Last Saturday, we witnessed two premier theater companies--one high school and the other collegiate--staging their own unique renditions of the play "Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio." The first version was performed by Miriam High School's Banaag while the other was presented by our very own Tanghalaang Ateneo. While both portrayals revolve around the same story, each play provided its own set of variations to make them distinct and appealing in their own sort of way.

At first, I thought that both of the plays would be very similar. Up to what extent could two renditions of one play differ? But after watching both plays, I realized that it was a misconception. As what the famous philosopher Lao Tzu once said, there are millions of ways one could look at a certain thing. The same is also applicable to plays. A certain play has different aspects which an interpreter...