Nicanor G. Tiongson is a critic, creative writer and academic from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. He holds a Bachelor of Humanities degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Philippine Studies from the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

. A founding member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Tiongson is currently Professor Emeritus of

Film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and Audio-visual Communication at the College of Mass Communication in U.P. Diliman. Tiongson was a visiting professor at Osaka University of Foreign Studies in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

; and

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

Visiting Professor at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

;

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

;

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

; and

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Manoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...

. Tiongson also received an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

Cultural Award for his extensive research on Philippine culture, resulting in two works on Philippine

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

: ''Kasaysayan at Estetika ng Sinakulo at Ibang Dulang Panrelihiyon sa Malolos'' and ''Kasaysayan ng Komedya sa Pilipinas''. Tiongson was vice-president and artistic director of the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) established to preserve, develop and promote Arts in the Philippines, arts and Culture of the Philippines, culture in the Philippines.Presid ...

(CCP) from 1986 to 1994. Tiongson was also the Philippine Director of ''Sangandaan 2003'', a cultural commemoration that highlighted the arts and media produced by

Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...

, Americans and

Filipino-American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

s in the course of Philippine-U.S. relations from 1899 to 2002. During his short term as director of the

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB; ; is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion p ...

(MTRCB), Tiongson played a role in the controversy surrounding a film popularly known as ''Live Show''. The film, directed by

Jose Javier Reyes Jose "Joey" Javier Reyes (born October 21, 1954) is a Filipino director, screenwriter, lyricist, and actor. He has won awards at the Gawad Urian, Metro Manila Film Festival and Filipino Star Awards for Movies for his films, which include ''Pa ...

, focused on performing women and men who engaged in sex acts onstage at some night clubs in the

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

area.

Live Show Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

was banned after Cardinal Archbishop

Jaime Sin Jaime Cardinal Lachica Sin, ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and also formally known as Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardina ...

of Manila denounced the film and labeled it "immoral" and "in violation of the campaign for moral reform." Tiongson resigned shortly after Philippine President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

banned ''Live Show'', and noted his conviction that the President had been pressured by influential Filipino members of the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Church. Tiongson has taught Philippine

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, and general

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

at the

, the Ateneo de Manila University,

De La Salle University-Manila De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private university, private, Catholic Church, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main ...

, the

and the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. He also taught Filipino and Philippine

at the College of Arts and Letters,

from 1974 to 1986. Among the books he edited are: ''The Cultural Traditional Media of ASEAN'', ''The Urian Anthology'', the ''Politics of Culture: The Philippine Experience'', ''Tuklas Sining'', and the 10-volume ''CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art''. For his publications, he has received five

National Book Awards The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

from the Manila Critics Circle and two ''Surian ng Wikang Pambansa'' awards. Tiongson was criticized for his opposition to the proposal of bestowing the National Artist honor to the late

Dolphy Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (July 25, 1928 – July 10, 2012), known professionally as Dolphy, was a Filipino comedian and actor. He is widely regarded as the country's "King of Comedy" for his comedic talent embodied by his long roster of works ...

. The incident was vividly recalled by National Artist for Theater Cecilia Guidote-Alvarez wherein Tiongson "stood violently" and protested passionately on the proposal. Tiongson admitted that he had reservations on the installation of Dolphy with the prestigious award. Tiongson wrote: “I believed that the two icons he created for film and TV – the screaming gay and the happy-go-lucky poor man – have, in the majority of his movies, equated gayness with abnormality and mindless frivolity on the one hand, and romanticized or deodorized poverty on the other.”

Works

Books

Political, Social and Cultural Studies

*''Four values in Filipino Drama and Film '' *''The Cultural Traditional Media of ASEAN'' *''The Urian Anthology, 1970-1979'', 1980 *''Kasaysayan ng Komedya sa Pilipinas, 1766-1982'', 1982 *''Politics of Culture: The Philippine Experience'', 1985 *''Tuklas Sining: Essays on Philippine Arts'', 1992 *''Philippine Theater: A History and Anthology. Volume I: Rituals, Dances and Playlets'', 1999 *''Philippine Theater: A History and Anthology. Volume II: Komedya'', 1999 *''Philippine Theater: A History and Anthology. Volume IV: Sarswela and Dance'', 1999 *''Philippine Theater: A History and Anthology. Volume V: Modern Plays'', 1999 *''The Women of Malolos'', 2004 *''Plaridel : Journal of Philippine Communication, Media and Society'', February 2004 Vol.1, No.1. (coedited with Violeda A. Umali)

Drama

*''Philippines Circa 1907'', 1985

Essay

*''Collected Essays I, II and III'': Philippine Theater History and Genres, Philippine Theater Traditions, Relations, and Contestations & Philippine Theater Aesthetics, Critiques, and Personalities, 2024

Encyclopedia

*''CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art'', 1994

Dance Librettos

*''Adarna'' *''Realizing Rama'' *''Siete Dolores''

Honors and awards

*Visiting Professor, Osaka University of Foreign Studies,

*Visiting Professor,

from the Manila Critics Circle *Surian ng Wikang Pambansa (Komisyon ng mga Wika ng Pilipinas) Awards *

Exchange Professorship *

Cultural Award *U.P. Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Teacher (Professor Level) *Lifetime Achievement Awardee,

Film Development Council of the Philippines The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is the national film agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines responsible for film policies and programs to ensure the economic, cultural and educational development of ...

References

External links

National Book AwardsTagalog On Site
(archived version)
Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiongson, Nicanor Living people Filipino writers Tagalog-language writers Year of birth missing (living people) Ateneo de Manila University alumni Academic staff of Ateneo de Manila University Academic staff of Osaka University University of the Philippines alumni Academic staff of the University of the Philippines