Filipino American Krystle Piamonte in hit play 'King of the Yees' in San Francisco

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 1, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/20064/fil- am-actors-star-in-hit-play-king-of-the-yees- in-san-francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — Krystle Piamonte is the lead in Lauren Yee's semi-autobiographical play, "King of the Yees," which runs until March 2 at San Francisco Playhouse.

Piamonte (left) and Francis Jue play daughter and father.

Piamonte plays a dramatized version of the playwright. Included in the cast are Filipino American actors Jomar Tagatac and Rinabeth Apostol, each of whom will play a variety of roles.

Lauren loves her father, a Chinese immigrant, deeply. However, she's frustrated by his dedication to the patriarchal Yee Family Association, a male-only club-formed 150 years ago in the wake of the Gold Rush and the building of the transcontinental railroad- dedicated to preserving the Yee line and cultural history.

Cynical about his stories of their ancient ancestor Yee Fung Toy, Lauren instead wants to celebrate modern-day Chinese culture in America, recognizing its evolution and the contemporary face of Chinatown.

When her father goes missing, Lauren's search for him takes her on a fantastical journey through modern-day Chinatown, and back into her historical ancestry.

This epic ride through space and time enables Lauren to finally understand and respect her father's dedication to the family history and cultural bonds with the past.

Hometown connection

Though the play is set in San Francisco and one of its plot points revolves around the city's Chinatown, the play has never been staged in the city until now.

"It's an honor to be part of this play's homecoming and hearing audiences react with joy and pride at all the San Francisco references," says Piamonte, who's a native of the city herself as well.

She finds Yee's script "hilarious and moving" and felt an instant connection to it. "It's a beautiful love letter to her family and San Francisco's Chinatown. I related a lot to the character of Lauren and her journey in the play."

Aside from the hometown connection, as with the playwright, Piamonte's parents are also immigrants. Her mother is Filipino and her father, as with Yee, is Chinese.

Nurture

Piamonte's recent credits include "Inside Out and Back Again" for Bay Area Children's Theatre, "Two Mile Hollow" for Ferocious Lotus and "Welga" for Bindlestiff Studio.

Krystle Piamonte plays the lead, Lauren in "King of the Yees."
Photo by Ken Levin

She's worked with theater companies such as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Theatre Rhinoceros, theTRIBE Productions, and TheatreFirst.

Piamonte trained in the Theatre and Dance program at Sacramento State University, but prior to all of that, she nurtured her passion and honed her skills with Sinag-tala Filipino Theater and Performing Arts Association, a community group in Sacramento founded by Alcide "Sonny" Alforque in 1990 that provides free theater workshops.

"Joining the group was recommended to me when I was a recipient of Philippine National Day Association's Outstanding Filipino Youth Awards. One of the board members recalled that I mentioned a love for singing on my application and suggested that I try out for Sinag-tala.

"I participated in their annual theatrical revue later that year and fell in love with theater."

Piamonte was involved with Sinag-tala for 12 seasons, from 2001 to 2012. "I started out as a principal soloist, but like most non-profits, I eventually took on more roles on the production side like Song Captain, Cultural Consultant, and Souvenir Program Editor and Designer," she says.

"By the time I ended my journey with the company, my biggest responsibilities were being the Assistant Director and one of the Resident Choreographers."

Fulfilling

Piamonte shares that rehearsals for this production "have been some of the most fun I've had working on a script! Our amazing director Joshua Kahan Brody knows the play like the back of his hand and wonderfully navigated us whenever we were lost in the whirlwind."

She considers the lead role "a definite highlight in my career as an actor, but it's also a little bit intimidating since my character is based on a real person-the playwright herself."

"Getting to play Lauren has been an artistically fulfilling experience, yet challenging in all the best ways. In a story filled with hammy, outlandish, larger-than-life characters, Lauren has to be the grounded one because she is the glue that holds the story together.

"It's through Lauren's eyes that we see what this play is about and who it's for. We would lose the honesty and heart of the play if she was portrayed in a more performative way."

Piamonte is also thankful for her colleagues. "I'm also working with a dream team of Asian American actors that I've looked up to for years, so getting to watch them create their characters and build relationships with scene partners has been helpful to my own craft.

"On top of that, we all get along so well both on and off the stage, so there's nothing but love, respect, and trust between all of us."

"King of the Yees" runs until March 2 at San Francisco Playhouse, 2nd floor of Kensington Park Hotel, 450 Post St., San Francisco. Visit SFPlayhouse.org.


RELATED STORIES:

READ about Jomar Tagatac's 2018 Theater Bay Area Award here.

READ about Rinabeth Apostol's 2018 Bay Area Critics Circle Award here.  

READ about the play "Welga," staged at Bindlestiff Studio, here.

Group art show in Seattle to explore Filipino American experience

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 30, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/19781/group-art-show- in-seattle-to-explore-fil-am- experience

SEATTLE — Five Filipino American artists will explore the spectrum of the Filipino American experience in a group show at the M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery in February.

"Laigo" by Jeanette Tiffany, acrylic.

Titled "Aming mga Pangitain (Our Visions)," the exhibit will feature at least 17 pieces across a range of styles and mediums by artists Beija Flor, Raphael Laigo, Sam Rodrick Rojas-Chua, Lisa Castillano Szilassy and Jeanette Tiffanny.

The opening reception will feature poetry readings by Rojas-Chua, who is also a poet, and Louie Vital.

There will also be kundiman (love songs) and harana (serenade) performances by Roger Rigor and the Barriotiques.

The artists

Lisa Castillano Szilassy is a fine art finger painter with oils. She is also the author of young adult science fiction novel Amplified, the first in her Balancing Light series.

"Mischief Yogin" by Raphael Laigo, acrylic.

Beija Flor is a sculptor and mixed-media artist from the Pacific Northwest. She received her BA in Physics and Studio Art at Lewis and Clark College in 2018.

Raphael Laigo's mystical mixed-media works, inspired by yogic philosophy and Southeast Asian and Filipino cultures, are surreal pieces of cosmic and natural esoterica incorporating images from photographs taken in the Philippines

Jeannette Tiffany is an artist and owner of Tiffany Graphic Design in Seattle.

Sam Roxas-Chua is a poet and multidisciplinary artist from Eugene, Oregon. His publications include Fawn Language (Tebot Bach), and Echolalia in Script: A Collection of Asemic Writing (Orison Books).

Performers

Louie Tan Vital is a poet and community organizer dedicated to fighting for racially- equitable public policy and harnessing performance arts as a means for political activism. Her words have appeared in The Smithsonian and other journals.

"Chinatown" by Liza Castillo Szilassy, fingerpainted oil

The Barriotiques-Abe Legaspi, Alex Urap and Roger Rigor-perform "music of the typical Filipino barrio, traditional and yet contemporary, reminiscent of a golden past."

Legaspi is the original Barriotique. His childhood home in Barrio Sapang Maragul was the inspiration of songs, popular in Tarlac, a Philippine province.

Urap is from the province of Pangasinan and also a homegrown musician.

Rigor started off strumming a guitar in Manila culminating with a disco band, the VST & Company, known for its OPM (Original Pilipino Music) disco tunes of the 1970s era.

The exhibition is co-presented by Filipino American National Historical Society and Pinoy Words Expressed Kultura Arts.

"Aming mga Pangitain (Our Visions)" runs Feb. 4-28 at M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery, Seattle Central College, 1701 Broadway, Seattle. Visit SeattleCentral.edu/artgallery.

Marc delaCruz on his shot as first Filipino American 'Hamilton'

By WALTER ANG
January 24, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/19324/marc-delacruz-on-his-shot-as-first-fil-am-hamilton

Recognition:

2019 Plaridel Award

for Excellence in Filipino American Journalism

in the Best Entertainment Story category 

from the Philippine American Press Club

NEW YORK — "I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment and relief," confides Marc delaCruz, on being asked to portray the lead role of Alexander Hamilton in the hit musical "Hamilton." He's the first Filipino American to play the role.

Marc delaCruz is the first Filipino American actor
to portray Alexander Hamilton in the musical "Hamilton."

"I finally knew what it was like to perform the role with a full audience. As our conductor said to me that night, I had successfully landed the plane."

In a Facebook post, he writes, "Thank you for all the messages of support and encouragement I've received over the last few days. I'm truly overwhelmed and humbled. Thank you to the Asian, [Asian Pacific Islander] and Filipino/Fil-Am communities for your words of support and cheer. It's an honor to represent my communities in any way big or small. Since joining Hamilton I've witnessed the power of this show to bring people together in a positive, uplifting way. I'm so happy to have any kind of part in that."

DelaCruz is an actor in the ensemble and the understudy for the title role. An understudy takes over the role in case the originally assigned actor is unable to perform.

DelaCruz joined the production last year and debuted as Alexander Hamilton this January.

Created by Lin Manuel Miranda (who also co-wrote songs for the Disney animated film "Moana" and is an actor in the Disney film "Mary Poppins Returns"), the multi-awarded musical is about the life of Alexander Hamilton, a statesman, one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S., as well as the founder of the nation's financial system.

Loving and generous

"My first performance as Hamilton was scheduled for January 20, but I ended up going on for the first time one day early. We were at the theater for a music brush up rehearsal that day and as soon as it was over, our stage manager called me and asked if I felt ready to go on that night," he said.

Filipino American Marc delaCruz was born in Hawaii and raised in Seattle.

"I said yes. I was ready and would be happy to do it. By that point, the anticipation of going on had been building up so I was eager to get the first performance under my belt.

"The rest of the night was incredible. The entire company lifted me up and gave me so much energy and confidence. Even before the show began, I knew I would be okay because I was surrounded by such loving, generous people."

Hawaii, Seattle, Broadway

DelaCruz made his Broadway debut in the musical "If/Then," which starred Idina Menzel ("Wicked," "Frozen").

DelaCruz backstage in his Alexander Hamilton costume.

Prior to that, he had cut his teeth with credits such as Thuy in "Miss Saigon" and Chip Tolentino in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." He's been in the national tour of "Disney's High School Musical" and in the world premiere cast of "Allegiance" at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre alongside Lea Salonga.

DelaCruz, whose father is Filipino, was born in Hawaii and raised in Seattle. He trained in dance while studying at the University of Washington.

While in college, he was cast in his first professional production, "The Fantasticks," with the Northwest Asian American Theater Company. He went on to act for theater groups in Seattle such as ReAct, Village Theatre and the 5th Avenue Theatre.

Amazing

His journey to the role began with two songs at his first audition. Then came more and more songs at every callback audition and meeting more and more of the show's directing and music supervisors and other co-creators.

DelaCruz, in his James Reynolds costume, backstage with a fellow cast member.
Photo from Instagram

"Everyone in the room at all of my auditions was absolutely wonderful-warm, encouraging, gracious."

When delaCruz found out he'd been accepted into the show, he was in the middle of preparing for the Off-Broadway show "Ordinary Days" with Keen Company.

"I got to celebrate the news in one of the best ways I can imagine, going to perform in another incredible show in which I got to play a wonderful role."

"I was floored when I received the offer. Any offer for 'Hamilton' would have been amazing but finding out I'd be onstage every night in the ensemble and understudying Alexander Hamilton took a moment to process." 

Double duty

DelaCruz rehearsed for four and a half weeks before his first performance. "During three of those weeks, I was still in `Ordinary Days,' so I was doing double duty-rehearsing one show during the day while performing another on at night."

It's apparent that delaCruz is not only adept at multitasking, he's a versatile actor as well.

His main assignment in the show is to be in the ensemble and to perform three characters: Philip Schuyler, James Reynolds and the Doctor. Then comes the Alexander Hamilton understudy assignment.

But that's not all. He is also the understudy for three more characters: John Laurens/Philip Hamilton (two roles assigned to one actor) and King George.

"My first responsibility was to learn my ensemble track, Man 5. Once I began performances as Man 5, I started rehearsals for the role of Hamilton."

And there is no resting on laurels for the man.

"Now that I've performed Hamilton, I can begin learning my next cover, John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. I actually haven't learned the King George track yet. That will be my last cover to learn. I'm looking forward to it!"

Other Fil-Ams

"Hamilton" has productions in New York, Chicago, Puerto Rico, London, one slated to open in San Francisco in February and two touring productions in the U.S. 

On Broadway, delaCruz joins Filipino Americans Karla Garcia, the production's Co-Dance Captain, and Christina Glur, a swing-an actor who knows multiple roles and fills in for absent actors.

There are also Fil-Am actors in the two touring productions.

In the Angelica cast, Isa Briones plays Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds; and Jon Viktor Corpuz plays John Laurens and Philip Hamilton.

In the Philip cast, Aaron Albano is in the ensemble and plays Samuel Seabury.

Filipino recording artist Rachelle Ann Go is currently playing Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton in the London production.

RELATED STORIES:

READ about Isa Briones acting in the touring production of 'Hamilton' here.

READ about Jon Viktor Corpuz in his role as Chulalongkorn in the Broadway revival of 'The King and I' here.

READ about Fil-Am artists joining George Takei's 'Allegiance' in LA staging here.

Filipino American actors Jaygee Macapugay and Orville Mendoza sound off on Broadway opportunities

By WALTER ANG
January 23, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/19201/fil-am-actors-sound-off-on-broadway-opportunities

NEW YORK — Fil-Am and other Asian American actors have gained mileage in the Broadway industry but are still facing much headwind, according to a panel at this year's BroadwayCon, which included Fil-Am actors Jaygee Macapugay and Orville Mendoza.

From left: Jaygee Macapugay, Orville Mendoza,
Manu Narayan, Erin Quill and Kelvin Moon Loh.
Photo from Instagram

The panel opened with some facts: out of the 30 shows currently in the 41 theaters on Broadway, only nine have Asian American actors in lead or feature roles.

The group also noted that so far on Broadway, there has only been one male Asian American playwright who has been produced (David Henry Hwang) and only one female (Young Jean Lee).

Held in Manhattan, Broadwaycon is a multiday exposition/conference that focuses on Broadway and other theater productions that includes performances, talks, workshops, photo and autograph sessions, etc.

Panelist Macapugay's Broadway credits include "School of Rock." Most recently on Off-Broadway, she was in "Wild Goose Dreams" (with set design by Filipino American Clint Ramos).

Broadway credits for Mendoza include "Pacific Overtures" and "Peter and the Starcatcher." Recently, he was in the national touring production of "Small Mouth Sounds."

Actress Erin Quill moderated the panel. Quill was part of the original Broadway cast of "Avenue Q," which has music co-composed and lyrics co-written by Fil-Am Robert Lopez ("The Book of Mormon" and "Disney's Frozen").

Ethnicity and casting

Quill began discussions with the topic of playing characters who "happen to just be Asian" compared to playing Asian characters.

Jaygee Macapugay was in "School of Rock."

Chicago-native Macapugay shared her experience when she was cast in "School of Rock."

"I loved it because it was truly based on who I am and what I brought to the table and that's a dream come true," she said. "Because when you hear about casting, like, 'who's the token person of color there?'—it diminishes you as an actor.

"However, when it comes to casting, I do like the idea of revolving around ethnicity, because why not cast based on the world that is around you, that represents the world around you?

"From those two points of view, being cast on your talent, yes; but also ... for creatives to take an active role to want to cast people of color."

Increasing opportunities

Born in Manila, Mendoza moved to the US with his family when he was two years old. He expressed frustration over having to be relegated as the "token Asian" or the "ethnic alternative" actor in auditions and productions.

Orville Mendoza was in "Pacific Overtures" and "Peter and the Starcatcher."

"The painful [part is] ... it's part of the job. But you have to treat that audition like you're going to get it and you have to find it within yourself to give one hundred percent even though in the back of your head it's, like, 'I'm not going to get this,'" he said.

"It's wonderful when you don't have to think about it. When you're just playing a human being and you just happen to look like this," he said as he gestured to himself.

Macapugay praised the women she's been able to work with. "In the last couple years, working with female directors and female lesbian writers, I think [they] champion more, in my opinion, people of color and people who are different more than any other directors that I've worked with because women, in particular . they know what it's like to be `other,' so they champion 'others.'"

Financial success

Mendoza is hopeful that recent productions in theater and film with diverse casts that have succeeded financially will continue to encourage entities who create shows.

"When investors see that it's not a risk to put someone of color in a lead role, they are more apt to go 'okay.' This will not lose you money, hopefully producers see that. People really want to see this, this is not just a one-time fluke or gimmick thing, they actually are craving more diversity," he said.

The group went on to discuss different ways the industry could increase opportunities for Asian and Pacific Islander actors, including changing ingrained mindsets and current work practices-across audiences, actors, casting directors, directors, playwrights, producers, investors and even board members and donors.

Asian Americans on Broadway

Though not discussed during the panel, Fil-Am and visiting Filipino actors have continued to gain a presence in Broadway productions.

In 2018, Ali Ewoldt continued to play Christine Daae in "Phantom of the Opera."

Arielle Jacobs joined "Disney's Aladdin" as Jasmine where she joined Don Darryl Rivera (who has been playing Iago since the show opened) and several Fil-Am actors in the ensemble.

Catherine Ricafort joined "Spongebob Squarepants" for a few months before it closed in September. Lea Salonga was in "Once on This Island" (with costume design by Ramos), which closed earlier this year.

Clint Ramos handled costume design for "Torch Song" and Robert Brill handled set design for "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical."


RELATED STORIES:

Filipino-American Ali Ewoldt is first Asian to play Christine in 'Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway

Filipino Americans Arielle Jacobs and Lissa deGuzman play Jasmine on Broadway and nat'l tour of 'Disney's Aladdin'

Two Filipinos design for Broadway's 'Once on This Island'

Filipino Canadian Marie Barlizo’s play confronts pressures faced by youth

By WALTER ANG
January 16, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/18706/fil-canadians-play-confronts-pressures-faced-by-youth

TORONTO — In Marie Barlizo's play "Lucky," a young Filipino student Nina (played by Katharine King) can't meet her parents' high expectations. An encounter with Sylvain (played by Christian Jadah), a former skinhead haunted by his violent past, sparks a thrilling plan that could change both their lives.

Katharine King (left) plays Filipino student Nina
and Christian Jadah plays the haunted Sylvain.
Photo by Tanja Tiziana

Directed by Sophie Gee, the play examines the model minority stereotype of Asians in Canada-of being submissive, intelligent, well behaved-and the consequences of such cultural preconceptions. It also explores how cultural expectations can affect happiness and self-esteem.

"Lucky" is running until January 20 at Factory Theatre Studio as part of the 2019 Next Stage Theatre Festival.

Born in the Philippines and raised in Montreal, Barlizo studied Theatre at Concordia University, took up a master's in Creative Writing at University of British Columbia and studied Playwriting at the National Theatre School (where she now teaches).

Her plays have been showcased at Playwrights Theatre Centre's New Play Festival in Vancouver; fu-Gen Asian-Canadian Theatre Company's Annual Potluck Festival and Factory Theatre's CrossCurrent Festival in Toronto; and Playwrights' Workshop Montreal and Teesri Duniya Theatre in Montreal.

Inspired by real events

First performed at the 2018 Montreal Fringe Festival, "Lucky" is inspired by the shocking tragedy of Vietnamese-Canadian Jennifer Pan.

Playwright Marie Barlizo wrote "Lucky" to open discussions about mental health.

Under tremendous pressure from her immigrant parents to succeed, Pan had lied to them about being accepted to college after she failed to graduate from high school. In 2010, she was convicted for hiring hitmen to murder her parents.

Barlizo felt an immediate personal connection to Pan's story. In a statement, she said, "I was my parents' 'golden child,' I understand only too well what it means to be trapped by high expectations."

Barlizo set the action of the play in Montreal's Filipino Canadian community. To research the character of Sylvain, she consulted Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi who now advocates for peace through his organization Life After Hate.

"I wrote 'Lucky' because I want to open up the discussion about the extreme pressures we, in the Asian community, put on our children and the effects on their mental health," she said.

The Next Stage Theatre Festival is produced every January by Toronto Fringe (which organizes the Toronto Fringe Festival every July).

"Lucky" runs until Jan. 20, Factory Theatre Studio, 125 Bathurst St., Toronto. Visit Fringetoronto.com.