Filipino American books to read for the Fourth of July

By WALTER ANG
June 29, 2024 | USA.Inquirer.net 

The Fourth of July in the United States is a celebration of the country's independence. In the Philippines, it celebrates Philippine Republic Day, also known as Philippine-American Friendship Day.

That date holds a different significance when it comes to relations between the two countries as it marks Philippine-American Friendship Day.

According to the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, it is a day that "pays tribute to the long partnership between the two countries."

For a day that can hold so much meaning for so many different people, it can serve as an opportunity to reflect on what these themes mean for each of us individually and for our loved ones, our families, communities and, yes, nations.

What are the different meanings of independence? How is freedom interpreted by different people? What is being a nation supposed to be like? Does contemplating or learning about these ideas have to be serious or can it be done in entertaining ways? Or both at the same time?

What songs, movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, TikToks, podcasts, video games, plays, musicals, photos, paintings, sculptures, architecture, fashion, food, dances, games, sports and other activities do you think can help us think or feel more about these holidays' meanings?

In the meantime, here are some books with a mix of topics that can help you get in the mood for these holidays.

History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos
Luis H. Francia

Begins with the pre-Westernized Philippines in the 16th century and continues through the 1899 Philippine-American War, the nation's relationship with the United States' controlling presence, culminating with its independence in 1946 and ongoing insurgencies.

The Filipino-American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors
Jennifer M. Aranas

Chef and teacher Jennifer Aranas takes readers on a gastronomic tour, from sweet and spicy to smoky and tangy, while transforming delicious native recipes into easy-to-make meals in this collection of over 100 recipes, which includes everything from appetizers to desserts. Innovative interpretations of recipes include Duck Adobo, Salmon Kilaw, Lamb Casoy, Ambrosia Shortcake, Hearty Paella, Sweet Halo-Halo Sundaes and more.

Fiction by Filipinos in America
Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

A collection of short stories conveying the history of Filipinos in America via fiction. Includes "A Scent of Apples" by Bienvenido N. Santos and "The Romance of Magno Rubio" by Carlos Bulosan. Other writers include Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Luis Cabalquinto, Virgina R. Cerenio, Juan C. Dionisio, Alberto S. Florentino, Ligaya Victorio Fruto, Jean Vengua Gier, N.V.M. Gonzalez, Erlinda Villamor Kravetz, Paulino Lim, Jr. Manuel R. Olimpo, Julia L. Palarca, Oscar Peñaranda, Bienvenido N. Santos, Nadine Sarreal, Michelle Cruz Skinner, Samuel Tagatac, Linda Ty-Casper, Nenutzka Villamar, Marianne Villanueva and Manuel A. Viray.

Halo-Halo: A poetic mix of culture, history, identity, revelation, and revolution
Justine Ramos

In this poetry collection, Ramos writes not only about her experiences with immigration but also about the gifts of humility, knowledge and a passion for advocacy she found along the way. She insists that change, revolution and growth are possible in unity.

Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History
Catherine Ceniza Choy

Choy combines extensive interviews with Filipino nurses across the United States and the perspectives of Philippine and American government and health officials. She contends that the origins of Filipino nurse migrations lie in the Americanized hospital training system during the early 20th century colonial occupation and how the culture of American imperialism continues to shape the reception of Filipino nurses in the United States.

Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization Among Post-1965 Filipino Americans
Leny Mendoza Strobel

Strobel is a Professor of American Multicultural Studies and the Project Director of the Center for Babaylan Studies. Her book tackles the process of healing the colonized Filipino psyche through the recovery and re-imagination of Filipino identity and culture and developing new conceptualizations and frameworks about the Filipino American experience.  

Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/152287/top-8-fil-am-books-to-read-for-the-fourth-of-july

First Filipino Canadian book festival set to launch in Vancouver

By WALTER ANG
June 26, 2024 | USA.Inquirer.net 

VANCOUVER — The first-ever Filipino Canadian Book Fest will be held July 12-14, 2024. The three-day festival aims to "empower, inspire and connect Filipino-Canadian communities through literature and art."

It will be held at two venues — the Collingwood Neighborhood House and the Massy Arts Society.

"With the Filipino Canadian Book Festival, we're carving out a space where our stories and voices can be heard loud and clear," says co-organizer Nathalie De Los Santos.

De Los Santos is author of Over the Rainbow, Beyond the Sea, Alice's Order and Hasta Mañana. She hosts the "Filipino Fairy Tales, Mythology and Folklore" podcast and is the creator of the bookstagram account PilipinxPages.

Other festival co-organizers are Dani Alcalde-Sidloski, manager of Massy Books, and Mia Bolaños, Filipino American writer, poet and cofounder of Sampaguita Press.

"[The festival] invites the Filipino community and the broader Canadian populace to delve into a literary and cultural feast that educates, entertains and enlightens. It is open to all who wish to explore and celebrate the rich heritage of the Filipino Canadian community," she says.

"It's about building bridges between generations and cultures within our community and beyond. This is a platform for dialogue, learning and growth."

There is a celebration of Filipino Canadian books and writers this year as this festival comes at the heels of the recently concluded Salaysay Literary Festival in Toronto. It was organized by the Salaysay Collective, a group of Filipino Canadian writers.

Activities

In addition to book sales, a slew of activities is scheduled for the festival, including panels, workshops and performances.

Authors and artists will be discussing "everything from diaspora dynamics to the future of Filipino literature."

There will also be "a bustling marketplace featuring Filipino-owned businesses, booksellers and artisans," and "cultural performances that promise to enrich and entertain all ages."

There will be an open mic, meet-and-greet and book signing with the contributing authors of Magdaragat: An Anthology of Filipino-Canadian Writing edited by edited by Teodoro Alcuitas, C.E. Gatchalian and Patria Rivera.

The publication includes poems, essays, short fiction, plays and speeches, showcasing a wide breadth of Filipino Canadian experience.

The festival will also bestow its first-ever CanDila Award to a chosen writer. The award is "to honor someone who is a voice in Canadian literature and is leading the way for our community; someone who creates opportunities for future writers and increases visibility for us all."

Panels

Panels include "World-building and Cultural Research for Storytelling," which will discuss the process of building intricate and believable worlds in fiction writing while balancing imaginative elements with real-world influences. Speakers include Tessa Barbosa (The Moonlight Blade), Samantha Garner (The Quiet is Loud), Roselle Lim (Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune)  and K.S. Villoso (Jaeth's Eye).

In the "Writing Between the Lines" panel, Christine Añonuevo, Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio (Reuniting with Strangers), C.E. Gatchalian and Vincent Ternida (The Seven Muses of Harry Salcedo) will be talking about the ways in which cultural heritage shapes stories and how balancing multiple genres can create unique and compelling works.

Hari Alluri (Our Echo of Sudden Mercy), Sol Diana, Therese Estacion (Phantompains), Phebe M. Ferrer and Marc Perez (Dayo) will tackle poetry writing in "The Poetry Prism: Shaping Realities."

Jim Agapito, Rina Garcia Chua, Chris Patterson/Kawika Guillermo, and Catherine Hernandez will share their thoughts in the "Makibaka! Maging Alamat! On Writing Revolution" panel.

The "Writing for Stage: Demystifying Playwriting and its Publishing Process" panel will include Davey Calderon, Karla Comanda, Kamila Sediego and Carmela Sison.

Visit filcanbookfest.squarespace.com.  Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/152095/first-filipino-canadian-book-festival-set-to-launch-in-vancouver

Filipino American singer gives kulintang music a modern twist in 'Sirena'

MINERAL POINT, Wis. — Filipino American Leslie Damaso has released the album based on her staged musical performance "Sirena," which tells the tale of a mythic love triangle between a mermaid, the sun and the moon.

With Damaso as singer-storyteller and kulintang player accompanied by a seven-piece band, the work features contemporary arrangements of kulintang (Philippine or Southeast Asian gongs) pieces and kundiman (torch songs) of love and freedom. Classical and jazz elements are combined with traditional music of the Philippines.

"There is also poetry," says Damaso. "`Sirena' blends a personal story and family secrets . [it ends] in the beginning of a nation, the displacement of its people, an individual's perspective of belonging and a spectacular celebration of community."

The show has been performed in Wisconsin, the Bay Area, Seattle and Chicago. The album is digital release and will be followed by a double vinyl release.

In addition to original works, the album's 15 entries include rearrangements of Nicanor Abelardo's "Mutya Ng Pasig," "Ang Aking Bayan," and "Nasaan Ka Irog;" Mike Velarde, Jr's "Dahil Sa Iyo;" and Constancio de Guzman's "Bayan Ko."

"The inspiration for this album has been to connect with Filipino culture in the Philippines and in the diaspora. Being a singer, I simply wanted to sing the beautiful kundiman songs and to find a way to preserve them," says Damaso.

"Singing is definitely my favorite way of expression. I was trained classically and there's just something about the music where I was born that gives me a different kind of pleasure and rootedness."

"There's even an Ilocano folk song in this project since I'm Ilocana," says Damaso, who moved to the US from the Philippines when she was 11.

Her album "May Laya: Kundiman art songs of the Philippines for the soprano and piano," recorded with Jason Kutz, received the 2019 Best World Album Award from the Madison Area Music Association.

Her other recent performances include "Reimagining Horizons" for the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center's Festival and at Gongster's Paradise, the only kulintang festival in the US.

Kulintang

Damaso's relationship with kulintang is fairly new. She had signed up for online Tagalog language classes with Lydia Querian during the pandemic. "She would play gong music before class. I asked her about it and ended up meeting her husband, Ron Querian."

The Querian couple oversees House of Gongs, which is focused on Philippine tribal music  and instruments. They also own Gongs Away music label and are the organizers of Gongster's Paradise

"I said that I might end up using [kulintang] for a project and that . I hope I would do it justice and pay respect to the makers and the history of the instrument.

"Soon after, I ended up with a gorgeous kulintang set and studied with Ron."

Collaboration

For the final result, Damaso is all praises her collaborators. "There's Jason Kutz on the piano, who I first premiered a couple of kundiman with several years ago at the Mineral Point Opera House.

"Ben Ferris, who plays bass, did a large part of the arrangements and composed new music for the story. Mike Koszewski on drums, worked on the kulintang pieces.

"Other personnel involved include Filipino American Jon Irabagon, an awe inspiring saxophone player; Janice Lee, who lends these fabulous musical glimpses of the mermaid through her improvisational work; and José Guzman on the guitar, giving the 'harana in the province' vibes."

Visit lesliedamasomusic.com. Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/151963/fil-am-musician-gives-kulintang-sound-a-modern-twist-in-sirena

Filipino American taps magic and wonder in costume design for Shakespeare’s play

By WALTER ANG
June 17, 2024 | USA.Inquire.net

CEDAR CITY, Utah — Filipino American costume designer Raven Ong is designing the wardrobe for the Utah Shakespeare Festival's staging of "The Winter's Tale."

King Leontes' jealousy and rage spark the action in this romance by the Bard. Driven by nothing but his unfounded suspicions, Leontes falsely accuses his wife Hermione of infidelity and dire consequences follow.

Ong says that a Shakespeare play is subject to interpretation. "It can be anywhere and anytime. Building the world for the show is the most exciting part of the process."

He explains that this particular staging sets the action in the early 1900s. "The Edwardian period serves as the main inspiration. Since the story has several magical moments and characters, we call it 'Edwardian fantasy' or `imagined Edwardian' aesthetic.

"By going in this direction, we were able to create our own world of myth and our own visual vocabulary."

Raven Ong returns to the Utah Shakespeare Festival after having previously designed the costumes for two of its school touring productions, "Othello" and "Much Ado About Nothing." "The Winter's Tale" marks his first mainstage summer show.

Credits

Ong has also designed costumes for New York Lyric Opera at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club's world premiere of Fil-Am playwright Linda Faigao-Hall's "Dying in Boulder," and De-Cruit Theatre Company's Shakespeare Triptych in New York.

Musicals include "Alice in Wonderland," "Waitress," "Kinky Boots," "Matilda" and "Beautiful: Carole King Musical," among others.

He is also the associate professor of costume design at Central Connecticut State University. As an educator, he has presented his paper "Filipiniana: Fabrics and Silhouettes in the Transnational Journey" at the Fashion, Costume and Visual Cultures conference in Roubaix, France.

Whimsy

When he was preparing to work on this show, "it was clear from the beginning that we would approach this play with childlike wonder and belief in the magic of wonder.

"After my meetings with the director Carolyn Howarth, I was reminded of the many things that were magical to me as a young child.

"My research process included looking at artworks by painters of the time such as John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini."

While grounded in reality, Ong made sure to incorporate whimsy and fun into his work. A favorite childhood cartoon movie provided inspiration for his costume for the character Time.

"The piece is a large white cape with crinkled texture. To achieve this texture for dramatic effect, yards and yards of silk fabric were soaked, twisted and dried. There is a wide belt with a gold 3D printed spinning astronomical clock. It comes with a large gold round headdress with stars and sparkles."

Ong says "The infamous 'Exit, pursued by a bear' stage direction is from this play and it took some time for us to design."

He worked with the show's scenic designer Apollo Weaver to craft the show's "own unique version of Edwardian bunraku puppeteers with top hats and fur details. It is still winter after all!"

Professional

Ong also looks for practical solutions to real-world problems. "I needed to solve a number of looks for the Hermione character. I couldn't afford two different dresses for two scenes.

"My solution was to create a two-in-one outfit where Hermione wears her base dress and a detachable beaded outer dress. This formula allowed for the outfits to still be able to tell the story without compromising the design, while also keeping within budget and designing economically."

Ong adds, "Costume Director Jeff Lieder assembled a dream team. Working with highly skilled and brilliant people like drapers, stitchers, costume crafters, wigs and makeup made the process a dream come true."

"The Winter's Tale" runs June 18 to Sept. 6, 2024 at Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Visit bard.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/151649/fil-am-taps-magic-and-wonder-in-costume-design-for-shakespeares-play

Fil-Am thespian to perform in 'Vagina Monologues'

By WALTER ANG
June 13, 2024 | USA.Inquirer.net

DENVER, Colorado — Filipino American Muman Goodwyn is joining the cast of Theater Company of Lafayette's staging of "The Vagina Monologues" in July.

Munam Goodwyn (left) in  Theater Company of Lafayette's staging
of "Edmond's Stories." She will be in the group's "Vagina Monologues."

The play by Eve Ensler is comprised of monologues touching on different experiences of various women. The playwright's website describes the work as a "hilarious, eye-opening tour into the last frontier, the forbidden zone at the heart of every woman."

"A show that's rocked audiences around the world, this groundbreaking piece gives voice to a chorus of lusty, outrageous, poignant and thoroughly human stories . with laughter and compassion, Ensler transports her audiences to a world we've never dared to know, guaranteeing that no one who [watches] `The Vagina Monologues' will ever look at a woman's body the same way again," the website says.

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Originally, Ensler performed every monologue herself. Subsequent stagings feature a different actress for each monologue.

Goodwyn will be performing the piece "The Vagina Was My Village," a monologue compiled from the testimonies of Bosnian women subjected to rape camps.

Deep and personal

"I am beyond touched that I was cast to do this piece," says Goodwyn. "I consider it an honor to be seen as someone who can pull out from her own experiences the depth and breadth of these characters."

Goodwyn first saw the piece performed in Boston by Ensler herself. "As part of her audience, I witnessed personally the strong reaction of the women to this monologue. Now it applies to wherever conflict is happening as rape is used as a weapon of war," she says.

"I was dumbfounded and it affected me on a very deep and personal level. I was thinking, `What are the chances that someday I would be the one delivering this monologue?'"

Actor and director

Her directing credits for Theater Company of Lafayette include "The Curious Savage" and "A Piano in the Room." She has performed in "Edmonds Stories," "Last Stop," "Shorn," "A Bridesmaid" and "Fermata."

Prior to moving to Colorado, Goodwyn was based in Washington DC. There she acted and directed for Filipino American theater group Kilos Sining.

The group staged plays by Filipino playwrights such as Nick Joaquin's "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino," Paul Dumol's "Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio," Marcelino Agana, Jr's "New Yorker in Tondo" and Bienvenido M. Noriega, Jr.'s "Bongbong at Kris."

Relevant at all times

"This play is relevant at any time and at all times. It is important that we are aware that violence against women is not a trend. It is happening as we move about in our normal lives. This is real," she says.

"Bringing `Vagina Monologues' on stage is a clear reminder of how women are victimized."

Nevertheless, Goodwyn reminds everyone that there is plenty of levity in the show. "There are also witty anecdotes of women speaking about their experiences or their thoughts about themselves," she adds.

"People are reacting very positively to this production. Tickets are selling and when mentioned to women, they are enthusiastic to see it. We expect audiences of both men and women.

"As the lone Asian American in my community theater, I am proud of my heritage and buoyed by the love of my theater company and our community. To all women who have been a victim of any type of violence, my heart beats as one of and with you."

Visit tclstage.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/151453/fil-am-thespian-to-perform-in-vagina-monologues

Filipino American playwright’s solo show on celebrity mom, ‘Miss Tapia’

By WALTER ANG
June 12, 2024 | USA.Inquirer.net

CHICAGO — Filipino American playwright Lani Montreal will be performing a solo show on what it's like growing up having a famous mother and leaving it all behind to move to the United States to strike it on her own.

Filipino American playwright Lani Montreal (right)
and her mother Mely Tagasa, known as Miss Tapia in the Philippines.

Titled "Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother," the one-person play is a rumination on her experiences growing up with a mother who was a television celebrity in the Philippines and her own journey "from the Philippines to North America, from the closet to the dyke march, and from daughter to mother."

Now based in Chicago, Montreal writes plays while teaching composition and creative writing at Malcolm X College. Her works have been staged by Filipino American theater group Circa Pintig.

Montreal's mother, Mely Tagasa, is known to generations of Filipinos from the 1970s to the 1980s as the character Miss Tapia on the sitcoms "Baltic & Co" and "Iskul Bukol."  The play will provide audiences a more intimate look at Tagasa and Montreal's complex and nuanced relationship with her.

Uncovering truths

"The play is divided into two parts," says Montreal. "The first part highlights my mother's journey from being a prolific writer of soaps on the radio and television to being a character actor whose role as Miss Tapia brought much fame and accolades."

Montreal then goes on to share her attempts "to uncover truths to help me understand her."

She says that although Tagasa was beloved by fans, co-actors and family, her own relationship with her mother was strained.

Montreal reveals that when she was growing up, "I could not understand why she was always so angry. It took little to upset her, or why she was always trying to find religion."

Processing grief

Montreal says that this project is also her "attempt at processing grief and gaining closure through performance."

"In March 2018, she had a stroke and went into a coma for 14 days. I flew back home, and stayed by her side through what would become the longest block of time I had ever spent with my mother since I became an adult.

"There were so many unmet expectations and so much left unsaid between us. It was like we were holding back for fear of disappointing each other over and over again.

"I thought about what it would have been like to have had an honest conversation with her. While I cannot bring her back physically, I can always imagine it."

Self-discovery

Montreal developed the play during a six-month fellowship residency with nonprofit creative lab Links Hall.

"The second part chronicles my own journey of self-discovery. Finding out who I am when I'm not trying to live up to her expectations.

"Leaving home allowed me to get to know myself better and come to terms with my queer identity."

Montreal says she tries to balance the show's heavy parts with "a lot of" comedic moments. "I intersperse storytelling with music, video projections and movement. I sing, too."

She will incorporate ephemera into the show. "I have old video footages of my mom, old letters, pictures, as well as poetry to help me tell our stories."

The performance also serves as a tribute to her mother. "The show has live guitar music and sound effects. My mother was a voice actor for the radio so I wanted the sound effects to be live. My mother also used to sing kundimans (torch songs), so I sing them onstage [as part of the show] as a way to transition from one scene to another.

"Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother" runs June 22-23 during the Links Hall Co-Mission Festival of New Works at 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago, Illinois.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/151379/fil-am-daughters-solo-show-on-celebrity-mom-miss-tapia

Filipino American children’s book now a rondalla musical in Boston

By WALTER ANG
June 9, 2024 | USA.Inquirer.net

BOSTON — Filipino American Christina Newhard's children's book, "Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik: A Cebuano Tale," is now a rondalla musical.

Alana Lev (left) as Kalipay and Cara Payumo as Gamay in
"Kalipay and Gamay: The Musical." Photo by Michelle Lazaro-Payumo

Daydreaming comes easily to Kalipay, but she doesn't know how to make bullies leave her alone. One day, she makes an unusual new friend in Gamay, who tells the school bully to stop teasing Kalipay.

Other children are afraid of Gamay because of her strange tongue, split body and bat wings. But Kalipay is fascinated by the things that make her new vegetarian friend different. Together, they learn how friendship can overcome differences and create happiness for everyone.

The stage adaptation, titled "Kalipay and Gamay: The Musical," is borne from a collaboration between Newhard's publishing company Sari-Sari Storybooks and Iskwelahang Pilipino of Boston.

Newhard's Sari-Sari Storybooks is an independent press that develops children's books in different Philippine languages. Iskwelahang Pilipino has been offering language and culture programs to Filipino American families since 1976.

Friendship, community

"Back in 2017, I was a guest at the school to present my first three stories to the kids," says Newhard. In early 2020, the school reached out to Newhard to ask if she'd be interested in adapting one of her stories into a musical for the school to perform. "They have a strong musical performance program. They'd previously adapted Augie Rivera's book Alamat ng Ampalaya into `Ampalaya the Musical.'"

"We settled on Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik, which is the most popular story in my series. It touches on friendship, bullying, play and kapwa through the lens of Philippine folklore, so the kids relate to it.

Kalipay and Gamay

The musical is adapted from the book "Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik," written by Christina Newhard and illustrated by Happy Garaje.

Rondalla, one of the major programs of the school, "is a plucked string ensemble," explains Newhard. "It was important to us to have this as part of the soundscape for the musical."

The script is by Newhard, who expanded the story to include additional elements to enrich some characters' backstories. Music is by Christi-Anne Castro. Lyrics are by Castro and Melissa Liwanag.

There will be six musicians playing three rondalla instruments, piano, electric guitar and bass). "The youngest player is graduating from high school this year and the rest are adults. All of them were students of the school or have children in the school.

"It's a whole community experience, with parents helping with props, merienda and costumes."

Joy

Newhard says that the feeling of having one of her books adapted into a musical is "indescribable."

"Something like a warm fuzzy ball of joy, disbelief and excitement to see kids engaging deeply with a story I wrote. It feels unreal to see photos of the kids dressing up as the characters, and to hear stories of them analyzing the book.

"Also, is there anything cuter than five-year-olds dressed up . battling the tiktiks through dance? So much gigil!"

Myra Liwanag, the school's executive director, says the play's story is "relatable whether or not you are Filipino or Filipino American. I told the cast that I'm so happy and proud to see this production come to the stage.

"Our students made the story their own, bringing the characters to life through their own interpretation of the book, using what is most meaningful to them as young people, and imagining their own back stories for each character in the play.

"The songs tell our story as a community of parents trying to do the best for our children and young people who want to belong, have friends and have fun! "

Free admission. "Kalipay & Gamay: The Musical" is on June 9, 2024 at Bedford High School, 9 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA. Newhard will have a book signing before the show.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/150884/fil-am-childrens-book-now-a-rondalla-musical-in-boston

Fil-Am playwright tells story of FBI spy in ‘The Duat’

By WALTER ANG 
June 7, 2024 | USA.Inquirer.net

PHILADELPHIA — Spoken-word, live North African drumming and scintillating choreography will come together to tell a story of identity, loss and redemption in Filipino American Roger Mason's "The Duat."

Rehearsals for Filipino American Roger Mason's play "The Duat,"
which explores identity, loss and redemption.

The play will have its world premiere from Philadelphia Theatre Company this June. Dramaturgy is by Fil-Am Gaven Trinidad.

The solo show, which will be performed by Frank X, is described as a psychological portrait of FBI counterintelligence officer Cornelius Johnson, who helped dismantle the Black Power Movement in the 1960s and must now battle for his very soul in the duat-the Pan African Egyptian afterlife.

Mason, who self-describes as "black, Irish, Filipino, gender-queer, plus-sized and fabulous!" and uses they/them pronouns, has been busy this first half of the year.

Two of their works were just recently staged: "The Pride of Lions" by Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco, directed by Fil-Am Ely Orquiza, and "Lavender Men" in Chicago by About Face Theatre.

Judgement

For "The Duat," the fictional character of Cornelius Johnson was created "based on real people who lived in America in the 1960s and 1970s. They were everyday citizens, usually of African American descent, who helped the FBI infiltrate various organizations within the Black Power Movement," says Mason.

"Their goal was to disrupt efforts by these groups to educate, unify and empower their communities to revolt against the oppression of institutional racism in the United States."

Mason has always been fascinated by ancient Egypt. "The Egyptian afterlife is a foundational myth of the human experience which still influences our notions of death and spirituality today. Ideals surrounding morality, judgment based upon rightful action, and responsibility to the cosmos remain central pillars of contemporary religious belief systems.

"Now, why is our play's hero in the Egyptian afterlife? Well, it is a bit of ironic humor on my part. Cornelius betrays Black people during his life by ratting them out to the FBI, so I felt that there was no place more fitting for him to land after death than in an African afterlife. How will he be judged after wronging his people?"

Community and love

Mason says, "I've dedicated the last two decades of my life to writing historical fantasias because I care about the future. My theater works are survival guides written to tomorrow, showing how we, in the past, used unity, community and love to conquer bias, bigotry and hate."

The passion for examining history was partly inspired by a childhood educator. "When I was in 10th grade, my history teacher threw out our state-sanctioned history books and gave us Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. It presented an alternative view of America, one rooted in the wants and needs of its citizens and immigrants, not the power structures that govern it."

That book had a profound impact on Mason's understanding of history. "It showed me that political power often silences the voices of those whose ideas are threatening to the maintenance of their control."

Compel to action

"Looking at history, we can see the ways that our ancestors have survived silencing, hatred, and discrimination. Their stories guide us and give us hope for our own survival. They assure us that someone has come before, made it through the trials of oppression, and lived to tell the tale. In so doing, they provide us with the resilience to fight on."

According to Mason, "theater possesses the unique power to embody such road maps, to dig into the past in real time and provide palpable survival guides for its audiences to create brighter, more inclusive futures than their present realities."

"The effect of a live performance, especially one of a historical nature, is staggering. It is like a time warp and a prayer for the future all in one," he says. "Suddenly, history is alive for you in the present and its lessons compel you to action, to transform how you think, interact with others and perceive the world around you."

"The Duat" runs June 7-23 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad St., Philadelphia.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/151089/fil-am-playwright-tells-story-of-fbi-spy-in-the-duat