Filipino American May Adrales is new artistic director of NYC’s Lark Theater

By WALTER ANG
April 30, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net 

NEW YORK — Filipino American theater director May Adrales has been named as the new artistic director of The Lark, an international play development laboratory. 

May Adrales

Adrales is the organization's second artistic director, succeeding the founder. She was selected by a committee composed of the group's artists, staff and board members.

She became The Lark's Director of Artistic Programs in 2008 and led in designing several programs that are still in use.

Adrales is known for her administrative and teaching work. She served as an Artistic Associate and faculty member at the Public Theater, spearheading its Shakespeare Lab. She has directed and taught at Juilliard, New York University, Brown University, and Yale University, where she received her master's degree in directing and theater production.

Adrales was born in Covington, Virginia to Filipino parents. She was most recently associate artistic director of Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

In addition to her administrative chops, Adrales is known for her directing prowess. Her freelance work spans across the country. In 2018, she won the Alan Schneider Director Award

Transformative  

In an interview with American Theatre Magazine, Adrales described 2020 as, "one of the most transient and transformative years of my professional career."

Online programming opened opportunities. She worked on over 21 world-premiere plays, produced an audio play series, music videos, classical performances, conversation series, and online concerts, overall employing 218 artists. "Even as I struggled to entertain and care for my then-10-month-old during Zoom rehearsals and meetings, I felt energized by the immediacy of my work.

"Suddenly, the ability to connect with artists and audiences, regardless of geographic location, democratized theater in an unprecedented way. My family from all over the world could see for the first time the fruits of my directing labor.

She even got to direct a 45-minute music video of Fil-Am composer Paulo Tirol's "Called," working with a team across five different time zones. "My creativity only expanded, even as the resources around me diminished."

"Artists found ways to connect and innovate in profound, brazen, and mischievous ways. As the traditional models of theatre languished . individual voices . respond[ed] immediately to the health and economic crises, and the nationwide reckoning with systemic racism and anti-Blackness, in real time."

Purpose

"More importantly, the pandemic has exposed societal, political and organizational ills; it shone a glaring unforgiving light upon the inequities embedded in our society . Now it is my sole calling and purpose: to support the changemakers who challenge and innovate beyond the old models to imagine and dream anew."

In a statement, Adrales said, "The Lark, which, by creating a dynamic, radically supportive and inclusive space for living theater makers, has influenced and shaped me to be the artist I am today.

"My vision for The Lark is to wholly empower artists and encourage their fullest potential by providing artistic, financial and career building support.  My hope is that the work created [here] reveals the widest range of human experience and works towards an equitable, compassionate, and imaginative world. These artists . are the first to show us how to be the change we want to see."

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https://usa.inquirer.net/69286/fil-am-is-new-artistic-director-of-nycs-lark-theater

Filipino American Top Chef Sheldon Simeon releases cookbook

By WALTER ANG 
April 29, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net

MAUI, Hawaii — Filipino American chef Sheldon Simeon, popularly known for competing in the 10th (Seattle) and 14th (Charleston) seasons of reality cooking competition show "Top Chef," winning Fan Favorite both times, has released Cook Real Hawai'i:  A Cookbook. 

Sheldon Simeon with his family. 

Simeon is the owner of Tin Roof restaurant, which he opened in 2016. He also opened Lineage at the posh The Shops at Wailea mall in 2018 before stepping back last year.

The photograph-filled cookbook, co-written with Garrett Snyder, features a hundred recipes that blend Simeon's native Hawaiian cuisine with influences from Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese flavors.

The chef's Instagram account (@chefwonder) has a post showcasing a behind-the-scenes music video of how some of the photographs were taken for the book.

He has also been inviting chefs on Instagram Live sessions for cooking demonstrations of recipes from the book. Guests have included Fil-Am chefs Charles Olalia and Dale Talde.

Personal

The book features victuals such as pork dumplings made with biscuit dough, charred huli-huli chicken with sweet-savory butter glaze and crispy cauliflower katsu.

With sections titled Heavy Pupus, Hibachi Styling, Fry Action, Sim Simmer, Rice and Noodles, Mean Greens, Sweets and Drinks, and Odds and Ends, the range of recipes reflects the variety of viands and refreshments prepared in Hawaii's homes, cookouts and iconic mom and pop shops.

The recipes are interspersed with personal stories of Simeon's journey as a chef, such as how he learned to create new dishes inspired by a variety of cultures.

Having started off as a busboy at Walt Disney World, Simeon went off to Maui Culinary Academy, then climbed the ranks in the industry before starting to gain notice in the early 2010s when he became the chef at Star Noodle restaurant.

Community

It was Simeon's experiences with the public's perceptions of what Hawaiian cuisine actually is and isn't that inspired him to craft this cookbook.

Filipino American chef Sheldon Simeon has released
his cookbook Cook Real Hawai'i: A Cookbook.

As he kept sharing his passion for the cuisine during his stints on popular competition shows, he began to realize that a majority of people are still under the impression that simply including pineapple in a dish makes it Hawaiian.

He wanted a venue to explain Hawaii's distinctive fare and its special heritage.

In an interview with Thrillist.com, Simeon explains that the cuisine he offers is the result of many different cultures immigrating to and living harmoniously in Hawaii. "It's a cuisine of adaptation that relies on ingredients that flourish on the tropical islands."

He explains that when immigrants initially landed in Hawaii, they could only bring a finite number of ingredients and "they didn't have Google. They couldn't call their mom" and therefore had to "go purely based on memory and utilize what was available."

He likens the resulting cuisine to the island's own pidgin language, a blend of different sources but yet a unique product on its own.

However, at the end of the day, Simeon points out that when it comes to cooking Hawaii cuisine, specific ingredients and techniques are not as important as instinct and feelings.

"It's based on ohana and it's based in community. Food is a part of our life and sharing with our families and gathering with our friends-that, to me, is cooking real Hawaii."

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https://usa.inquirer.net/69202/ohana-based-cuisine-stars-in-fil-am-top-chef-sheldon-simeons-cookbook

Filipino American entry to Global Forms theater fest probes Filipino identity

By WALTER ANG 
April 22, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net 

NEW YORK — Filipino American theater artists Regina de Vera and Gaven Trinidad are mulling the lasting effects of Spanish, Japanese, and American imperialism "on contemporary Pilipino identity and what it means to be Pilipino/Filipinx today." 

Regina de Vera (left) and Gaven Trinidad

In "Sa Aming Puso / In Our Hearts," De Vera will perform excerpts from three plays by Trinidad at the upcoming Global Forms Theater Festival.

Organized by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, the festival celebrates the work of international and immigrant theater artists living in the United States and abroad.

Presented in English and Tagalog, the piece will explore "belonging, citizenship, decolonization, and the continuous search for what unites all people of Pilipino descent."

Project

In addition, "Sa Aming Puso / In Our Hearts" serves as a precursor to "Ma'am Lys," Trinidad's Filipino language adaptation of the ancient Greek antiwar farce "Lysistrata."

His version, which has been commissioned by theater group The Song Collective, is inspired by the 2011 sex strike of the women's sewing cooperative of Dado Village in Mindanao, which ended insurgent violence in less than a week.

Trinidad is a native of New York whose directing credits include "Joker" (National Queer Theatre), "Are You There Truman?" (Pride Plays and  Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre). He has worked at Musical Theatre Factory, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and National Queer Theater.

The Mindanao incident sparked Trinidad's memories of the women in his own family. "The women's sewing collective had rows of antique Singer sewing machines; my lola also had one.  As a young person, I was deeply moved and inspired by the feminist and community work of my tita Theresa Balayon, former executive officer of the Philippine's Women's Crisis Center. It influenced me in my own community and social justice work through the performing arts.

"Propelled by these two forces, I always had a Pilipino Lysistrata brewing in the back of my head." He had been working on the translation and adaptation when he met the actress he wanted to play the part.

While he was working at The Juilliard School, De Vera was completing her MFA in Acting there under the Raul Julia Memorial Scholarship in Drama and the Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship. A native of Manila, she recently played the lead in Steve Martin's "The Underpants" at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Develop

"By sharing excerpts and our historical research, I hope to be engaged with Pinoys from all over the world," he says. "Through this dialogue, we can further develop `Ma'am Lys' with depth, nuance, and comedy that I hope resonates for any Pinoy theatregoer."

Trinidad shares that one of his biggest insecurities growing up was being "considered Pilipino" by the community. "As a moreno queer Fil-Am theater maker, I already feel ostracized by certain Pinoy circles; my Americanness in particular made me illegible by some of my own family."

These questions led him into "deep dives into issues that I later realized also affected many [in] the Pilipino diaspora: toxicity of Pinoy masculinity, discrimination driven by colorism, and the lasting devastating psychological effects of colonialism.

"With these in mind, I wondered what connected me to Pinoys throughout the world and what were the connections that made us Pilipino. These are the underlying questions that I hope to ask in our exploration. Regina and I do not have answers.

"What I hope is that we start a larger dialogue that fuels and gives nuance to the issues that are in my adaptation of `Lysistrata.' It's certainly going to be funny, but I want to create a theatrical ritual that heals and bonds the many disparate identities in the Pilipino diaspora."

"Sa Aming Puso / In Our Hearts" runs June 2 to 4. Visit Rattlestick.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/68595/fil-am-theater-fest-entry-probes-filipino-identity

Filipino American director’s puppet play tackles anti-Asian aggression

By WALTER ANG
April 20, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net

NEW YORK — Filipino American theater director, actor and playwright Ralph Peña has created a puppet play that tackles anti-Asian aggression. 

Still from "Vancouver."

To be shown online for free on April 30 (watch trailer here), "Vancouver" deals with the experiences of a mixed-race family that relocates from Japan to the Pacific Northwest hoping to find more stability and acceptance.

The play is presented by Ma-Yi Studios, the streaming and filming studio of Ma-Yi Theater Company, of which Peña is artistic director. Ma-Yi is an award-winning Off-Broadway Asian American theater company that was founded by Fil-Am theater artists.

Fil-Am creativity

"'Vancouver' was a gut-level response to the pandemic and the shuttering of live theater," says Peña. "We had to find a way to work safely, so I thought of puppets."

Written and directed by Peña, the play was created in collaboration with puppetry director Tom Lee.  Filipino Americans involved in the production include composer Fabian Obispo and director of photography Francisco Aliwalas.

Peña has written plays such as "Flipzoids." His directing credits include "Felix Starro," a musical adaptation of Fil-Am writer Lysley Tenorio's short story, "The Wong Kids," "Microcrisis," and "The Chinese Lady," among others. His work has been seen in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Manila and other cities.

Collaborator

"When Ralph approached me about telling a contemporary Asian American story with puppetry, I leaped at the chance to collaborate with him," said Lee.

"Throughout the process, we were dealing with the pandemic and also the painful and ongoing reckoning in the country about racism. We saw elected leaders openly espouse racist rhetoric and split the country into us and them.

"'Vancouver' is not only about trying to make a beautiful piece of art in challenging times, it is about portraying a story of a mixed-race Asian American family navigating the fraught environment of our country. Telling this story is especially crucial at this moment."

Creative team

Puppeteers include Mark Blashford, Tom Lee, and K.T. Shivak along with the vocal talents of Cindy Cheung as Amy, Daniel Isaac as Lucky, Shannon Tyo as Ashley, and James Yaegashi as Hiro.

"Vancouver" was filmed in September 2020 on location in a rustic barn in Wisconsin. The setting provided a controlled environment that allowed all participants to follow strict social distancing and safety guidelines during the creative process.

Shivak handled puppet design and Blair Thomas was the puppetry consultant. The creative team included Alec Styborski (editor), Jaerin Son (lead scenic design), Chicago Puppet Studio (production design), Aaron Herschlag (grip), Eric Roediger (motion graphics), Jesse Jae Hoon (titles), Paul Lieber (sound design) and Three Crown Studios (sound mastering).

Festival

While the production is free to view, audiences are encouraged to consider a donation by following directions at the website. "Vancouver" is intended for audiences 13 and older.

The play is presented in association with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, which will also offer a link to the show on its website chicagopuppetfest.org.

Since its founding in 1989, Ma-Yi Theater Company has distinguished itself as one of the country's leading incubators of new work shaping the national discourse about what it means to be Asian American today.

Visit Ma-yistudios.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/68390/fil-am-directors-puppet-play-tackles-anti-asian-aggression

Filipino American poet-historian Luis Francia pens new play on Magellan

By WALTER ANG
April 16, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net

NEW YORK — A play by Filipino American Luis Francia exploring the profound consequences and culture clashes that resulted from Ferdinand Magellan's arrival in the Philippines in 1521 will be presented by New York University (NYU). 

Luis Francia 

In "Black Henry," the Portuguese explorer's disastrous encounter with people of the islands complicates the life of his Malay slave, Enrique, who serves as a go-between for the Spanish conquistadors and the islands' peoples, and irrevocably alters the archipelago's character and destiny.

Author of the book History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos, Francia's other plays include "The Strange Case of Citizen de la Cruz."

He is adjunct professor of Filipino on faculty at the university's Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Francia writes the column "The Artist Abroad" for INQUIRER.net USA and Canada. He's also a published poet.

Global

The virtual presentations are produced by the university's Sulo: Philippine Studies Initiative (Sulo) and the school's King Juan Carlos Center (KJCC). The play is part of a program of events commemorating the quincentennial of the 1521 voyage.

Mirroring the voyage's circumnavigation of the globe, the cast is comprised of actors from across oceans: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and the Philippines.

Directed by Claro de los Reyes, founding artistic director of Atlantic Pacific Theater with costume, scenic and graphic designs by Cynthia Alberto, Francis Estrada and Charles Reynoso.

The presentation on April 25, 6:30pm EST, will be followed by a talkback with the playwright, director and Nerissa Balce from State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook's Department of Asian and Asian American Studies.

Coming up

Sulo and KJCC will also be presenting "Visions/Panawin," a film series selected by noted Philippine film curator Gil Quito. The series will celebrate Philippine cinema with a mix of indie and studio films.

The offerings this spring honor the independent outfit TBA Studios. The series continues through the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters with selected classics and contemporary films from Philippine cinema.

Initiative

Sulo is the result of an agreement between the Philippine government and New York University to establish a Philippine Studies program at NYU. The initiative includes programs, events, and funding for students and faculty.

It also seeks to support and partner with other units in the University as well as cultural and academic centers in New York City and elsewhere.

Sulo has contributed to the founding of the Global Philippine Studies Forum at NYU, a Bennett-Polonsky Humanities Lab on Cross/Currents (research work on imperialistic understanding of global interconnection) for academic year 2021-22, and research and travel funds for students.

"Black Henry" runs April 25 to 27 at FB.com/kjccnyu/live. Visit Wp.nyu.edu/spsi/.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/68197/fil-am-poet-historian-pens-new-play-on-magellan

In-demand Filipino American playwright Hortense Gerardo fills calendar with works

By WALTER ANG 
April 14, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net 

BOSTON — Filipino American playwright Hortense Gerardo is on a roll with several different short plays all coming to production in the months to come. 

Filipino American playwright Hortense Gerardo

All four pieces, each 10 minutes long, were commissioned by different theater groups.

"The challenges of distilling a story into 10 minutes is that you have to flesh out fully realized characters in a heightened moment in time, in an economical way, that will deliver a gut punch," says Gerardo.

"I love the challenge of these restrictions because they force me to arrive at a truth, but ideally in a way that affects the audience in retrospect, in a way that lingers in the memory beyond the world of those 10 minutes.

Instead of being limited by the time constraint, Gerardo sees it as an invitation to stay with audiences for far longer.

"I love when I write a script that, after only 10 minutes, has the audience discussing it for far longer than the duration of the play itself. This, for me, is part of the addictive quality of being a playwright. I can never get enough of that feeling—and actually seeing—that a person was moved by something I wrote."

Romance

Coming up first in the 23rd Annual Boston Theatre Marathon on April 24 is her "Scentsation," staged by Umbrella Stage Theater.

When Filipino medical doctor Lily learns that her recent ex-partner will be her patient at the walk-in clinic, she conducts a "scentsational" test to help Pino recover more than their lost sense of smell.

"This is a romantic black comedy.  It's about yearning, regret and redemption. Something lost, something gained and all of it hanging somewhere in that netherworld of memory," she says.

Fil-Am theater director Michelle Aguillon will be performing the role of Lily. She previously performed the role in a staging by Vokes Theater in January which she also directed.

Aguillon is doing a different kind of marathon of sorts of her own during this year's Theatre Marathon-where 50 groups stage 50 plays. In addition to acting in Gerardo's play, Aguillon is directing Open Theater Project's entry and producing Asian American Playwright Collective's entry.

Fresh

In May, during Asian Pacific Heritage Month, for Fresh Ink Theater's Boston in Ten project, Gerardo will also be presenting another commissioned play.

"Juni at Ten" will tread the boards on May 15. Mason joins Juni's parents, Keanu and Larry (played by Fil-Am Jude Torres) online, to discuss an intervention for Juni, who has been living in the socially-distanced world imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic that ended ten months prior.

"This is a bittersweet comedy that explores the notion of celebrity culture, the parasocial world that was forced on all of us this past year, and the road back to some semblance of `normal life' post-pandemic."

Ether

For June, she is crafting a monologue for SpeakEasy Stage's Boston Resilience Project.

The project required playwrights to set their stories of resilience somewhere in Boston. Gerardo chose the Ether Monument, also known as The Good Samaritan, in Boston's Public Garden.

"The monologue begins as a testament to the scientific discovery of ether as an anesthetic, and harkens to Boston's storied history as a center for advancement in scientific innovation."

"However, the monologue ventures into the newest form of miasma with a similar name: the Ethernet. The monologue muses about the similar anesthetic qualities induced by exposure to ether, and how it has caused a psychological form of insensitivity to pain for better and for worse."

Masque of the Red Death

Then for July, she is developing a riff on Edgar Allen Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" for Flat Earth Theatre.

"The idea of having survived the pandemic was dark enough. The play focuses on friendships that have helped us to survive, and how the powers of ritual, however insignificant they might be, help us through difficult times."

"The characters in my plays find redemption in the simplest of pleasures. This is a reflection of how I've lived these last several months, and I hope to retain some of that daily consciousness in the everyday."

Visit HortenseGerardo.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/67996/in-demand-fil-am-playwright-fills-calendar-with-works

Filipino American Broadway stars sing for Jollibee USA & Canada

By WALTER ANG
April 7, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net 

NEW YORK — Filipino American Broadway stars congregated virtually to sing a cover of "True to Your Heart," from the Disney animated classic "Mulan," for Jollibee North America's Food, Service, Cleanliness (FSC) Awards ceremony. 

Still from Broadway Barkada's cover of "True to Your Heart."
From left: (top row) Jaygee Macapugay, Marc delaCruz,
Lianah Sta. Ana, Kay Trinidad Karns;
(bottom row) Jeigh Madjus, Adam Jacobs,
Emily Borromeo, Albert Guerzon. 

Fil-Am Broadway leading ladies such as Lianah Sta. Ana (Kim in "Miss Saigon") and leading men Adam Jacobs (Aladdin in Disney's "Aladdin," Simba in "The Lion King," Marius in "Les Miserables") and Marc delaCruz (Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in "Hamilton") were part of the performance.

It was recorded as a music video (watch here) and presented at the virtual ceremony held earlier this year. FSC is an annual private recognition activity held in appreciation for the fast food chain's employees. The song was chosen for its positive lyrics.

The song was used in the movie's end-credits, originally sung by Stevie Wonder and the group 98 Degrees with music by Matthew Wilder and lyrics by David Zippel. Lea Salonga was the singing voice of the title character.

Barkada

The cast of the music video are all members of Broadway Barkada, a support group for Filipino American performers in the Broadway industry. 

Broadway Barkada was selected to perform the song because they embodied positivity and captured the energy that Jollibee North American wanted to share with their awardees. The company also wanted to showcase talented Fil-Am artists.

Broadway Barkada cofounders Billy Bustamante, Liz Casasola and Brian Jose helped build the cast for this video. Other performers include Emily Borromeo ("School of Rock"), Kay Trinidad Karns (Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and "Hadestown," which topbilled Fil-Am Eve Noblezada) and Jaygee Macapugay ("Soft Power," "Here Lies Love").

It also includes Albert Guerzon ("Escapte to Margaritaville," "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Mamma Mia!") and Jeigh Madjus ("Moulin Rouge!")

Behind the scenes

The music video's music arrangement was by Steven Cuevas, who served as the music director for the touring production of "Once on This Island." Salonga played Erzulie in the musical's Broadway production before it went on tour. The show's costumes were designed by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos.

Musicians included Steven Cuevas on piano and organ, Jonathan Cuevas on acoustic guitar and Brandon Ilaw on electric guitar and bass drums; mixing by Jonathan Cuevas. Don Gutierrez edited the video.

Broadway Barkada was founded in 2009. Through art and education, it aims to bring the Filipino experience and a deeper meaning of its culture and artists to a diverse audience.

Expansion

Jollibee Group North America has announced plans to open 28 stores across the US (19) and Canada (nine) this year, working towards an eventual 300 stores by 2024. It opened 12 stores across North America last year.

"We have remained nimble and optimistic which has led Jollibee to defy expectations amidst an extremely difficult year and experience double-digit sales growth across North America," said Maribeth Dela Cruz, President of Jollibee Group North America.

"We would not be weathering these hard times without the support of our customers. We're incredibly grateful for the continued support we've received from across these regions."

Stores currently offer pick-up, take-out, drive-thru and delivery services. Jollibee's 2021 store openings will be announced on its Jollibee USA and Jollibee Canada Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/67480/fil-am-broadway-stars-sing-for-jollibee-north-america