MANILA -- Theater actress Shiela Valderrama-Martinez finally gets to perform as Sita in the full-length restaging of the classic “Rama Hari.”

She was originally cast as Sita, one of her dream roles onstage, for the 2020 production of “Rama Hari,” which was halted by the pandemic a week shy from the opening.

"When they invited me to do the role of Sita again, I was ecstatic,” Valderrama-Martinez told ABS-CBN News. “I was thrilled. It’s a big check off my bucket list, of course. There’s also a sense of closure from the halted 2020 run.

“But more importantly, I feel like I’m part of history, to do a project done by five National Artists and getting to work personally with two of them for this run, that is truly an honor.”

“Rama Hari” is a collaboration between National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes for direction and choreography, National Artist for Theater and Design Salvador Bernal for production design, National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera for lyrics and libretto, National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab for original music, and National Artist for Theater and Literature Rolando Tinio for the English translation.

Cayabyab and Reyes are the only two National Artists around. They will be part of the latest production and supervise the rehearsals for the newest “Rama Hari” staging.

Valderrama-Martinez admitted she considers doing the role of Sita not just a dream, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Not only because of the role itself, but to do this gorgeous masterpiece and get to work directly and personally with two National Artists [Reyes and Cayabyab] is a great opportunity,” she explained.

With David Cosico as her personal manager under Stages Management, Valderrama-Martinez has previously done excerpts of “Rama Hari” for the ASEAN opening night in 2017, for the visit of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind at Malacañang Palace in 2018, and the necrological tribute to Lumbera in 2021.

For this run of “Rama Hari,” Valderrama-Martinez will headline the opening night at the Metropolitan Theater on September 15 and the closing show at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater on September 24. Karylle alternates as Sita on September 16 and September 23.

Playing Rama is singer-actor Arman Ferrer, with Audie Gemora as Dasarata and Poppert Bernadas as Ravana.

They will be accompanied by the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth led by Toma Cayabyab.

“I can only answer for myself really,” she said of her approach. “We all have our own approach in studying scripts and characters. The process is different for every actor. I always put a little bit of myself in the roles I do to make it personal and uniquely mine.

“Arman and I have done a lot of shows together,” Valderrama-Martinez said. “Musical theater shows, concerts, events locally and abroad. We work well together because we’re both hardworking.

“That’s why we clicked from the start. We’re also very good friends, so work is fun, easy and comfortable.”

Ferrer was Valderrama-Martinez’s leading man in the musical adaptation of “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag” in 2017 under Gantimpala Theater Foundation, and in “Binondo the Musical” at the Solaire Theater in 2018 and 2019. Both shows were directed by Joel Lamangan.

Now that live performances are back, Valderrama-Martinez cannot be more thankful to return onstage after more than two years of merely doing live streaming for shows.

“There’s a different high we get from live performances,” she said. “The performers and the audience feed off energy from each other. And in live theater, you can completely escape and live in the world of your character. I miss that.

“I’m just happy to know that things are back to normal, we’re safe and hopefully past all that.”