Living Inspired
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUBJECT.A young Joel
with his dad,
actor Noel
Trinidad, who
has always
supported his
dreams.Joel considers his parents Lally
and Noel the most amazing
human beings in the world!W
hat is it like to have
a famous actor as a
father?
My father, Noel Trinidad, would
be the last person to describe
himself as “famous!” It’s true
he is relatively well-known;
however, he is far too grounded
and sensible to have let that
affect his personal life. I would
say that, thanks to him and to my
mother Lally, my siblings and I
grew up in a very normal, loving
family environment away from
any kind of celebrity spotlight.
(My dad does have fans with
camera phones, but the only way
that affects me is I sometimes
volunteer to take the photos.)How did your family influence
your career?
I grew up watching my father on
stage, and everything about his
job looked like tremendous fun.
When I decided to pursue acting
professionally, my father tried to
dissuade me at first; as a practical
man, he felt that theater was an
unstable profession. “It’s not just
about talent,” he would often say.
“You also need luck.” But he and
my mother also said, “Whatever
you decide to do, we are behind
you all the way.” It was the same
thing when I began directing and
writing plays: The reason I was
able to do it was because they
assured me that I could.Tell us about your new
musical.
Guadalupe: The Musical,
with book and lyrics by
me and music by Ejay Yatco,
is the story of the amazing
events that occurred in
1531 in Guadalupe,
Mexico, when itwas still known as New Spain.
A humble Aztec named Juan
Diego approaches the Spanish
Archbishop, claiming that he was
instructed by the Virgin Mary to
build a church in her name. What
follows is a story that changed
the world for both believers and
non-believers alike.What inspired you to write
Guadalupe?
I was commissioned to write
the show by theater icons Julie
Borromeo and Baby Barredo,
Guadalupe devotees both. Once
I started researching the story,
it became an inspiration in
itself! I quickly realized that the
many dramatic elements of the
historical narrative could be a
very powerful musical.What can audiences expect?
I would not say that the musical
is “not at all religious,” as the
story contains many religious
elements. But what makes
Guadalupe different is that it’s
not a typical faith-based show.
Aside from some characters and
situations added for narrative
purposes, the story is presented
factually, as it happened. I’m
hoping audiences will see it as
a sweeping historical epic, with
relatable, true-to-life characters
and gorgeous, evocative music.Actor-director-producer Joel Trinidad
gives My Pope a sneak peek into his
unique family life beyond the limelight, as
well as his upcoming musical, Guadalupe.
SETTING
THE STAGE
by Yen CantigaGuadalupe:
The Musical
runs from September
28 to October14 at
Meralco Theater.Joel as a playwright in Breakups & Breakdowns (2010)—
the first musical he wrote, directed, and starred in.