May 24, 2019
Inquirer.net
https://usa.inquirer.net/30359/fil-am-set-and-costume-designer-clint-ramos-wins-19-obie
NEW YORK — Filipino American costume and set designer Clint Ramos has won the 2019 Obie Award for Set Design for his work on The Public Theater's production of "Wild Goose Dreams."
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| Filipino American Clint Ramos won the 2019 Obie Award for Set Design. |
Presented by the American Theater Wing and the Village Voice, the 64th Annual Obie Awards were given out at Terminal 5, a music venue in Hell's Kitchen. The award recognizes excellence in Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theater work.
In his acceptance speech, Ramos thanked director Leigh Silverman and playwright Hansol Jung. "And to The Public for putting this work up," he added.
"The Public has been a home to me ... for supporting me all of these years. I've never been so respected in the theater like at The Public ... so thank you for that."
Ramos's most recent collaboration with The Public was designing the set of its production of "White Noise," starring Daveed Diggs ("Hamilton"), which closed earlier this month.
He concluded by thanking his husband Jason Moff. "He's the handsome guy in the back," Ramos said as he pointed to Moff in the audience. "Thank you for being the light at the end of this very dark tunnel."
Fil-Am Alan Asuncion was part of the contingent from "STOMP"-he's been with the show for more than a decade-that performed at the ceremony to celebrate the show's silver anniversary in New York.
Vivid
Critics described Ramos' set as "looks terrific, convey(s) . tumult" (Hollywood Reporter), "transports the audience, immersive" (OffOffOnline.com) and "all-encompassing, riotous, vivid, hopes this staging can be conserved ... as an artwork, brilliant." (Daily Beast).
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| Clint Ramos' set design for "Wild Goose Dreams." Photo by Joan Marcus |
The play is about Minsung, a "goose father," a South Korean man whose wife and daughter have moved to America for a better life while he works in Seoul to support them. He connects with Nanhee, a young defector forced to leave her family behind in North Korea.
Fil-Am actor Jaygee Macapugay played Minsung's wife during the production's run from October to December last year.
Ramos' current Off-Broadway credits include set design for Jesse Eisenberg's play "Happy Talk," starring Susan Sarandon. The cast includes Filipino American actors Nico Santos ("Crazy Rich Asians").
Costume design
Ramos previously received an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Costume Design in 2013.
He won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play for his work on Danai Gurira's "Eclipsed." He is a nominee this year in the same category for his work on Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song."
Ramos' current Broadway credits include costume design for the play "Burn This," starring Adam Driver ("Star Wars") and Keri Russell ("Felicity," "The Americans").
Previous Fil-Am winners
Previous Fil-Am Obie winners in the Performance category includes Ernest Abuba in 1983 for Pan Asian Repertory Theatre's "Yellow Fever," Ching Valdes-Aran in 1996 for Ma-yi Theater Company's "Flipzoids," and Mia Katigbak in 2016 for National Asian American Theatre Company's (NAATCO) "Awake and Sing!"
The Obie's Wetzsteon Award has been previously given to two theater companies cofounded by Fil-Am theatermakers. The award is given for exceptional enterprise in approach to classics or in nurturing innovative new work.
NAATCO, cofounded by Mia Katigbak, received it in 2015 and Ma-Yi received it last year.
Ma-Yi Theater's 2003 production of "The Romance of Magno Rubio" received Special Citations for director Loy Arcenas and the entire cast. Arcenas received an Obie for Sustained Excellence of Set Design in 1993.
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