter).
BWW Review: Superb Cast, Serviceable Script Mark The World Premiere of ALL OUT OF LOVE, The Musical
October 22, 2018
Lonesome is the perch where this avid music fan must critique a genre consumed by a devout subculture. Musical taste is a subjective value, which ought to render all taste buds sacrosanct and perhaps left alone. The task is more involved when said genre becomes a basis for an international musical.
BWW Review: A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2, A Fine Tribute To A Great Literary Classic
September 19, 2018
George Bernard Shaw is believed to have given his stamp of approval on one of the theater's most famous acts of defiance. He called it 'the door slam heard around the world.'
BWW Review: SIDE SHOW Delivers A Spirited Performance Worthy of a Packed Run
September 4, 2018
It's a fitting irony that Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group commences its season with 'Side Show,' a relatively untapped musical in contemporary theater canon. It's a gutsy show, flaunting with unabashed elan the grim underbelly of circus entertainment.
BWW Review: Eheads Fan or Not, Find Time to Watch ANG HULING EL BIMBO
August 2, 2018
Whether you're up for it or not, jukebox musicals are back in full swing. The genre assumes a new swagger--aimed not merely to regale, but ostensibly to prove artistic legitimacy.
BWW Interview: Acclaimed Film-Stage Director Kanakan-Balintagos Talks M. BUTTERFLY; Show Premieres 9/13
July 31, 2018
A prolific dramatist, Tennessee Williams proved most succinct in declaring an ironic dictum: A play does not exist until it's on the stage.
BWW Interview: SPAMALOT's George Schulze Talks Life As An Actor
April 9, 2018
He bears the countenance of an artist on a mission and speaks with the fluency of a refined gentleman. You might infer his self-assurance as a product of rigorous training, but George Schulze has been exuding cool confidence long before his introduction to the theater.
In the Spotlight: Philippine Stagers Foundation's Widespread Appeal Among School-based Audiences
March 25, 2018
It's in the spirit of the arts as a conduit for education that I found myself drawn to the theater for young audiences, with a particular interest in the work of Atty. Vincent Tañada and the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF). Tañada's work--as it relates to the current demands for the arts in schools--will be my main focus of this discussion.
BWW Review: SILENT SKY Gathers Women With Requisite Blend of Grace and Ferociousness
March 7, 2018
Chalk it up to antiquated gender politics that a woman must shatter a glass ceiling to validate her achievement. Despite a long history of injustice, the establishment is relatively unscathed and rarely accountable.
Globe LIVE, 9 Works Theatrical Bring Back A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/7-27
December 27, 2017
In upholding the Christmas tradition, the Philippines is without peer among nations. Let the world tend to its business while local radio begins the celebration with a Yuletide playlist--on the first of September.
BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Is Big-Hearted In Many Aspects
December 16, 2017
If it's true about Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year, Manila's theater fans may add to their list of good tidings a promising new tradition courtesy of Globe LIVE and 9 Works Theatrical.
Globe LIVE, 9 Works Theatrical Bring Back A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/7-27
November 16, 2017
In upholding the Christmas tradition, the Philippines is without peer among nations. Let the world tend to its business while local radio begins the celebration with a Yuletide playlist--on the first of September.
BWW Interview: Cara Barredo Talks Career Path, The Legacy of HAIR
November 14, 2017
Cara Barredo is one such player who comes prepared for artistic challenges, whose work inspires the artistic circle and the audiences who get to see her in action. Granted, an actor's protest is buffered by a certain aesthetic distance, but Cara, the woman behind many roles, is quick to affirm her passion for an ideal world order.
BWW Review: OBRA NI JUAN Delivers Devastating, Moving Homage to Tragic Hero
September 9, 2017
You'd be hard-pressed to find a busier man in the industry than Vince Tanada. Now in his 16th year as the president and founding artistic director of the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF), he also serves as the company's creative heartbeat--writing and directing productions with a history of reaching far-flung viewers. Just when you think he's due for a well-deserved sabbatical, Tanada is back with a major theater project as though he was checking a mere deadline from his law office (yes, he's still an attorney). From the looks of it, there's no sign of the playwright letting up; in fact, 'Obra ni Juan' shows all the signs of another critical renown.
BWW Review: BLACKBIRD Disturbs, Asks The Most Urgent Questions
September 3, 2017
Most of us probably harbor an old skeleton or two, though we see no urgent reason to empty that closet before we can go about our business. Secrets are part of the dubious norm we share.
RWM Places Its Bet on Family-Friendly Musical CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
August 28, 2017
If timing is everything, wisdom is the impulse to tighten the cue or the restraint to yield the appropriate pause. It's one of the hallmarks of a seasoned thespian.
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