This year’s buffet of Filipino America and Filipino Canadian cookbooks

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 28, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/17026/this-years-buffet-of-fil-am-and-fil-canadian-cookbooks

NEW YORK — This year offered a smorgasbord of cookbooks by Filipino American and Filipino Canadian authors. Here's a handy recap for those of you who are looking for gift ideas for the year-end holidays.

Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino's
"Instant Filipino Recipes:
My Mother's Philippine Food in a Multicooker Pot"
and
Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad's
"I Am Filipino: And This is How I Cook."

But before listing the new ones down, a cursory internet search for the lineage of Fil-Am cookbooks reveals that one of the earliest published ones that is still available seems to be Philippine Cooking in America by Marilyn Donato. It was first published in 1972, and according to its website, is now on its 8th edition.

Global

This year, Filipino Canadian Liza Agbanlog, an educator and homemaker who also maintains the food blog Salu Salo Recipes, authored the cookbook Quintessential Filipino Cooking: 75 Authentic and Classic Recipes of the Philippines. Agbanlog provides personal takes on the recipes she has brought over from the Philippines to Canada.

Alex Paman's "Filipino Barbecue"
and
Marvin Gapultos'
"Pulutan! Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers and Street Eats"

Filipino Americans such as White House chef Cris Comerford, cable channel TLC's "Food Buddha" host Rodelio Aglibot and TV cooking competition shows "Top Chef" and "Chopped Grill Masters" former contestant Chrissy Camba, are just a few of the personalities featured in The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from around the Globe.

This book contains not only recipes but also essays and interviews with Filipino chefs, restaurateurs and other personalities around the world. It's edited by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri (based in the United Kingdom) with food photography by Rowena Dumlao-Giardina (based in Italy).

Other Filipino Americans featured in the book include Paolo Dungca (Restaurant Eve in Washington, DC); Cristina Quackenbush (Milkfish, formerly a restaurant but now only pop-up dining events, in New Orleans); Ray Espiritu (Isla Pilipina in Chicago); Robert Menor (Bonifacio in Columbus, Ohio); and Alexa Alfaro (Meat on the Street food truck in Milwaukee). Filipino Canadians include Allan Pineda (Manila Nights pop-up dining events in Winnipeg) and food writer Nastasha Alli.

Fil-Am writers and organizers featured in the book include Dalena Benavente (author, Asian Girl in a Southern World), Marilyn Donato (author, Philippine Cooking in America), and Joanne Boston-Kwanhull (co-director, Filipino Food Movement).

Barbecue and bar bites

Writer and graphic designer Alex Paman spent more than a decade to research for his book Filipino Barbecue, where he discusses marinades, rubs and grilling traditions from the Philippines and "scrumptious pork skewers" all the way to "centerpiece whole roasted pigs."

"Quintessential Filipino Cooking:
75 Authentic and Classic Recipes of the Philippines"
by Liza Agbanlog
and
"The New Filipino Kitchen:
Stories and Recipes from around the Globe"
edited by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri.

Self-taught home cook turned food-truck entrepreneur, Marvin Gapultos has written his second book, Pulutan! Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers and Street Eats,this time focusing on bar snacks. Here he uses his Certified Cicerone level (Cicerone is a beer expertise certification program) to good use as he recommends beer pairings with his recipes.

Instant

Food journalist Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino (who maintains the food blog Asian in America) has added another title to her series of books, this time targeted at busy individuals who need to get their food cooked quickly.

Marilyn Donato's "Philippine Cooking in America."

Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother's Philippine Food in a Multicooker Pot shows how to use digitized pressure cookers (the popular brand these days is Instant Pot) to reduce the traditionally long-ish times for braising, boiling, simmering, and roasting that's required of typical Filipino recipes. In this case, her own mother's heirloom recipes.

Restaurateur Nicole Ponseca and her Dominican American partner, chef Miguel Trinidad, have authored I Am Filipino: And This is How I Cook. The couple owns restaurants Maharlika Filipino Moderno and Jeepney Filipino Gastropub, both of which are in New York. The book is part travelogue, chronicling the pair's research forays to the Philippines. The couple's recipes range from traditional to contemporary, spread across nine categories.

Happy cooking and eating!

Filipino Americans reap 2018 Theatre Bay Area Awards

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 23, 2018
USA and Canada Section
https://usa.inquirer.net/16965/fil-ams-reap-2018-theatre-bay-area-awards

SAN FRANCISCO — Filipino American winners at the 2018 Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Awards include Jomar Tagatac and Joel de la Fuente in acting categories and Christian Mejia for lighting design.

TBA Awards winner Omar Tagatac (center) played five roles
in California Shakespeare Theater's "The War of the Roses."

The TBA Awards honor excellence in professionally oriented theater productions through a Bay Area-wide, peer-adjudicated process.

Christian Mejia won Outstanding Lighting Design for his work on the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" for Ray of Light Theatre.

East Coast-based actor Joel de la Fuente (Inspector Kido on streaming series "The Man in the High Castle") won Outstanding Performer in a Principal Role in a Play for his work in the one-person play "Hold These Truths" for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.

Filipino American theater makers who were nominated this year include Robert Brill for Outstanding Scenic Design for "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations" for Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Alex Rodriguez for Outstanding Choreography for "Ragtime" for Berkeley Playhouse and for "Jesus Christ Superstar" for Ray of Light Theatre.

In acting categories, nominees included Rinabeth Apostol for Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role in a Play for her work in "Two Mile Hollow" for Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company and Krystle Piamonte for Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Play for her work in "Inside Out and Back Again" for Bay Area Children's Theatre.

Five characters

Jomar Tagatac won Outstanding Performer in a Featured Role in a Play for his work in "The War of the Roses" at California Shakespeare Theater.

In the four-hour adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry VI" trilogy and "Richard II," Tagatac portrayed five characters: Richard Plantagenet (who later is crowned Duke of York), King Louis XI, a young son of a soldier, Stanley, and Richmond.

"But Duke of York was my main assignment.  I also loved playing Richmond because of his speech at the end and he gets to fight Richard III."

Born in the Philippines, Tagatac and his family moved to California when he was four years old. "We moved to one of the Air Force Bases here in Northern California," he says.

Tagatac took up theater at San Diego University and has a master's degree in acting from American Conservatory Theater (ACT).

He has acted for Bay Area companies such as Magic Theater, Unbuntu Theater Project, The New Conservatory Theatre Center, among others.

Finding out

Tagatac was unable to attend the awarding ceremony due to scheduling conflicts and found out he'd won through a text message from a friend. "I was making dinner at home. I laughed when she first told me. I asked her if she was serious or if she was messing with me.

"There were so many great finalists in the category that I was sure one of them was going to win. But when she assured me that I won, I smiled and felt really grateful that TBA would honor me with this award."

Asked where he would eventually place the award, he says, "It's a really beautiful award so I'm thinking I'll place it on the mantle above the fireplace."

He adds with a laugh, "Don't worry, the fireplace is out of commission so the award won't be harmed."

Meaningful

Tagatac says he found working on the production "meaningful, challenging, and especially fun. CalShakes is such a unique place to work. It's an outdoor theater so you're at the mercy of the elements which is its own challenge.

"It was challenging both mentally, with Shakespeare's text, as well as physically, with the sword fights and the hand-to-hand combat.

"CalShakes artistic director Eric Ting, who also directed the production, has such big ideas, and this play was no exception. We all knew that it was an ambitious project. We came together to make sure we could put on the best possible production. I loved it. I will always remember this experience."

Tagatac's upcoming productions include playing Bob Cratchit in ACT's staging of "A Christmas Carol" in December. Next year, he will be part of the cast of "King of the Yees" at San Francisco Playhouse.

Musical on social media trolls, martial law gets Chicago staging

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 22, 2018
USA and Canada Section
https://usa.inquirer.net/16944/musical-on-social-media-trolls-martial-law-gets-chicago-staging

CHICAGO — "Game of Trolls: Revisited" is a musical about Hector, whose lack of attachment to any beliefs makes him the perfect candidate to work as a social media troll.

James Macapagal (front row) plays Hector, a professional internet troll,
in CIRCA-Pintig's staging of "Game of Trolls: Revisited."
Photo by Logan Ramos

He spends his workdays posting misleading information to distort people's perceptions of history.  As the specters of the past come to haunt him, he begins to reconnect with his mother-an activist during martial law in the Philippines, who had to flee to the U.S. to escape danger.

It will be staged by Filipino American theater group CIRCA-Pintig. The material is based on a musical written by Liza Magtoto and originally staged in Manila by the theater company Philippine Educational Theater Association.

This English translation by Magtoto herself will be directed by Louie Pascasio with music by Demetrio Maguigad. Lani Montreal has written additional scenes and provided adaptation work on some scenes.

Transplant

Twentysomething Filipino American James Macapagal has been cast to play Hector. "I'm a Chicago boy, born and bred!" he says.

This improv and sketch comedy actor's recent theater credits include "Scenes for a Green World" for The Greenhouse Theater and "Murder Mystery Company" for American Immersion Theater.

Macapagal may not have experienced martial law firsthand, but he has a connection to it. It's the reason his family is in the U.S.

"Martial Law is the catalyst for me being in America. I know about martial law through stories told by my parents. My parents ultimately decided to immigrate to America, like many other Filipinos, because of how bad things became toward the end of martial law in the late '70s and '80s."

Macapagal's father immigrated to the U.S. in 1983 (three years before Ferdinand Marcos was deposed as a result of the People Power Revolution). His mother and older sister followed a year later.

Learning more

Nevertheless, the play's script has exposed him to a broader tapestry of personalities who were involved.

James Macapagal (left) and Jennifer Ligaya play estranged son and mother.
Photo by Logan Ramos

"I have learned so much about the specific heroes who fought, suffered, and died fighting the Marcos regime and martial law.

"Many of them are characters in 'Game of Trolls: Revisited,'" he explains. "Learning about them made me want to research more about their stories. People like Sister Mariani, Dr. Bobby de la Paz, Eman Lacaba, Lorena Barros, Macli-ing Dulag and many others made incredible sacrifices for the Philippines."

Inspired

In addition to learning more about recent Philippine history, Macapagal says he also relishes the opportunity to work alongside other Filipino American theater makers.

"I am very inspired that there is such a uniquely Filipino story being told by a Filipino American theater company. We have such a talented cast and crew.

"Our director, Louie Pascasio, has been amazing and so willing to both direct and teach us about the background of the show.

"Every time I walk into rehearsal, I have to pinch myself because I'm in a room full of fellow Filipino and Asian artists. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen very often, so I'm very thankful to be a part of it!"

Remember

He feels that the musical is "important, especially in our times now, both in the Philippines and America, politically."

He adds, "It's a story that I don't think many second or third generation Fil-Ams my age may know. Martial law was such a brutal, traumatic time. It's hard to understand how much our families'lives were affected by it and how it still affects us."

Macapagal hopes that the musical will motivate theatergoers to "dive in deep to their own histories and experiences with Martial Law. It's a difficult subject, but it's important to remember the sacrifices made. To research more about martial law and Philippine history and ask important questions."

The production is supported by Presence St. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, Asian Giving Circle, The Chicago Community Foundation, Resist and The Hana Center.

"Game of Trolls: Revisited" runs Nov 30-Dec 9, Klausner Auditorium, 1129 N. Oakley, Chicago. Visit CircaPintig.com.

Paulina Yeung leads Filipino Americans in 'The King and I' nat’l tour

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 16, 2018
USA and Canada Section
https://usa.inquirer.net/16833/paulina-yeung-leads-fil-ams-in-the-king-and-i-natl-tour

NEW YORK — Paulina Yeung and several other Filipino American performers have been cast in the North America touring production of "The King and I."

Paulina Yeung plays Tuptim in the national tour of "The King and I."

Based on the experiences of Anna Leonowens, the musical is set in the late 1860s and is story of the King of Siam (now Thailand) hiring an English governess to tutor his children.

Yeung plays Tuptim, a Burmese woman given to the king to become one of his wives. While the character has a romantic story arc, she also serves as the musical's symbolic figurehead for themes related to servitude/freedom and corporal punishment, among others.

Fil-Am talents

Other Filipino Americans in the cast include Timothy Matthew Flores as Prince Chulalongkorn and Bern Tan as King of Siam understudy and Kralahome. In the ensemble are Catrina Teruel Clark, Raymond Dimaano, Trevor Roderick, Richel Ruiz and Dax Valdes. Actors playing Royal Children include CJ Fernando, Linder Sutton and Kayla Teruel.

Jose Llana and Joan Almedilla recently concluded their runs as King of Siam and Lady Thiang, respectively, with the tour.

With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein, this production is based on the Broadway revival (Lincoln Center Theater production) directed by Bartlett Sher that featured Llana as one of the actors who played King of Siam, Jon Viktor Corpuz as Prince Chulalongkorn and Conrad Ricamora as Lun Tha (Tuptim's romantic partner).

Dream role

A native of Manila, Yeung moved to New York to study vocal performance at Manhattan School of Music.

Yeung (right) with Dongwoo Kang, who plays Lun Tha.

Her recent theater credits include "Discover: New Musicals" for National Asian Artists Project, "Road to Heaven" for China Broadway Entertainment, "Lost in Shanghai" for Pan Asian Repertory Theatre.

Opera credits include "The Magic Flute" for Opera Hong Kong (as First Lady) and for New York Lyric Opera Theatre (as Pamina).

She attended an open call for "The King and I" earlier this year and was called back four times to sing for the production's creative team. "In the final round, Bartlett Sher, the original director of the Lincoln Center production, was one of the people in the room," says Yeung.

When she found out that she landed the role, "I was over the moon. Tuptim is on my list of dream roles. My family was super happy to hear the news."

Bridging differences

Yeung points out that her character Tuptim is "thrown into this kingdom that's completely foreign to her."

"I love how Tuptim is so strong as a character. It's admirable how she really tries to find her own voice amidst everything. One of my favorite moments in the show is the ballet because that's where Tuptim really unleashes her true strength and stands up for what she believes in, regardless of the consequences."

She praises the tour director Shelley Butler for helping the cast "dig deep into the story." Yeung adds, "She's wonderful, she's been working with us on getting specific on each moment in the show, which I love because it really helps bring all the characters to life."

Yeung appreciates the opportunity to do the show for audiences across the US. "'The King and I' is one of my dream shows, so to be able to do this while traveling throughout the US and Canada is truly a dream come true. I'm so excited to go on tour."

She explains the musical's appeal. "The music is so beautiful and the story is really meaningful and timely. What I love about this production is that it . tackles a lot of themes that are relevant to our society today, like modernization versus tradition, feminism and bridging cultural differences."

For "The King and I" 2018-19 touring schedule, visit TheKingandITour.com.

RELATED STORIES:

Jon Viktor Corpuz dazzles as Chulalongkorn in 'The King and I' Broadway revival

Jose Llana takes over from Ken Watanabe in 'The King and I' on Broadway

New gallery in California celebrates Filipino art

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 14, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/16780/new-gallery-in-california-celebrates-filipino-art

ST. HELENA, California — Poet, writer, editor and publisher Eileen Tabios is attaching an additional feather to her hat: curator and art gallery steward.

North Fork Arts Projects art gallery curator Eileen Tabios
holding artwork by Maria Fatima Urbi.
Artwork on wall by Treva Tabios.
Sculpture on floor by
Philippine National Artist Napoleon Abueva.

Not just any ordinary gallery, mind you. This one is a brick-and-mortar gallery in Napa Valley that accepts viewings by appointment while letting the public see its exhibitions through its website.

North Fork Arts Projects (NFAP) gallery in Saint Helena, California is devoted to Filipino and Filipino American artists, according to Tabios.

"While NFAP revolves around Filipino artists, it comes from my having followed contemporary art-not just by Filipinos-for over three decades. Initially as a New York City resident before moving to the Bay Area," she says.

Unique

Born in Ilocos Sur, Tabios immigrated to the U.S. when she was 10 years old.

Pieces from Matt Manalo's "Formation" series
from his "Pocket Paintings" exhibition.

In addition to being an art connoisseur, Tabios has also written about art in various forms (criticism, poetry, and fiction) that have appeared in art journals such as Review NY and Review West. She was also a contributing editor to Our Own Voice literary ezine.

The gallery, in both its physical and online iterations, allows her to combine her passions.

"NFAP is both a collection as well as a gallery." And since the collection and exhibitions are for private viewing only, the public component (the website) "has to present something unique" in order for this "structure to be effective and of concern to the public."

From the North Fork Arts Projects collection (clockwise from top left),
works by Marissa Sean Cruz, Isabel Cuenca, Leo Bersamina and Rea Lynn de Guzman.

Reflections on the art by way of words is Tabios' proposal. "That unique element is the discourse presented as a result of the exhibit or because a work is or works are part of the permanent collection.

"The write-ups [on the website] about the artworks can exist in the internet long beyond each exhibition's time frame.

"The discourse can revolve around various works, mostly authored to-date by me and-over time-to be opened to other writers."

Close to 50 artists are included in the collection with names ranging from Napoleon Abueva to Jenifer Wofford. (The full roster can be found on the NFAP website.)

Scale

Chosen for the inaugural exhibition is mixed-media artist Matt Manalo, a Manila native who moved to Texas as a teenager and took up painting at University of Houston.

Matt Manalo is a mixed-media artist based in Houston.
Photo by Michael Starghill

With this exhibition, titled "Pocket Paintings," he delves into another aspect of his exploration with the forms, shapes, materials and other components that comprise what a "painting" is.

"Matt's exhibition is of extremely tiny paintings, which are the smallest he's ever done. Each painting fits on the palm of one's hand)," says Tabios.

"For his exhibition, its discourse [on the website] will be an interview presenting Matt's views on scale."

Upcoming

The next exhibition lined up for NFAP is Melinda Luisa de Jesus' mirror-based sculptures. "That exhibit's discourse will comprise of at least three essays and two poems," Tabios says.

Visitors at North Fork Arts Projects art gallery.

Manalo, on the other hand, will be part of a group show "Look and Listen," a concert series presented by social justice organization Grit Collaborative and music group Oh My Ears, in Arizona this November 16 and 17.

He will then be part of a group show—"Lumikha': We Are Here"—organized by advocacy group Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) in January 2019 at Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston in Houston, Texas.

"Pocket Paintings" runs until Nov. 30 at North Fork Arts Projects, Saint Helena, California. Viewings by appointment. Visit NorthForkArtsProjects.blogspot.com.

Pan Asian Rep honors Filipino American actor-director-playwright Ernest Abuba

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 9, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/16686/pan-asian-rep-honors-fil-am-actor-director-playwright

NEW YORK — Filipino American actor, playwright and director Ernest Abuba was named as an Art and Action Honoree by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre at its 2018 Gala.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl presents award to Ernest Abuba (left).
Photo by Corky Lee

Tisa Chang, founding artistic director, said in a statement, "Our Art and Action Annual Gala salutes and recognizes artists and community leaders of distinction who have made a difference with their philanthropic and artistic endeavors."

In his acceptance speech, Abuba thanked his many teachers and colleagues in the industry.

He also said, "And to Tisa Chang and Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. 42 years ago, as a founding Board Member, myself with Hsueh-Tung Chen, Lu Yu, and Ellen Stewart of La MaMa Experimental Theater Company, with Tisa as artistic director, we five founded the first non-profit professional theater for Asian Americans in New York."

He also mentioned his past tenures as co-director of the Asian American Theatre Collective Unit of arts organization Basement Workshop with Fay Chiang and Mary Lum and of his work with social service group Henry Street Settlement.

Actor

Abuba, whose father is Filipino, was born in Honolulu. He studied at Actor's Stage Studio in Washington, DC before relocating to New York to further his career.

Abuba as The Singer in a 1977 staging of "The Caucasian Chalk Circle"
at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl presented Abuba with his award. Abuba's most recent Broadway acting credit was playing the title character in Ruhl's "The Oldest Boy" at the Lincoln Center.

Other notable Broadway credits include being cast in the world premiere of Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures" in 1976.

He has an Obie Award for his work as Captain Kenji Kadota in PAR's staging of Rick Shiomi's comedy mystery "Yellow Fever" in 1983.

He's played a wide range of male lead or feature roles from Shakespeare (King Lear, Macbeth, Oberon, Lysander) to other European and Russian characters such as King Arthur, Chebutykin ("Three Sisters") and James Tyrone (from "Long Day's Journey Into Night").

He has also worked in television ("Kung Fu: The Legend Continues," "Counterstrike") and film ("Twelve Monkeys," "King of New York").

Playwright and teacher

Abuba has also written plays that have been staged by PAR: "The Dowager, Empress of China," "Kwatz! The Tibetan Project," "Eat a Bowl of Tea," and "Dojoji: the Man Inside the Bell."

(From left) Ernest Abuba with 
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (PAR) founder Tisa Chang
and playwright Sarah Ruhl at the 2018 PAR Art and Action Gala.
Photo by Corky Lee

One of his plays, "An American Story," is about a Filipino immigrant who confronts disillusionment in a bar in San Diego's Manilatown-partly inspired by the milieu of his own childhood in San Diego.

He is a Senior Theatre faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College.

This year's gala benefited PAR's 42nd season (2018-19), which includes "The Emperor's Nightingale" by Damon Chua (an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Nightingale") in November and "The Brothers Paranormal" by Prince Gomolvilas (where two Thai American brother ghost-hunters take on the home of African American clients) in April of 2019.

Visit PanAsianRep.org.

Filipino American lighting designer Cha See illuminates play on race, violence

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 7, 2018
USA and Canada Section, Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/16533/fil-am-lighting-designer-illuminates-play-on-race-violence

NEW YORK — Filipino American lighting designer Cha See is working on an upcoming play tackles "the deaths of black people as a result of racialized violence."

Lighting designer Cha See is working on
"What to Send Up When It Goes Down."

Produced by The Movement Theatre Company, "What to Send Up When It Goes Down" is comprised of vignettes where "performance and reality collide, highlighting the absurdity of anti-blackness in our society."

Playwright Aleshea Harris says, "The play creates a space that honors the inherent value of black people and centers our unfiltered feelings about anti-blackness. You could call it a celebratory clapback; we have fun but don't play."

Shareable tools

The play is structured as a "community ritual" where "lines between characters and actors, observers and observed blur."

Actors rehearse a scene from "What to Send Up When It Goes Down."
a play that tackles racialized violence against black people.

Audience members will be invited to interact and participate with the performers, dedicating each performance to a black person who has been killed by racialized violence.

The performers and audience will then collectively "reflect on personal experiences with race" as the performers "embody various characters . that empower and celebrate black folks."

The program concludes with audience members being provided with "shareable tools to cope with anti-black violence."

Alive

A native of Manila, See moved to New York to complete a master's in lighting design for stage and film at New York University.

Recent credits include "They Told Us Not to Pray" (Playwright's Downtown), "Nora" (The Juilliard School), "Macbeth in Stride" (Joe's Pub), "The Cherry Orchard" (Lake Lucille), "The Opera is Always on the Table" (The New Ohio Theatre).

Her lighting design for "Cute Activist" (Bushwick Starr) has been selected for exhibition in the Emerging Artist Exhibit at the upcoming 2019 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (an exhibition of performance design disciplines such as costume, stage, lighting and sound design held every four years since 1967).

See's interest in lighting design for the stage grew from her love for painting and photography. "I love doing both so much but I found myself doing it alone," she says. "I wanted to be part of something, I wanted to be a key player who is part of a team that has shared values and end goals. Theater is a community and it's collaborative."

She also enjoys the ephemeral aspect of the endeavor. "The lighting design of performances is alive and breathing. It's a synchronization with actors and the people who run the show, unlike in other media like film, you can't edit it.

"Lighting is not something you can touch nor bend. It's not like sets or costumes that you can feel the material or what it's made out of. The idea of painting the stage and the world that we're trying to create through lighting is something that really excites me."

Humanity

After See first read the script for "What To Send Up When It Goes Down" she did not speak for three hours.

See's lighting design for "Cute Activist" will be exhibited at
2019 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space.

"I was just really thinking about the story," she says. "I was thinking things like 'How? Why? Now! This one! Yes! No! But why? Oh really?' I went a little crazy.

"And then I did my laundry and cleaned my entire room. I am still going crazy thinking about it."

After she saw the first rehearsal, she was unable to speak again for some time as she processed the material.

"Aleshea and her work, especially with this one, has the power to linger in your being for as long as you allow it to. I have done a lot of shows that are relatable to my experiences in life, but this one, it moved the entire physical, emotional and spiritual side of me."

See hopes that, from her standpoint as a woman and a person of color working on a show about racialized violence, audiences will ideally become more "aware of everyone's realities."

"Everyone's reality is different," she says. "That killing and racism are still happening. I want them to honor the people that have been killed. That silence is not helpful anymore. Our skins may have different colors, but we are still human beings. My hope that this story inspires them moving forward with their lives."

Cast includes Alana Raquel Bowers, Rachel Christopher, Ugo Chukwu, Kambi Gathesha, Naomi Lorrain, Denise Manning, Javon Minter and Beau Thom. Directed by Whitney White, costume design by Andy Jean, set design by Yu-Hsuan Chen, sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar.

"What To Send Up When It Goes Down" runs Nov. 11-Dec. 8, Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre, A.R.T./New York Theatres, 502 West 53rd St., New York. Visit TheMovementTheatreCompany.org.

READ about the Filipino American designers exhibited at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial here.