At this year’s annual conference of the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in Shanghai, China, I will be sharing a panel on the Rockefeller Foundation’s philanthropic initiatives in the field of theatre after 1950 together with Christopher Balme (LMU Munich), and Jan Creutzenberg (Seoul).
In my talk “Far-Flung | Centre-Staged: Severino Montano’s Arena and the ‘National Theatre’ in Manila in the 1950s and 1960”, I will elaborate on Montano’s establishment of an Arena Theatre in Manila and rural areas in the Philippines in the 1950s and 1960s, sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. Severino Montano (1915–1980) was an influential playwright and director. Born in Manila, he received his education in drama and economy primarily in Great Britain and the United States. After 12 years of studying and working abroad, he returned to Manila in order to build up the Arena Theatre and establish drama education in the Philippines.
Nic Leonhardt 
Good day! I am a graduate students at Ateneo de Manila University and currently working on a paper about the Arena Theatre of the Philippines founded by Dr. Severino Montano. I came across this source online as a search for references, and I really found it very interesting. I hope I can listen to the your talk on the “Far-Flung | Center-Staged: Severino Montano’s Arena and the ‘National Theater’ in Manila in the 1950s and 1960 ”. Thank you so much and I am hoping for your favorable response. God bless and keep safe.
Dear Ms Ogoy, thank you very much for your comment. How nice our interests in the Arena Theatre and Montano’s work match. You might know about the paper I published on Montano and the AT? It was published open access in the Journal of Global Theatre Histories : https://gthj.ub.uni-muenchen.de/gthj/article/view/5117/4368
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via my e-mail Dr.NicLeonhardt@gmail.com – Good luck with your research, warm regards, NL