Rene O. Villanueva (September 22, 1954 – December 5, 2007) was a Filipino

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

. He is famed for his deep involvement in

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

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and in

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

, whether it be on television, in books or on stage.

Awards

He won the following awards: Ten Outstanding Young Persons ( TOYP), New York Film and TV Festival, First Latin American Video and Film Festival (Columbia), Japan Prize (Preschool Category), Prix Juenesse Winner (Germany), Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), CCP, Gawad Collantes, Gantipalang Quezon,

National Book Award 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. ...

, and Palanca. His short play, ''Kumbersasyon'' (1980), won him the first of many

Palanca Awards The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, popularly known as the Palanca Memorial Awards, are a set of literary awards for Philippine writers. Usually referred to as the "Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines," it is the country's highest ...

. His award-winning plays include ''May Isang Sundalo'' (1981, first prize), ''Huling Gabi sa Maragondon'' (1983, first prize), ''Punla ng Dekada'' (1984, second prize), ''Ang Hepe'' (1986, third prize), ''Asawa'' (1987, second prize), and ''Awit ng Adarna'' (1987, second prize).

Biography

Rene O. Villanueva was born in the La Loma neighborhood of

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

in 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 ...

to Francisco, Tesdaman, Eduardo and Vicenta Villanueva. He graduated with a History degree in 1975 from the Lyceum of the Philippines University. He died on December 5, 2007, at the Philippine Heart Center due to sudden cardiac arrest. His last blog post on his personal blog i
here

Posthumous

The UPAlumni.net wrote on Villanueva: “…Villanueva, a playwright, was among the leading figures in children's literature in the Philippines. He was in the hall of fame list of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. He graduated with a degree in history at the Lyceum of the Philippines in 1975.” Villanueva was awarded the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Literature) in 2004 and the Gawad Chanselor sa UP in 2005. Inquirer.net, Writer-professors Atienza, Villanueva dead
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Works

Full Length Plays

*''Sixteen and Three Fourths'' (1975) *''Burles'' (Burlesque) (1977) *''Tribu'' (Tribe) (1979) *''Kontsabahan sa Tirarang'' (Conspiracy in Tirarang) (1979) *''Hiblang Abo'' (Strands of Gray) (1980) *''Sinakulo'' (1981) *''Sandaang Panaginip'' (A Hundred Dreams) (1981) *''Samperang Muta'' (Cheap Thrill) (1982) *''Madyik'' (Magic) (1983) *''Sigwa'' (Storm) (1984) *''Huling Istasyon'' (Last Station) (1983) *''Ang Hepe'' (The Chief) (1986) *''Awit ng Adarna (Song of the Adarna)'' (1987) *''Botong'' (1989) *''Tonyo'' (1990) *''Kalantiaw'' (1994) *''Bintao'' (1995) *''The Bomb!'' (2003)

One Act Plays

*''Kumbersasyon (Conversation)'' (1980) *''May Isang Sundalo (There Is A Soldier)'' (1981) *''Nana (Mother)'' (1982) *''Huling Gabi sa Maragondon (Last Night at Maragondon)'' (1983) *''Punla ng Dekada'' (Seedlings of the Decade) (1984) *''Kaaway sa Sulod'' (Enemy Within) (1986) (with Rolando S. Dela Cruz) *''Mabuhay ang Pangulo'' (Long Live the President) (1987) (with Rolando S. Dela Cruz) *''Asawa'' (Spouse) (1987) (with Rolando S. Dela Cruz) *''Teodora'' (1993) *''Gregoria'' (1993) *''Dobol (Double)'' (1994) *''Watawat (Flag)'' (1999) *''White Love'' (2004) *''Bertdey ni Guido (Guido's Birthday)'' (2007)

Two-act Documentary Play

*''Sa Sariling Bayan'' (In One’s Own Land) (1988)

Translations and Adaptations

*''Florente at Laura'' (Florente and Laura) (1988) *''Ang Napigil-Sanang-Paghahari ni Arturo Ui'' (

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's ''

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' (), subtitled "A parable play", is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago mobster, and his attempts to control the cauliflower ra ...

'') (1987) (with Joey Baquiran) *''Sutsot sa Dilim'' (Whistle in the Dark) (1985) *''Crimes of Passion'' (1985) *''Awit ng Adarna'' (Song of Adarna) (1984) *''Sa Kuko ng Liwanag'' (In the Claws of Neon Light) (1993) * "Isperekengkeng Isperekangkang" (A Comedy of Errors) (2005)

Children’s Plays

*''Tiktipak-long'' (Grasshoppers) (1984) *''Si Pagong at si Matsing'' (The Turtle and the Monkey) (1984) (an opera with music by Lucrecia Kasilag) *''Ang Apoy ng mga Hayop'' (The Fire of the Animals) (1987) (music by Kasilag) *''Aguinaldo sa Niño'' (Gift for the Infant) (1987) *''Noong Unang Panahon'' (In the Beginning) (1988)

Screenplays

*''Gabi na Kumander'' (It’s Night Commander) (1986) *''Kamagong'' (Mahagony) (1987) *''Anak ng Lupa'' (Child of the Earth) (1987)

Autobiography/Memoirs

*''Personal: Mga Sanaysay Sa Lupalop Ng Gunita''

Teleplays

*''Gabay Sa Pagsulat At Anim Na Dulang Pantelebisyon'' *''Literature Eksena't Saknong'' (with Ligaya G. Tiamson Rubin)

Children's books

*''Ang Pamilyang Ismid'' (The Family Ismid) co-published by Cacho Publishing House and Philippine Children’s Television Foundation *''Ang Patsotsay Na Iisa Ang Pakpak'' (The Patsotsay With Only One Wing) co-published by Cacho Publishing House and Philippine Children’s Television Foundation *''Ang Prinsipeng Ayaw Maligo'' (The Prince Who Hated Taking Baths) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Ang Unang Baboy Sa Langit'' (The First Pig In Heaven) published by Cacho Publishing House. st Prize, Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, children's story, (Tagalog) 1990*''Ayokong Pumasok Sa Paaralan'' (I Don't Want to Go to School) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Dagat Sa Kama Ni Troy'' (The Sea in Troy's Bed) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Gusto Kong Kumain Ng Pansit Ngayon'' (I Want to Eat Noodles Now) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Kung Bakit Umuulan'' (Why It Rains) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Nagsasabi Si Patpat'' (Patpat Says When) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Nasaan Ang Tsinelas Ko?'' (Where Are My Slippers?) published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Okaka-okaka'' published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Sina Elephas At Estegodon Noon Unang Panahon'' (Elephas and Estegodon wo Mammoths during Primeval Times published by Cacho Publishing House. *''Si Inggolok At Ang Planeta Pakaskas'' (Inggolok and the Planet Pakaskas) co-published by Cacho Publishing House and Philippine Children’s Television Foundation *''Si Paula Oink-oink'' published by Cacho Publishing House *''Sina Linggit Laban Kay Barakuda'' (Linggit against Barracuda retelling of a folktale co-published by Cacho Publishing House and Philippine Children’s Television Foundation *''Lumikha Ng Kuwento, Tula At Laruang Pambata'' (with Virgilio Almario, Annaleah Habulan, Michelle Parazo Manual) *''The Rene O. Villanueva Children's Reader'' (the author's own selection of his favorite stories, poems, plays and lyrics nglish and Filipino published by Cacho Publishing House.

Song lyrics

* Batibot theme song (music by Louie Ocampo)

Sources

*Tiongson, Nicanor G., ed. CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art; Volume VII: Philippine Theater. 1994 https://www.webcitation.org/5kmXII5hL?url=http://www.geocities.com/palanca_awards/index.html The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature] (Unofficial website). Retrieved August 27, 2005
"Ode to a Mentor and a Friend"
The Official Blog of Ian del Carmen (December 8, 2007)

External links

Full text: May Isang Sundalo by Rene Villanueva

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villanueva, Rene 1954 births 2007 deaths Writers from Quezon City Filipino male dramatists and playwrights Filipino screenwriters Palanca Award recipients 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Lyceum of the Philippines University alumni Tagalog-language writers Filipino male songwriters