'Kulinary Confidential' in San Francisco highlights Filipino American cuisine, chefs

By WALTER ANG
March 29, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/25695/kulinary-confidential-highlights-fil-am-cuisine-chefs

SAN FRANCISCO — Filipino American cuisine is the focus of Kulinary Confidential, a two-week food crawl and series of pop-up dinners featuring seven restaurants and 16 chefs.

"Kulinary Confidential" runs for two weeks
in SOMA Pilipinas, the Filipino American cultural district.
Photos by Albert Law

All of the participating food crawl restaurants and the venues for the pop dinners are located in SOMA Pilipinas, the Fil-Am cultural district (from 2nd St. to 11th St., bordered by Market and Brannan Streets).

The event will run from April 1 to 14 and part of the proceeds will fund the Philippine immersion trip of more than 20 students from Balboa High School. The students will learn about their cultural roots and practice Tagalog.

The food crawl-composed of special off-menu dishes-can be accessed by purchasing a Tasting Passport. The pop-up dinners-which are single-evening events-are open to ticket buyers.

Food Crawl

For the first week, Mestiza, Manila Bowl, and Sarap Shop are the featured restaurants.

Lechon Kawali Tacos is one of the special off-menu items
featured during this year's "Kulinary Confidential." 

For the second week, the lineup includes JT Restaurant, Little Skillet, and Señor Sisig.

Alchemy, collaborating with San Francisco Chicken's Christian Ciscle, is part of both weeks.

Tasting Passport-holders can visit these restaurants anytime during their week of choice and redeem tickets for the special off-menu items created specifically for Kulinary Confidential.

Mestiza Taqueria will offer lechon kawali tacos and coconut horchata while Manila Bowl (located at The Market on Market food hall) will offer dinuguan.

Alchemy (located inside Trademark & Copyright bar) will offer a Filipino fried chicken that features pineapple mochi, spiced batter and soy chile sauce.

Sarap Shop (located at the Soma Streat Food food park) will offer a mystery bag that contains its signature halo-halo milk tea, an onigiri in a mystery flavor, and other surprise items.

Mackerel kinilaw with seaweed granita and roe
is one item that will be featured in one of the six Pop Up Dinners
this year for "Kulinary Confidential." 

On the second week, JT Restaurant will serve chicken afritada while Little Skillet will offer toyomansi-glazed fried chicken with pandan mochi waffle.

It's going to be adobo carnitas with dirty rice at Señor Sisig while Alchemy will have chicken escabeche (coconut vinegar-marinated fried chicken thighs) with calamansi tartar sauce on cabbage and tomato salad.

Pop-Up Dinners

The Pop-Up Dinners will offer a broad range of flavors across multi-course meals with tickets starting at $65.

Undiscovered SF is the organizer of "Kulinary Confidential,"
a food festival featuring Fil-Am chefs and cuisine,
such as this banana turon with matcha. 

The first week begins with Rod Reyes of Barya Kitchen. He will prepare a five-course meal of classic Filipino dishes with a modern spin at Trademark & Copyright bar.

A blending of cultures is the theme for the first weekend. EJ Macayan and Japanese American Hitomi Wada of Ox & Tiger will prepare a Fil-Japanese dinner at Joint Venture Kitchen (a venue for pop-up dinners).

Marc Pescon of Aliwang Lutu will prepare a Fil-French meal at Executive Order bar.

Kicking off the second week is Yana Gilbuena of Salo Series. She will prepare six dishes at Mestiza Taqueria.

The final weekend will have Francis Ang of Pinoy Heritage preparing an eight-course modern Filipino dinner at Picnic on Third.

Concluding the Pop-Up Dinner series is Aileen Suzara of Sariwa, who will prepare a Fil-Indian dinner at Mestiza Taqueria.

Kulinary Confidential is organized by Undiscovered SF, a nonprofit promoting economic development in SOMA Pilipinas. Among other activities, Undiscovered SF hosts night markets in the summer that celebrate Fil-Am culture through music, dance, art, food, and retail.

To purchase passports and tickets; and for the addresses and operation hours of the food crawl restaurants and pop-up dinner venues, visit UndiscoveredSF.com.

Fil-Am director helms back-to-back family saga plays in SF

By WALTER ANG
March 28, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/25618/fil-am-director-helms-back-to-back-family-saga-plays-in-sf

SAN FRANCISCO — Think of a saga spread across a nine-episode mini-series, but on stage. Filipino American Victor Maog is directing two of these "episodes" back-to- back in two different venues in San Francisco.

Victor Maog

Nigerian American playwright Mfoniso Udofia has written a series of nine plays about several generations of a family-from its Nigerian immigrant matriarch to her American-born children.

Maog is directing the fourth and fifth installments for American Conservatory Theater (ACT) and Magic Theatre, respectively.

"Her Portmanteau," the fourth installment, runs until March 31. He's currently in rehearsals for the world premiere of "In Old Age," the fifth installment, which will open on April 3.

The first installment ("Sojourners"), where audiences are introduced to the family matriarch, Abasiama Ufot, and the third ("runboyrun") were both previously staged at Magic during their 2015-16 season.

San Francisco son

Maog's recent credits include "South Pacific" (Drury Lane Theatre), "See Rock City" (Play Chester Theatre), "The Tempest (Three- Person Adaptation)" (Resonance Ensemble), "Sex! Drugs! & Ukuleles!" (Musical Theatre for a New City).

From 2016 to 2018, he was a show director at Disney Parks Live Entertainment, working on stage shows and large scale events.

"I started my professional directing career with Teatro ng Tanan's production of Edgar Poma's 'Little Train' at the Mission Cultural Center," says Maoag.

Teatro ng Tanan was a Filipino American theater group (formed by Luz de Leon and Chris Millado) that was active in the 1990s.

"I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be on the main stages of American Conservatory Theater and Magic Theatre. And simultaneously. It's a thrill!"

"As someone who grew up here, it's weird and wonderful to return to the Bay Area. There's definitely been a lot of shifts and booms and gentrification since my days in Union City. Still, it feels familiar, I'm in constant conversation with my youthful recollections of the Bay."

Ongoing relationship

Maoag has been collaborating with Udofia since 2013. "This was before she had any workshops and productions. She didn't even think her plays would get produced. I was lucky enough to be set up on a creative director-playwright blind date with her.

"Then I was fortunate enough to stage her first workshop production ever, which was `Her Portmanteau' at National Black Theatre. Fast forward to 2019, I'm privileged to give that same play a first-class production at ACT," he says.

In "Her Portmanteau," Abasiama and her U.S.-born daughter are visited by Abasiama's other daughter, Iniabasi. Nigerian traditions soon clash with American realities and the family is forced to confront its literal and emotional baggage.

"I now also have a once-in-lifetime great privilege to mount the world premiere of 'In Old Age' at the Magic," Maog adds.

In the play "In Old Age," Abasiama clashes with repairman Azell Abernathy who has come to redo her dilapidated floors. An unlikely spiritual connection soon forms and both learn a thing or two along the way.

Glorious

"It's glorious, but hard," Maoag says of his directing responsibilities.

"It's requires a rigor and tenacity to truly honor this nine-play Ufot Family saga, exploring histories and the interconnected nature of the characters.

"Working within Mfoniso's plays means a keen attention to punctuation, subtext, symbols and musicality. The language, intelligence and striking theatricality is addictive.

"This marathon tests every fiber of my being. Though there might be bags under my eyes, I wake up every day chomping at the bit to give life to this American story."

"Her Portmanteau" runs until March 31 at Strand Theater, 1127 Market St., San Francisco. "In Old Age," previews start March 27, opens April 3 at Magic Theatre, 3rd floor, Bldg. D, Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd., San Francisco. Visit MagicTheatre.org.

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Filipino Americans create performing arts collective in Baltimore

By WALTER ANG
March 22, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/25078/young-fil-ams-create-performing-arts-collective-in-baltimore

BALTIMORE, Maryland — Filipino Americans are taking the lead in pushing for Asian American involvement in the performing arts in the Baltimore area.

(From left) Sam Callanta, Marela Kay Minosa, Catrece Tipon,
Cori Dioquino and Donna Ibale are the Fil-Am cofounders of
Baltimore Asian Pasifika Arts Collective. 

Five Fil-Ams are half of the Asian American cofounders of Baltimore Asian Pasifika Arts Collective (Bapac), a newly formed organization dedicated to strengthening racial understanding between communities.

The group also aims to empower the youth through artistic practices and community engagement.

Bapac will hold its launch program on March 30 with "AAPI Voices: How We Party!" The program includes a storytelling session and an announcement of its inaugural season line-up.

Together

Founding co-executive director Cori Dioquino says the group aims to unify and to create. She manages the group with founding co-executive director Mohammad Suaidi.

"During our first meeting, we realized that while there were a number of us who had been cast together in different shows before, we'd never actually been together outside of these productions to just come together to talk about issues," she says.

"It was empowering to be in one room all together and say to ourselves `Hey, we are here and we are allies.'"

Another of the group's objectives is to establish itself as a go-to resource for the theater and performing community when it comes to Asian American concerns, for example, questions about scripts, costume and casting choices, etc.

"We think along the lines of `here's a hole that needs to be filled, let's fill it.' Let's do what we can to produce the best art we can do. We want to be there for one another."

Cofounders  

Raised in Laurel, Maryland, Dioquino studied theater at Towson University. Acting credits include "Neverwhere" (Cohesion Theatre), "Top Girls" (Fells Point Corner Theatre), "Titus Andronicus" (Faction of Fools), Institute of Visionary History (Submersive Productions), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Glass Mind Theatre), among others.

Bapac's Fil-Am cofounders include Donna Ibale, managing and marketing manager; Sam Callanta, project manager; Marela Kay Minosa, operations and finance manager; and Catrece Tipon,production coordinator.

Callanta, Minosa and Tipon are all native to the US. Dioquino and Ibale both were born in the Philippines and immigrated to the US with their families when they were children.

The other cofounders are Cara Hinh, Mika Nakano, Channbunmorl Sou and Mani Yangilmau.

Strong

Feedback has been positive. "The theater community has been so welcoming. A couple of theaters reached out immediately to offer to work with us," Dioquino says.

According to Dioquino, this kind of response is aligned with Baltimore's sense of civic culture.

"Balitmore is such a supportive community because everyone builds things from scratch," she says.

"It really is a charmed city. At first glance, it can feel gritty and rough around the edges, but if you're here long enough or make an effort find these hidden cultural gems, you'll find a strong underground cultural arts scene."

Season line-up

After the launch event, BAPAC's inaugural season continues with the production "Tornkid" in May.

"Tornkid" will be a collaborative production with Cohesion Theatre Company that aims to explore themes of healing using ancient female and non-binary stories.

Filipino American playwright Katelynn Kenney will assist both groups with crafting their script.

In August, the group will stage "#Modelminority: A Musical Parody Revue." It will about the highs and lows of Asian Americans in the performing arts.

With music by Bobby Ge, the show will be written by Dioquino and directed by Donna Ibale.

"AAPI Voices: How We Party!" is on March 30 at The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave., Baltimore. Visit Baltimoreapac.org. 

New dance work from Alleluia Panis probes San Francisco’s 20th century Filipino immigrant life

By WALTER ANG
March 20, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/24864/new-dance-work-probes-sfs-20th-century-filipino-immigrant-life

SAN FRANCISCO — Filipino Americans from San Francisco's past are the focus of a new full-length dance piece by Fil-Am choreographer Alleluia Panis.

Aimee Amparo (second from left) as Divine Mother
and Ladislao Arellano as Pablo Valentin
 in "In the Belly of the Eagle: Man@ng is Deity."
Photo by Wilfred Galila

"In the Belly of the Eagle: Man@ng is Deity" is inspired by real-life accounts of Fil-Ams who lived in San Francisco from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Fil-Am performing arts group Kularts, of which Panis is artistic director, will stage a workshop production this month at Bindlestiff Studio.

The ensemble piece features the character Valentino Pablo, who is of the manong generation-a blanket term for Filipinos, mostly male, who immigrated to the U.S.  from the 1920s to the 1930s and worked in farm crop harvesting, fish cannery and other blue collar jobs.

In a statement, the show is described as portraying "the 8,000-mile immigration journey to America and the resilience of the Pilipino people."

"Pablo experiences vivid moments of his early 20th century American life: he and his fellow Pilipinos bonding together to ease their struggles of living in a society that values them for their cheap labor but loathes them and denies their humanity, the bitter hardships, the fleeting joys, and their determined spirit of survival and camaraderie that defines his generation."

Themes

The multi-awarded Panis has choreographed more than 20 full-length dance theater works. Recent credits include "Incarcerated 6x9," "She, Who Can See" (which she also adapted into a film), and "Ibig, Pulse of Desire."

Choreographer Alleluia Panis is artistic director of performing arts group Kularts. 

"My main inquiry for this piece," says Panis, "is the experiences of the diaspora living in the United States-the country who subjugated our people as its colony for decades and continues to exert its economic, military and cultural power over the Philippines."

The eagle in the work's title represents the United States while the term "man@ng" is Panis' gender-neutral spelling for the Filipinos, women and men, who immigrated to the US in the first third of the 20th century.

"The 'man@ng' generation is our deity in the diaspora," she explains.

More questions

She began developing this piece in 2017. Her research included interviewing fourth and fifth generation Filipino

Dancers rehearsing a movement from
"In the Belly of the Eagle: Man@ng is Deity."
Photo by Wilfred Galila 

Americans "to hear about their Pilipina great-grandmothers and grandmothers."

"There are many stories about the manongs but we rarely hear about the manangs who came prior to 1950s. If there was one Pilipina for every 20 Pilipino immigrants, I wanted to know more about their stories."

Panis says she also wanted to explore questions such as, "Why do we stay [in the US] despite our marginalization as an immigrant population in the country of our former colonizer/subjugator?"

"What keeps us doing so? Why do we continue to suffer these challenges? Why not simply just go back home [to the Philippines]? How do we empower ourselves in a society who treat us as second-class citizens?"

Collaborators

Singer and healer Aimee Amparo will dance the role of the Divine Mother. Dancing the role of Pablo is Ladislao "June" Arellano, who is a principal dancer at Parangal Dance Comapny. Arellano will also handle costume design for the production.

Panis (left) evaluating her dancers' progress during rehearsals. 

The production features music by Joshua Icban and video design by Wilfred Galila.

Galila's films have been screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. His recent collaborations with Panis include "She, Who Can See" and "Incarcerated 6x9."

Icban's credits include the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco State Gospel Choir and Afro-Cuban Ensemble. He has served as composer, arranger and music director for Awesome Orchestra and Bindlestiff Studio.

This workshop production of "In the Belly of the Eagle: Man@ng is Deity" is a recipient of a Special Art Award grant from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation.

Workshop production of "In the Belly of the Eagle: Man@ng is Deity" runs March 22-24 at Bindlestiff Studio, 185 6th St., San Francisco. Visit Kularts-sf.org. 

Filipino American directors Alan Quismorio and Ely Orquiza helm shows for San Francisco’s Theatre Rhinoceros

By WALTER ANG
March 15, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/24440/2-fil-am-directors-helm-shows-for-san-franciscos-theater-rhinoceros

SAN FRANCISCO — Filipino American theater directors Alan Quismorio and Ely Sonny Orquiza will helm back-to-back productions for Theatre Rhinoceros' Pop-Up Theater series.

Actors rehearsing a scene from "Underpants Godot."

Theatre Rhinoceros describes itself as the longest-running queer theater in the world.

The series will be held at Spark Arts Gallery, kicking off with Duncan Pflaster's "Underpants Godot" from March 16 to 23 to be directed by Quismorio.

Orquiza will then direct the US premiere of Mark O'Halloran's "Trade," which will run April 5 to 14.

Underpants Godot

Theatre Rhino's literary manager and development director Joe Tally reached out to both directors to join the Pop-Up series.

Alan Quismorio directs "Underpants Godot" for Theater Rhinoceros. 

Alan Quismorio had been previously involved with the group's Staged Reading series. He had previously been a co-artistic director at Asian American Theater Company and a former artistic director at Bindlestiff Studio.

"Joe asked me to direct and I accepted. There's a chance we'll both regret it. Hashtag kidding!" he says, laughing.

If the title of the play he's directing and his quips have not provided enough clues already, "Underpants Godot" is not a serious play.

"It's a satire on both 'Waiting for Godot' and well-intentioned high-concept interpretations of classic theater works. Also, it is a classy reason to see men in their tighty-whities," he says. "And much less!"

The play presents a final dress rehearsal of a bold, postmodern, stripped down interpretation of the Samuel Beckett classic, when a representative of the Beckett estate shows up with serious questions about the production: Is it true to the author's intent? Is it a fresh look at difficult play? Or, are those just men in their underwear?

Irish

The Pop-Up series offers a variety of subject matter. To contrast with the first offering, "Trade" is described as a piece about "duty, morality and desire."

Actors John Tranchitella (left) and Michael Loria
rehearsing a scene from "Trade." 

Set in a Dublin guesthouse, the play opens with a vulnerable and confused young rent boy who is with a middle-aged client who has blood on his shirt.

"The script is so simple yet profound," says Ely Sonny Orquiza. "It explores intersectional layers and dynamics of financial, romantic, sexual and psychological relationship between the two characters."

While in college, Orquiza had a chance to study in Ireland, where he began to appreciate its theater heritage.

"I studied modern and contemporary Irish Drama from the 1900s to present. The ethos of Irish Theater is rich and profound: it is full of drama, history, culture and tradition. Their dramatic literature is provocative and unapologetic."

Sociopolitical

Born in Metro Manila, Orquiza moved to San Francisco with his family when he was 12 years old. A passion for acting led him to study Theater and Performance Studies at University of California-Berkeley. While there, he founded experimental theater group Projector Room Ensemble.

Ely Sonny Orquiza directs "Trade" for the Pop-Up Theater series. 

He is a faculty member at American Conservatory Theater's Young Conservatory and a teaching artist at Magic Theater and StageBridge.

As an actor, he has worked with groups such as Bindlestiff Studio, Cal Performances, Inferno Theatre, Exit Theatre, among others. Directing credits include "Bound 4 Heaven" for National Queer Arts Festival and "Predator Block Tango."

He adds, "I am very drawn to sociopolitical theater and performing arts used as an agent of social change."

"Underpants Godot" runs March 16-23, "Trade" runs April 5-14 at Spark Arts Gallery, 4229 18th St., San Francisco. Visit Therhino.org.

Filipino American actor Jose Abaoag wins 2018 Gypsy Rose Lee Award

By WALTER ANG
March 13, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/24149/fil-am-actor-wins-gypsy-rose-lee-award

SEATTLE — Filipino American actor Jose "Jojo" Abaoag has won the 2018 Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Excellence in Performance in a Play by a Supporting Actor for his work in "An Octoroon" for ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery.

Jojo Abaoag won the
2018 Gypsy Rose Lee Award
for Excellence in Performance in a Play
by a Supporting Actor
for his work in "An Octoroon"
for ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery. 

The awards are given annually by the Seattle Theater Writers group in 33 categories in two divisions (Large Theaters and Small Theaters). ArtsWest Playhouse falls under the Small Theater division.

"I was quite surprised honestly," Abaoag says of his achievement. "There is so much good work being done in the city. The people I have the privilege of working with are generous, talented and forgiving. We don't do it for awards.

"I keep doing theater because I like telling stories. I like the work and the sense of community from working with other artists."

This is Abaoag's second Gypsy Rose Lee Award. He'd won in 2013 as Lead Actor for his work in Fil-Am playwright A. Rey Pamatmat's "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them" staged by Seattle Public Theatre (Large Theater division).

"My wife Miko is incredibly supportive and grounds me. She does a lot of things behind the scenes to make this all work so that I can appreciate it more. I approach my work and any recognition for it for what it is, an honor at my age to still be a working actor in Seattle."

Community

Born in Garden Grove, California, Abaoag was frustrated by his attempts at basketball for his school elective and instead chose an improvisation class. "I remember feeling so alive up there. I could just make it up and be creative with how I reacted to others."

Abaoag (top, left) struggled with the
racially-charged material of "An Octoroon." 

His teacher was directing "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" at the local community college and suggested he join the cast.

"I got to hang out with older actors, see them work and rework the story, and hung out with them outside of rehearsals. I started to understand how you become a community of actors and stage crew and you all do something that's exciting.

"It wasn't competitive like in sports. You have a family of really interesting and different people to hang out with for a few weeks. I was hooked."

He went on to study Theatre at Cornish College of the Arts. Credits include "The Cherry Orchard" (A Contemporary Theatre), "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" (Sound Theatre Co.), "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Book-It Repertory), among others. He's currently the Marketing and Community Partnerships Manager at Seattle Children's Theatre.

Discomfort

Wokring on "An Octoroon, written by African American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, was very challenging for Abaoag.

"The play required a lot of focus with quick changes and supporting each other with difficult material. I thank my castmates and my director for this experience and for so much support."

With a story immersed in racial matters, the play's male actors have to perform in blackface, whiteface and redface.

"'An Octoroon' asks actors to go deep into these American stereotypes and paint their faces the color of other races. But the play requires you to commit to this so that the audience gets the full impact of the play. This is where I struggled the most.

"I had to say racial epithets at my castmates. They were wonderful and very supportive but I still had to get past myself. I went through numerous voices and approaches in the rehearsal process but I pushed through because I knew that, ultimately, the play's impact was far more important than an actor's anxiety of presenting racial stereotypes in blackface to audiences. Discomfort is the point."

Diversity in Seattle

Fortunately, things are getting a little bit more comfortable in the real world, or with the diversity of Seattle's theater scene at the very least.

Abaoag in Seattle Children's Theatre's "Go, Dog. Go!"

Abaoag says, "It is getting better. Having been in Seattle since 1994, there is no denying it. I've tried to make a go in other cities and I chose Seattle as my artistic home for this very reason." 

"What's encouraging is that there are just more actors of color, particularly Asian Americans, in the Seattle theater scene. They are trained and they are good."

"More theaters are presenting new works by Asian American playwrights, hiring Asian American directors and casting Asian Americans in all roles."

He hopes to see continued improvement and more collaboration. "It has gotten better but there are still missteps by many Seattle theaters that still need to be addressed. Some still tend to cast shows or pick their productions through a white lens.

"There needs to be real effort and conversations with artists of color and theaters in Seattle about what stories we'd like to see and how we can help grow the audiences to get more people of color into seats. I have no doubt that the audiences will come if this conversation is followed by action."

Filipino American women playwrights reap top awards

By WALTER ANG
March 8, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/23700/fil-am-women-playwrights-reap-top-awards

NEW YORK — Three Filipino American women playwrights have won top awards for their respective works.

Filipino American playwrights (from left)
Rehana Lew Mirza, Lily Padilla and Ren Dara Santiago. 

Lily Padilla won the 2019 Yale Drama Series Prize for her play "How to Defend Yourself." The award includes $10,000, publication of the play by Yale University Press and a staged reading of the play.

The play is about a university sorority that starts a self-defense class in response to a series of campus rapes.

The award is given out annually by the David Charles Horn Foundation in an international competition for emerging playwrights where all entries are read blindly. The winner is selected by one playwright judge, who this year was Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar.

Akhtar, who chose "How to Defend Yourself" from over 1,750 submissions from 65 countries, said in a statement, "Lily Padilla's play about desire, defense, and the insidious, labyrinthine reach of rape culture is that rare thing: Formally inventive, timely, accessible, and soulful. I can't wait for people to experience it."

Padilla, whose father is Filipino Puerto Rican and mother is Colombian, was born and raised in Poway, California. She studied for a master's in playwriting at University of California-San Diego and founded the American Nightcap play series at Intar Theatre in New York.

Padilla, whose credits include "(w)holeness," "Incidental Friends," "Other People," said in a statement, "I feel so grateful and inspired to win the Yale Drama Prize."

"'How to Defend Yourself' comes from listening to the parts of me that were shamed into silence; to be able to write it was healing beyond what I had imagined. That folks are connecting deeply with the play is gorgeous affirmation of what is possible when we act together in service of our collective liberation. I am in awe of and deep gratitude for the many folks who have given their energies, time, talents and hearts to holding these stories with me."

"How to Defend Yourself" will run this month in Louisville, Kentucky at Actors Theatre of Louisville's 2019 Humana Festival of New American Plays. The production is a co-world premiere with Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater, which will stage the play in 2020.

Previous Fil-Am winners of the Yale Drama Series Prize include Clarence Coo in 2012 for his "Beautiful Province."

Ren Dara Santiago

Ren Dara Santiago is the inaugural winner of New York-based Rising Phoenix Repertory Theater's Cornelia Street American Playwriting Award, presented to an emerging playwright of exceptional work ethic, character and talent.

Santiago's win was announced late last year; she was awarded at a reception this February. The award, named after Cornelia Street in the city's West Village, includes $3,500 and publication of one the winner's works in Rising Phoenix Rep's magazine Caffe Cino.

Other plays by Santiago, a native New Yorker whose mother is Filipino and father is Puerto Rican, include "The Siblings Play" and "Something in the Balete Tree."

Rising Phoenix Rep artistic director Daniel Talbott said in a statement, "Ren personifies the spirit of this award. She is an extraordinary talent, an explosive, infinitely original voice, and a heart-led collaborator. We couldn't be more honored to have her grace Rising Phoenix Rep's first award."

Rehana Lew Mirza

Rehana Lew Mirza won a 2019 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater-Studio Production for "Bhangin' It" which she co-wrote with her spouse Mike Lew and composer/lyricist Sam Willmott.

Given out by the New York-based American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Richard Rodgers Awards nurture talented composers and playwrights by enabling their musicals to be produced in New York City.

"Bhangin' It" is about Mary, who is half-Indian, who gets kicked off her bhangra team (Indian folk dance) for not being "Indian enough." She goes on to form her own rag-tag multicultural team.

Mirza studied dramatic writing at New York University and took up a master's in playwriting at Columbia University. Credits include "Soldier X" and "Barriers."

Mirza, a New Jersey native whose mother is Filipino and father is Pakistani, is cofounder of production company Desipina & Co. and was previously co-director of Ma-Yi Writers Lab, an Asian American playwrights group developed by Ma-Yi Theater (a group founded by Filipino American theater makers.)

Her play "Hatef**k" has its world premiere this month in New York. Staged by Women's Project Theater and Colt Coeur, the play is about intense literature professor Layla as she accuses brashly iconoclastic novelist Imran of trading in anti-Muslim stereotypes and the growing attraction between them.

"Hatef**k" runs until March 31 at Women's Project Theater, 2162 Broadway and 76th St., New York. Visit Wptheater.org.

"How to Defend Yourself" runs March 13-April 7 at Bingham Theatre, 316 W. Main St., Louisville, Kentucky. Visit Actorstheatre.org.

Eloisa Cardona takes pride in Seattle's Filipino American theater makers

By WALTER ANG
March 6, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/23444/actress-proudly-takes-stock-of-fil-ams-place-in-seattles-thriving-theater-scene

SEATTLE — Filipino American theater actress Eloisa Cardona in the 1980s predicted that "in the future of the ethnic theater community of Seattle, there would be enough of us to create a `tipping point.' When we'd be seen, heard and thriving in our contributions to the theatrical landscape of this city."

Eloisa Cardona is proud of Seattle's thriving
Filipino American theater makers. 

As Cardona concludes her run in Centerstage Theatre's staging of "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940," she takes stock of her own-and of other Filipino American theater artists'-progress in the Seattle theater industry over the decades.

Born in Manila, Cardona moved to the U.S. with her family at nine months old. Her paternal grandfather had immigrated ahead of the family. "He was part of the early wave of the 'manong generation' who came to America pre-WWII," she said.

"By the time my family and I arrived, my grandmother had already joined him. They'd been living in the house he bought on 19th Ave. in the Central District where we'd also come to live."

Drama

Cardona's interest in the performing arts was sparked when her mother took her to see the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.

"They came to perform during the 1962 World's Fair. it made quite an impression on the three-year-old me!" She went on to take dance lessons with Dorothy Cordova and Dolly Castillo.

Her parents were not happy when Cardona wanted to major in drama. "I truly need to give my father credit and gratitude for continuing to finance my education and allowing me to reach for my dream, in spite of his disapproval and disappointment."

Pioneer

"The University of Washington Drama department in the early '80s was predictably white and patriarchal. [Nevertheless] I was a very hopeful young pioneer in uncharted waters and it was exciting!"

Cardona in "Six Degrees of Separation."

Despite the few actors of color in the TV and theater industries at the time-and the even fewer opportunities available to them-Cardona maintained a positive outlook. "Just because they did not play leads didn't mean they would not do so in the future.

"We needed to be persistent and tenacious. I strongly felt that we needed to be seen by young students of color so they could see relatable performers and characters; and maybe follow in our footsteps if it was also their heart's desire, whether here in Seattle, New York or LA.

"We needed to use our voices to tell our stories and insist they be told by actors who looked like us and who came from our same ethnic backgrounds."

Professional

Prescience notwithstanding, her first professional production allowed her to play a Filipino character. "My part was a Filipina student named Aurora Santos in the play `Newcomer.' Seattle Repertory Theatre toured it for two years to schools all over Washington."

She went on to work with companies such as the Group Theater, Seattle Children's Theatre, Northwest Shakespeare Ensemble.

She also worked with Northwest Asian American Theater (NWAAT), a group that had been cofounded by Filipino Americans including Stan Asis and Maria Batayola.

"During the entire run of NWAAT's existence, I was cast in many Asian roles that were not Filipino. In my time, to my recollection, they only produced two plays by Filipino American playwrights- Jeannie Barroga's 'Eye of the Coconut' and Ralph Pena's 'Flipzoids.' Because of scheduling conflicts, I could not be part of the casts."

More

"Through the 1990s and 2000s, I saw the development and expansion of more actors of all ethnic backgrounds come into the theater community. More plays on Asian American, African American, Latinx, Middle Eastern experiences were included in various theater groups' seasons. Multicultural casting became more accepted-even the norm in some cases."

Cardona (second from left) with fellow Seattle-based
Filipino American theater makers
(from left) Jojo Abaoag, Linda Cardona-Rigor, Justin Huertas, Sara Porkalob,
Annelih Hamilton, Don Darryl Rivera, Christi Cruz and Mikko Juan.
Photo by John Cornicello

Now in the 2010s, Cardona proudly inventories the achievements of her Filipino American colleagues. "The Fil-Am artistic community has been steadily growing and garnering awards and honors along the way." 

"The prestigious Gregory Award for theatrical excellence in various categories has been previously awarded to Sara Porkalob (2018), Don Darryl Rivera (2017), Ray Tagavilla (2016, 2014), Justin Huertas (2015)," she says.

Cardona herself was a nominee in the 2018 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards for Best Leading Performer (Play) for her work in Dukesbay Productions' staging of "Calligraphy."

Jojo Abaoag won the 2018 Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Excellence in Performance of a Play-Supporting Actor-Smaller Theater Category for his work in "An Octoroon" for ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery.

Coming up

She's also happy to announce the productions, recent and upcoming, that her fellow Fil-Ams are working on.

Her own recent credits include "Night Parade" (Rebate Theatre), The Good Woman of Szechuan (ACT Lab), "Calligraphy" (Dukesbay Theatre), "Last Days of Judas Iscariot" (Sound Theatre Company) and "Paper Angels" (SIS Productions).

"Since 2019 started, Annelih Hamilton and Justin Huertas were in Strawberry Theatre Workshop's 'Everybody.' Chrysanthemum Binayug was in Live Girls! Theater's 'Raisins in A Glass of Milk.' Matt De La Cruz wrote and performed a one-person show about his mother titled 'Tita Ester.' Sara Porkalob was in 5th Avenue Theatre's 'Rock Of Ages.'"

Mara Palma is in Café Nordo's "Jitterbug Perfume" until March 30. Upcoming performances include Huertas in Intiman Theatre's "Caught" (March) and Mikko Juan in 5th Avenue Theatre-A Contemporary Theatre's co-production of 'Urinetown' (April).

"Rheanna Atendido co-adapted the children's story 'Sonya's Chickens' for 5th Avenue Theatre," she says. "The show will be toured to elementary and middle schools throughout the Northwest."

"The future I dreamed of in my hopeful years has gloriously materialized," says Cardona. "My hope is that this current trajectory of Filipino American artists' contributions of excellence in all aspects of theater continues to grow stronger and more prolific in the years ahead."