Filipino Canadian performers to join ‘Fringe Manila 2018’ festival

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 26, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
http://usa.inquirer.net/9740/fil-canadian-performers-join-fringe-manila-2018-festival

TORONTO — Filipino Canadian performers will join Fringe Manila 2018 this February.

This annual multi-arts festival for independent artists, which runs February 7 to 25, is scheduled to coincide with the Philippines' National Arts Month.

Maylee Todd.

Now on its fourth year, Fringe Manila is presented by arts organization Pineapple Lab.

The festival line-up so far has 182 events across 24 venues with 300 artists. Several Filipino American performers are included in the line-up as well.

Filipino Canadian Jodinand Aguillon is the creative producer of Fringe Manila.

"It's so important for these types of festivals to exist," he says. "By bridging independent creatives with small businesses and working with cultural institutions, Fringe works closely with its communities to make the arts a vehicle for meaningful collaborations and a safe space for ideas and expanding networks."

Born in Meycauayan, Bulacan, Aguillon moved to Alberta, Canada when he was four years old. He was previously based in Toronto as a visual artist, production designer and choreographer.

Currently based in Manila, Aguillon was an Artist-in-Residence at Pineapple Lab from 2016 to 2017 before being appointed as its executive director. He was appointed creative producer of Fringe Manila last year.

He co-founded Toronto-based dance group Hataw in 2014 and is its former artistic director. Hataw performed "Ang Pagdidiwata ni Maria Clara" at last year's Fringe Manila.

Music

For Fringe Manila 2018, performances from Toronto-based Filipino Canadian artists include music acts "Panqueque" (Feb. 15) and "Acts of Love" (Feb. 22).

"Panqueque," an electropop music show, will be performed by Filipino Hungarian musician, dancer and fashion designer Tala Kamea. Her music influences include electronic, R&B, pop and indie. A member of Hataw, Kamea has studied and performed classical, contemporary and folk music and dance.

"Acts of Love" will be performed by Maylee Todd, who is a musician (soul, R&B, electronic and experimental) and multimedia artist (film, performance art and 3-D projection mapping) whose works explore science fiction, human development, psychology and unconventional thinking.

Movement

Dance performances include "Hinkypunk" (Feb. 15), to be choreographed and performed by Ralph Escamillan.

Ralph Escamillan will choreograph and dance "Hinkypunk."
Photo by David Cooper.

Escamillan has danced with Gadfly Collective, Inlayers, Kinesis Dance Somatheatro, Out Innerspace Theatre and Kidd Pivot. He is currently based in Vancouver and works with companies such as Co. Erasga Dance, Company 605 and Wen Wei Dance.

Kaye Peñaflor will meld dance and yoga in her yoga workshops on February 17 and 24.

Based in Toronto, Peñaflor is the founder of yoga lifestyle brand kaye.yoga. She is also host and producer of yoga-instructional show "Live Breathe Yoga."

She's also a dancer and was formerly the executive director of folk dance group Folklorico Filipino Canada.

She combines both passions in her signature class "Pineapple Flower Yoga", where yoga poses are complemented with movements from Philippine folk dances.

From the US

From the US, artists will be performing music ("`Til The Break of GONG") and dance ("Pagbalik" and "Gayborhood Night").

Kaye Peñaflor.

Detroit-based queer disco pop songwriter RV Mendoza performs "Gayborhood Night" on February 15, a show that "engages conversations on sexuality, gender, and diasporic experiences."

Mendoza's work has been heard on MTV's "Teen Wolf" and is currently an Artist-in-Residence with Pineapple Lab.

San Francisco-based artists Kulintronica and Lydia Neff will perform "`Til The Break of GONG" on February 17.

Kulintronica, the stage name of musician Ron Quesada, focuses on kulintang electronic dance music. Also a kulintang musician, Neff has danced with groups Kulintang Arts (more popularly known by its nickname KulArts), Jay Loyola Dance Collaborations, Alleluia Panis Dance and Parangal Dance Company. Neff directed and produced Kulintronica's "Through the Breeze" music video.

Also on February 17, San Francisco Bay Area choreographer-dancers Jonathan Mercado and Kimberly Requesto will perform "Pagbalik," with music by Joshua Icban.

Icban is currently taking up a master's in ethnomusicology at California State University-East Bay. Mercado has worked with choreographer Alleluia Panis, while Requesto is a principal dancer with Parangal Dance Company.

Visit FringeManila.com.

Paolo Montalban in 'Mamma Mia!' Seattle production

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 19, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
http://usa.inquirer.net/9565/paolo-montalban-mamma-mia-seattle-production

SEATTLE — Paolo Montalban will play one of three men who might be the father of a young lady in the romantic comedy musical "Mamma Mia!" this February.

Paolo Montalban will play Sam in
5th Avenue Theatre's "Mamma Mia!" in Seattle.

Featuring songs by Swedish music group ABBA such as "Dancing Queen," "Take a Chance on Me," and "Money, Money, Money", among others, this jukebox musical has been staged on Broadway (14 years) and has toured the world for nearly 20 years.

The musical is about soon-to-be-married Sophie, who wishes for her father to walk her down the aisle, except she doesn't know who he is.

Montalban will play Sam, an architect who is one of the candidates-all three of whom are invited by Sophie to her wedding.

Pierce Brosnan played Sam in the 2008 movie version alongside Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. ("Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," a movie sequel to the 2008 film, is scheduled for release later in the year.)

Significant

Before rehearsals began, Montalban wrote to the show's director Bill Berry: "Everyone I've told that I'm doing this production says it's a huge deal to have a Filipino American playing Sam. I am honored to have been considered."

"It's particularly significant," Montalban explains of his casting, "because 5th Avenue Theatre is widely regarded as one of the most respected regional theaters in the country that mounts top-notch productions of both new and classic musical theater works."

"Throughout my career, I have always been a huge proponent of multi-racial and non-traditional casting," says the actor who rose to public attention when he was cast as Prince Christopher in the 1997 made-for-TV film version of the musical "Cinderella" with singer Brandy in the title role and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother.

Montalban's recent credits include "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" at St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) in St. Louis, Missouri, and the world premiere of "Benny and Joon" at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California.

Divine

"Dancing Queen" is Montalban's "absolute favorite" song from the musical.

"My reasons are twofold. First of all, from a purely sonic standpoint, hearing our talented 28-person cast sing the harmonies of the chorus is easily one of the most satisfying things I've experienced in 2018 so far.

"My second reason borders closer to the divine," he says. En route to Seattle for this production, he had a layover in Vancouver airport. As he was purchasing pasalubong at one of the shops, the song started playing over the airport sound system.

"It was like a sign telling me that I was in the right place, heading toward an incredible experience. Check out my Twitter account @paolomontalban to see the video of it happening in real time."

Dangers

As the winter season is in full swing, there are two dangerous elements waiting to strike actors: cold and dry air that can affect their voices and the current flu epidemic.

Montalban in rehearasals with Kendra Kassebaum (right),
who plays Sophie's mother. Photo by Jeff Carpenter.

Montalban has a battle plan in place.

For his voice, "I have a bedside humidifier and a sinus rinse squeeze bottle. I warm up my voice with steam in the shower. I drink upwards of a least two liters of water a day. I avoid loud places where I have to speak over the din of the room."

As for avoiding any possible viruses, "It's all about frequent hand washing and sanitizing, getting a flu shot, eating well, working out, and getting enough rest and sleep."

He adds, "And if someone in the company is sick, my last-ditch effort is trying to actually catch what they have early enough in the rehearsal process, so I'm inoculated for the run of the show!"

Audience power

For encouraging and promoting multiracial and non-traditional casting in theater, Montalban says theatergoers have a say in the matter.

"As an actor, what I do is only a small part of the equation," he says.

"I believe the local community and the public at large play an important role in influencing the casting landscape in entertainment."

"If my kababayan would like to see more of themselves, or even Asians as a whole, being represented in large-scale professional theatrical productions, they can help out by coming down to 5th Avenue Theatre for a fun-filled family friendly night or matinee of `Mamma Mia!' Let your ticket be your voice."

"You probably know many of the ABBA songs, so there will be many opportunities to sing and party along with us. And we all know Filipinos love to sing and party!"

READ about Don Darryl Rivera's acting award 

for 5th Avenue Theatre's "Man of La Mancha" here.

"Mamma Mia!" runs Feb. 2-25, 2018 at 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave., Seattle. Visit 5thavenue.org.

Fil-Am artists join George Takei's 'Allegiance' in LA staging

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 11, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
http://usa.inquirer.net/9348/fil-artists-join-george-takeis-allegiance-la-staging

LOS ANGELES — Filipino American theater artists Marc Macalintal and Cesar Cipriano will be part of East West Players' staging of the musical "Allegiance," which opens in February.

Cesar Cipriano.

Lea Salonga played Kei Kimura, the sister in a Japanese American family forced to stay at an internment camp during World War II, in the musical's Broadway run in 2015.

George Takei reprises his role as the brother in this staging, to be helmed by EWP's artistic director Snehal Desai, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center's Aratani Theatre.

With music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and book by Kuo, Marc Acito, and Lorenzo Thione, the musical is inspired by Takei's own experiences.

Takei was five years old when his family was removed from their Los Angeles home, forced to stay at converted horse stables, then at an internment camp in Arkansas, then relocated again to an internment camp in Tule Lake, California.

Takei's family returned to LA after the war; he then rose to fame in 1965 because of his role as starship helmsman (spaceship pilot) Sulu in the TV show "Star Trek." The character's name was inspired by the Sulu Sea in the Philippines.

Fight

Fil-Ams in the cast of "Allegiance" include Eymard Cabling and Cesar Cipriano, who also handles fight choreography.

Born in Toronto, Cipriano's family moved to Brooklyn when he was a year old. "When I was fifteen, I joined a Filipino dance company for a girl. We only lasted about two weeks, but remained friends," he said.

The romance may not have lasted, but his relationship with dance, movement and performing did.

"I've also studied martial arts all my life." He's versed in eskrima (Filipino weapons-based martial art), tae kwon do (Korean martial art), and jeet kune do (Bruce Lee's Chinese-inspired martial art), among others.

After relocating to LA, Cipriano considers himself fortunate to have "worked on some of EWP's most successful productions."

Cipriano first learned about the intricacies of stage combat from Ron Baliki and Diana Inosanto when he was cast as the Ghost of Bruce Lee in EWP's "Be Like Water." "They're experts in dynamic sequences that propel scenes forward while constantly wowing you and still remaining realistic."

"Then I was lucky enough to assist Ed Douglas, another talented fight choreographer. I feel I hit the jackpot twice when it comes to having mentors in the fight choreography world."

This isn't Cipriano's first time to share the stage with Takei. He understudied the role of Alan Strang in EWP's "Equus," his first production with EWP, where Takei played Strang's psychiatrist.

"I'm excited to be in `Allegiance' in a career-nostalgia kind of way," says Cipriano. "This cast has people I've known from my years of working as an actor. I'm looking forward to reuniting with them."

Sing

Marc Macalintal handles music direction. Born and raised in LA, his interest in theater began in high school when he was asked to be a pianist for a school production of "The Music Man."

Marc Macalintal.

"That show actually made me want to perform on the stage more than being in the pit," he says. "Those actors looked like they were having so much more fun!"

Though he began performing for local theater groups after graduating from college, managing music soon became part of the package. "Directors noticed that I also played piano and they would ask if I could music direct the shows that they were working on."

Macalintal first became involved with EWP as part of the cast in its staging of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

His most recent collaboration with the group was as musical director for its staging of "Next to Normal," which featured Fil-Am actors Deedee Magno-Hall and Isa Camille Briones.

"I feel incredibly honored and excited!" says Macalintal of his involvement with "Allegiance." "It's going to be surreal having this story be told here in Little Tokyo very close to where many Japanese Americans were gathered before being forced into internment camps.

"I know that there'll be people who went through those camps be in the audience, and that's going to be a totally unique experience. I hope we honor them and their experiences with this show."

The musical is being coproduced by EWP with the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. The center's Director of Performing Arts and Community Engagement Alison de la Cruz, who is Filipino Japanese American, is executive producer for this production.

Fil-Am actor Reggie Lee (TV shows "Grimm" and "Prison Break," films "The Fast and the Furious" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End") was appointed as a director of the EWP board this past December.

READ about the Filipino American actors in EWP's 2017 staging of "Next to Normal" here.

READ Lea Salonga's interview about the 2015 Broadway production of "Allegiance" here.

"Allegiance," previews Feb. 21-25; runs Feb. 28-Apr. 1, 2018, at Aratani Theatre, Japanese American Cultural Center, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles. Visit EastWestPlayers.org.