Severino Montano (1915-December 12, 1980) was a playwright, director, actor and theater organizer. He is the forerunner in institutionalizing "legitimate theater" in the Philippines. As dean of instruction of the Philippine Normal College, Montano organized the Arena Theater to bring drama to the masses. He trained and directed the new generations of dramatists including Rolando S. Tinio, Emmanuel Borlaza, Joonee Gamboa, and Behn Cervantes. He established a graduate program at the Philippine Normal College for the training of playwrights, directors, technicians, actors and designers. He also established the Arena Theater Playwriting Contest that led to the discovery of Wilfrido Nolledo, Jesus T. Peralta and Estrella Alfon. He was declared National Artist in 2001. (Agung, March-June 2015)
