Filipino American artists prep musical premiering at Kennedy Center in DC

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 23, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net 

WASHINGTON, DC — Filipino American theater artists are hard at work creating the world premiere of a musical at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The endeavor is made even more meaningful because "The Mortification of Fovea Munson" features a Fil-Am protagonist.

Filipino American theater artists (from left) Ely Orquiza, Kelly Colburn,
Justin Huertas, Justine Moral, Regina Aquino and Sally Imbriano. 

Can life get any more mortifying for 12-year old Filipino American Fovea Munson? She's already called Igor (as in Dr. Frankenstein's assistant) by her classmates. Her summer camp's been canceled. Her parents are making her work as a receptionist in their cadaver laboratory.

Things take an even more annoying turn when she discovers three heads without bodies. Ordinarily, this would have been a normal incident in the lab, but these ones talk and sing! 

Director M. Graham Smith has assembled Fil-Am collaborators for the stage adaptation of Mary Winn Heider's middle grade novel, commissioned by the Kennedy Center's Theatre for Young Audiences.

Musician Justin Huertas has composed the music and written the lyrics. Justine Moral stars as Fovea and Regina Aquino portrays Fovea's mother and grandmother. Sally Imbriano is the understudy for all three characters. Kelly Colburn is assistant director, Ely Orquiza is dramaturg. Arnel Sancianco handles scenic design.

Special

Sancianco received a copy of the script last year. "At the time the show had one workshop under its belt. I watched the recording and listened to the demos. I couldn't stop humming the opening number," he says. "There was this specific moment where Fovea's lola is introduced and it immediately reminded me of my lola. I hadn't felt that level of representation in my work before. I knew I had something special in my hands." 

Filipino American set designer Arnel Sancianco's model
for "The Mortification of Fovea Munson." 

Born in San Diego, Sancianco is currently based in Tempe, Arizona where he is a professor of scenic design at Arizona State University. He was previously based in Chicago, where his credits include works for The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass and American Theatre Company as well as regional theaters such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, American Players Theatre, The Rep at St. Louis and Milwaukee Rep.

When Sancianco was studying at University of California Irvine, he was on track to becoming an actor until he had a mortifying incident of his own. "No one thinks about casting Asians for theater," a mentor told him. "Hearing this from someone I had respected made my heart sink and I watched what I had believed to be my life's calling dissolve."

It took until his third year of college to regain his footing. During a course in scenic design, his class was assigned to report on designers throughout history. "Mostly white. As we entered the late 20th century, I was introduced to Robert Brill ... [a Filipino] American designer from San Diego like me! With a prolific career that I wanted. All at once, I finally felt seen. Robert Brill was the role model I had been looking for and because he had made a career in theater, I knew I could too." (Brill is featured in the book Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History.)

Excited

Sancianco surveys how far he has come. "It's a complicated halo halo of emotions. On one hand, I'm very excited to put a Filipino-centered story on stage. At the same time it breaks my heart that it took this long to do so.

Filipino American scenic designer Arnel Sancianco. 

"I've been designing theater for over a decade now and I can count on one hand the amount of Asian-centered narratives I've been part of. And while I've worked with many Filipino actors, I've never been able to work on a show where Filipinos get to be Filipino. I am so grateful for the folks at Kennedy Center who are able to make space for me and my culture."

Explaining his process, Sancianco says, "This show is set in a lab and labs are where you learn, dissect, and experiment. I feel I did exactly that. We talked to a lot of specialists to help us explore how to create a world where three severed heads can sing and act.

To better serve the storytelling, he was not afraid to excise what was unnecessary. "We spent a lot of resources investigating what was going to be a fun effect. In the end, we discovered that what we developed, while super exciting, would actually make the performance clunky in the end. Now, to any other person this would have been time wasted, but to a designer like me, this was time spent knowing what this show was not, and in turn discovered more of what this show truly requires.

"A lot of my inspiration for the show came from the tone of [the] music. The demos brought me back to the days of reading Goosebumps books. I wanted to capture that nightmarish and ghoulish feeling of being a young kid thrown into angsty anxious space. Ultimately, I'm very excited with what we developed and can't wait to see it on stage."

Visit Kennedy-center.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/122886/fil-am-artists-prep-musical-premiering-at-kennedy-center-in-d-c

Audiences nationwide will see a Filipino American Cinderella

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 10, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net 

BUFFALO, New York — Audiences across the country will have a chance to see a Filipino American Cinderella on stage this year. Diane Phelan is playing the orphan-turned-princess in the touring production of "Into the Woods."

Filipino American Diane Phelan, who is playing Cinderella
in the touring production of "Into the Woods," in a backstage photo. 

Tony Award winner Lea Salonga has praised Phelan's performance in this latest Broadway revival of the beloved musical in an Instagram post as "supremely talented, smart and present."

The musical links several Grimm fairy tale characters, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel, and goes on to explore the consequences of their fulfilled wishes.

This staging by New York City Center's "Encores!" program series started off as a sold-out concert with Broadway stars Sara Bareilles and Neil Patrick Harris as the Baker's Wife and Baker, respectively.

The show's music is by the late Stephen Sondheim, who had a cameo in the recently released Netflix whodunit "Glass Onion." The 2002 Broadway revival starred Vanessa Williams as the Witch while the 2014 film version had Meryl Streep heading the cast.

Best job

Phelan initially joined the Broadway production at St. James Theatre as a standby, which is an actor who goes on for an absent actor in specific roles. But she wasn't just tasked to be a standby for one role.

Diane Phelan (left) with Tony Award winner Lea Salonga. INSTAGRAM

"I was over the moon to be cast as a standby for five roles in this iconic and beloved show. The opportunity to work on five meaty roles with the opportunity to perform them on one of the most revered stages in the country made me feel like I had the absolute best job on Broadway.

"I loved the immense challenge of learning and honing so many principal roles. It was like the best playground ever."

Profound

Phelan, whose mother is Filipino and father is of Irish American heritage, was born in Taiwan and moved to the U.S. when she was nine years old.

Filipino American Broadway actor Diane Phelan. 

"When we first came to the states, my mother's lifeline had been community theater. We did `South Pacific,' `Godspell' and others. I joined in and discovered I had a voice and a love for telling stories. It was in high school doing `Fiddler On the Roof' that I felt a profound connection to acting and I had just started formal singing training. These were the beginnings for me.

Phelan's previous Broadway credits include "School of Rock," "Bernarda Alba" and "West Side Story." She was also in the off-Broadway staging of the Imelda Marcos disco-pop musical "Here Lies Love," which has been announced to open on Broadway in June.

Elation

As she went through performing her different standby roles, she developed an affinity for one that "felt most right [to] spend more time with." Of course, before you knew it, she was cast as Cinderella for the Broadway production and then for the tour. (Fil-Am Albert Guerzon played Cinderella's father in the Broadway production.)

"There is a special kind of elation when you are granted access to opportunity as a person of color in this business that feels like savoring the best meal without interruption. That's what it was like to close the run out on Broadway as Cinderella and what it feels like to be told I'm playing Cinderella on the full tour."

The tour kicks off in Buffalo, New York and will have shows in cities such as Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco, among others.

"One of my favorite parts about performing Cinderella in New York was getting to see all the Asian and Filipino families who would come up to me after the show to tell me with tears in their eyes how much seeing me on that stage has meant to them.

"I've fought long and vocally for diversity in casting over the years and to actually experience it from this angle is incredibly joy filled for me. So the prospect of being able to bring this show and representing in a capacity some of our community hasn't seen before feels deeply satisfying."

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https://usa.inquirer.net/122023/audiences-nationwide-will-see-a-fil-am-cinderella

A Filipino Canadian gay rom-com for Valentine’s

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 9, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net 

OTTAWA, Ontario — A raunchy gay comedy by a Filipino Canadian playwright will hit the boards at the Canadian capital this Valentine's month.

Filipino Canadian actors Marc Ducusin (left) and Mark Hrynioch. 

Riley Palanca's "Would Virginia Woolf Contemplate Suicide If She Were Filipino?" will be showing at this year's Undercurrents Festival, a showcase  of "original, contemporary theater created by local, national and international artists."

Written under the pen name Revan Badingham III, the play tracks one evening between Lemar, newly arrived in Canada from the Philippines, and Warren, the son of rich immigrants. They agree to meet after matching on a dating app. During this intimate encounter, games will be played and pants will be unbuckled. However, they soon realize they each have very different expectations for the evening.

The work premiered in last year's St. Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival and won "Most Promising English Text." "Our audiences were very receptive!" says Palanca. "Five out of six shows received standing ovations."

Filipino Canadians involved in the production include director Dennis Gupa and actors Mark Hrynioch and Marc Ducusin.

Identity

Palanca incorporated English writer Virginia Woolf into this work because "she is a literary queer icon. A lot of queer writers have already been inspired by her, with works like 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' and 'The Hours.'

"We also added a layer of race into the equation. We are brown people looking at someone whose work is so prominent in the Western canon.

"She wrote about how different people have different experiences of the same thing. She posed the thought experiment: If William Shakespeare had a sister who was equally intelligent and creative, would she have been as successful as her brother or would societal expectations have impeded her?

"This kind of multilayered way of looking at literary icons is also echoed in the play's own narrative of identity."

Inspiration

The production has made it a point to highlight that the play's subject matter has been inspired by "the BL [genre] in Asia."

Palanca explains that Boys' Love is "a tradition of homoerotic work, originating from manga and anime (Japanese comics and animation) that explores male-male pairings from a more diverse, non-traditional viewpoint."

Employing it as a launching point for his piece was "a matter of using a different, non-Western lens in discussing relationships to the public."

"We're doing it for cultural conversations. We are Filipinos abroad [from the Philippines], our main existence is a paradox. We want to share an Asian way of storytelling, that has already proven popular with audiences abroad. If BL is to be done in Canada, let it be done by a group of queer Filipino artists."

Authentic

Palanca gushes as a fan of the genre. "I'm really into the Filipino BL! BL became very famous during the onset of the pandemic. As a Filipino abroad, it felt like a way of connecting with my own roots, seeing gay stories represented.

"Particularly, I use 'Gameboys' as my base line," he says, referring to a YouTube series that was picked up by Netflix, followed by a film. "It was the first major BL in the Philippines and arguably still one of the best."

While the BL genre is traditionally known to be associated with female audiences, Palanca says "there is, of course, nothing wrong with writing for female audiences. The romance genre, regardless of pairing, is generally geared toward a larger female audience. "

He points out that "most contemporary BL shows from the Philippines are created by gay men and are also able to attract a queer following."

What he stresses is that "our team believes it important to have our stories be told by queer Filipino artists to keep the message authentic. At its core, it's about the lived experience of queer Filipinos in Canada."

"Would Virginia Woolf Contemplate Suicide if She Were Filipino?" runs Feb. 16 to 18. Feb. 17 show will have ASL interpretation. Visit bit.ly/VirginiaWoolfOttawa.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121964/a-fil-canadian-gay-rom-com-for-valentines

Filipino Americans originate roles in ‘Young Americans’ world premiere

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 7, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net 

PORTLAND, Oregon — Filipino American actors Danny Bernardo and Marielle Young have the distinction of originating two roles in the world premiere of the play "Young Americans."

Filipino American actors Marielle Young and Danny Bernardo.

Written by Lauren Yee and staged by Portland Center Stage, the play veers back and forth in time as it takes audiences on two road trips, traveling to and from Portland, 20 years apart, across two generations.

In one trip, immigrants Joe (played by Bernardo) and Jenny (played by Young) drive from the East Coast to Portland, trying to connect as a newly engaged couple. In the other trip, 20 years later, Joe and their adopted daughter, Lucy, set out on a similar cross-country adventure.

With some unexpected detours along the way, Joe and Jenny traverse the strange territory of their new country, while their daughter, Lucy, pieces together their bittersweet family history.

Heritage

The Joe and Jenny characters were not written to have any specific country of origin, only that they are of the same heritage. "Lauren is such a gifted writer," says Bernardo. "She's made the experiences shared between the two characters so universal that it transcends many cultures and really connects with both the artists and the audience."

Bernardo's recent credits include "Wally World," "Mamma Mia!," "Pacific Overtures" and "Urinetown."

"Because Marielle and I are Filipino American, that's who Jenny and Joe are for the world premiere. We're so blessed to be in a [rehearsal] room full of people from different backgrounds and are finding camaraderie in our shared experiences and the universality of the piece. And because both Lauren and our director Desdemona Chiang are very collaborative, we've infused a lot of Filipinoisms into the piece."

Young has recently been in the world premiere of Laura Gunderson's "The Book of Will." Other credits include "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them" by Fil-Am playwright A. Rey Pamatmat, "A Doll's House, Part 2" and "Love's Labour's Lost."

New

The pair expressed excitement at the opportunity to create never before seen characters from scratch. "I love the generous collaboration of developing new plays! The audience has no roadmap for what to think of this character, and that's a cool opportunity," says Young.

"It's been thrilling to refine who Jenny is with our director and playwright in the rehearsal room. Then for me to add a piece of my individuality and experiences to the mix. Lauren's writing addresses some juicy questions through these three compelling relationships. The dialogue is also just really, really funny," she adds.

Bernardo says, "Working on a new piece is always very exciting. There's an extreme amount of trust between the writer and the actor. As an actor, you really want to honor what the writer has given you to the best of your ability. The writer wants to make sure they're supporting you enough in the text while giving you space to explore."

"There's an amazing fusion where the character is being breathed into existence by two people while being shaped by the director. You have an ongoing collaboration and conversation with the writer. Your input in the core of the character is integral. That's just something you don't get working with an established character. It's an honor and somewhat terrifying at the same time. You want to get it `right' but by just trusting yourself and the writer, you are right," he says.

Personal

Both actors have been drawing from personal experiences and relationships to help build and shape their characters.

"I'm very blessed to be playing Joe," says Bernardo. "I know him very well in my father, my Kuya Roger, and the prolific actor Joseph Anthony Foronda, all of whom I'm drawing inspiration from in creating this role."

Young says "This play means a lot to me because it very closely resembles my mom's immigration story coming from the Philippines with lots of hope, weighty familial expectations, and having the essence of being a wanderer who seizes every moment."

Young Americans begins preview performances on Feb. 11, opens on Feb. 17. Visit Pcs.org/young-americans. 

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121823/fil-ams-originate-roles-in-young-americans-world-premiere

Filipino American puppeteer conjures imaginary friends

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 3, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net

NEW YORK — The rich world of a little boys' imagination is brought to tangible life onstage by Filipino American puppeteer Maria Camia. She has designed the puppets for a workshop staging of "Learning How to Read by Moonlight."

Filipino American puppeteer Maria Camia designing a puppet
for the play "Learning How to Read by Moonlight" by Gaven Trinidad.

Written by Fil-Am playwright Gaven Trinidad, the play features six-year-old Eddie, who lives in New York. Eddie rarely gets to see his mother because she works long hours, he only gets to communicate with his father in the Philippines via calls, he is bullied at school.

To cope, he has his love for Filipino and American pop singers and he has his imaginary friends, one of which teaches him English and another that can eat moons.

The play goes on to tackle issues faced by Filipino communities in the United States, such as mental health problems, racism and violence.

"Puppets have been used through all generations of storytelling," says Camia, who is also one of the directors of the play. "As a puppet's life exists only in the play, the audience gives more empathy to it than to an actor who we know has a life outside of the play."

Camia also notes what playwright Trinidad had shared with her. "Puppets remind us of when we were kids and they are otherworldly. Anything can happen with them. Gaven wants adults to feel magic again."

Sculpture

Hailing from Chesapeake, Virginia, Camia was "the shy art kid all throughout elementary to high school. I learned to speak up in college because my roommate asked me to perform spoken word with her. Later, I joined the Filipino club and became part of their culture night show every year."

She says puppetry was a natural extension of her studies in sculpture and extended media. "Everything I made turned into a costume, prop piece, installation or puppet. My professors Elizabeth King and Leslie Rogers supported and led me deeper into the puppetry community."

Her favorite materials to work with are cardboard ("Specifically the cardboard from the grocery store next to my apartment."), masking tape, and acrylic paint. "I love transforming recycled objects into art pieces. The most fun material I've worked with are wigs for the puppets. It gives them a playful and slightly uncanny quality. Eddie's hair has a lovely bounce when he shakes his head."

Process

"My process for this play started by asking Gaven what his highest dreams were for the puppets. He showed me reference photos and his favorite influences," says Camia.

She then kept notes of all the actions the puppets needed to do. "I drafted designs and began making. During the building process, I have a general idea, but I honestly watch my hands create the puppets."

"I stop my critical brain from interrupting the flow by singing songs or listening to long videos online." Eventually, "During rehearsals, I ask for the actor's input on the design and I adjust accordingly. We have been playing with the puppets in different ways than is conventional. I've never worked with puppets in this way and it's exciting!

"There are moments when actor-puppeteer Sergio Ang takes his energy back from the puppet and performs. With this back and forth from actor to puppet, we see many different layers unfold as it generates dialogue around puppet therapy, missing childhood, escapism and trauma still held in the adult body. It allows us to think about what energies we are still holding onto from childhood and how to breathe."

Guest narrators

Each show will feature a different guest narrator. Artists, community organizers and elected officials have been invited to join the show. Fil-Am guest narrators include playwright Roger Mason (Feb. 16); Obie Award winning actor Ching Valdes-Aran (Feb. 22); and poet, playwright and writer Luis Francis (Feb. 23).

The all-Fil-Am cast includes Sergio Mauritz Ang, Claro De Los Reyes, Patrick Elizalde, Kristian Espiritu and Vanessa Rappa. Fil-Am collaborators include lighting designer Alex Alipio and language and co-cultural consultants Bing Magtoto and Lydia Gaston. Leviathan Lab founder and producing artistic director Ariel Estrada is the executive producer. The play has received several developmental workshops through Leviathan Lab.

"Learning How to Read by Moonlight" runs Feb. 10-25, 2023.  Visit https://events.humanitix.com/learning-how-to-read-by-moonlight.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121639/fil-am-puppeteer-conjures-imaginary-friends-2

Filipino American accent coach helps bring Milwaukee Rep’s immigration play to life

By WALTER ANG
Feb. 2, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net 

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Filipino American Joy Lanceta Coronel is taking on dialect coaching duties for the staging of "The Heart Sellers" at Milwaukee Repertory.

Filipino American theater artists involved in "The Heart Sellers."
Actor Nicole Javier, director Jennifer Chang
and vocal and dialect coach Joy Coronel.

The play is directed by Jennifer Chang and features Nicole Javier, both also Filipino Americans. Set in 1973, Javier plays Luna, a newly arrived immigrant from the Philippines.

As their husbands go off to work, life in the USA for Luna and her new friend from South Korea leaves the pair feeling isolated and invisible. They dream of spreading their wings together in the land of opportunity: disco dancing, learning to drive and even a visit to Disneyland.

The play's protagonists represent the waves of immigrants from Asia at the time who were finally able to enter the US as a result of the passage of the Hart-Celler Act or the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. 

The law had removed much of the restrictions from previous immigration legislation, some of which dated all the way back to the late 1870s. (Note: For interested readers, some of these laws and their effects on Filipino immigration to the US is briefly discussed in this reporter's book Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History.)

Coach

Coronel hails from Louisville, Kentucky. "But as a child, I spent every other summer in the Philippines." She grew up with an older sister who was a singer who "naturally pivoted to musical theater."

"I grew up inspired by her work and began to try out different avenues of theater, which led me to pursue acting. In my undergraduate drama training program, I was instantly drawn to the voice and speech class.

"Growing up in a multi-lingual, Filipino household in Kentucky, I was exposed to a variety of speakers, thus making me more attuned to accent and speech work." She followed a professor's encouragement to take up a master's in Voice Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Coronel now counts Broadway professionals and Emmy-award-winning actors as part of her clientele in her speech, communication and dialect coaching.

She's also written a chapter in the recently published book Stages of Reckoning: Antiracist and Decolonial Actor Training on "Societal othering of Asian Americans and its perpetuation through casting."

Accents

But what is dialect coaching, exactly? The term "dialect" has different definitions depending "on who you ask and in which country they reside," says Coronel.

"For a US dialect coach, `dialect' is most commonly used to describe an accent or regionalism and 'accent' describes a foreign accent."

She explains that, elsewhere, "dialect" usually refers to "language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group." This definition is one that is used by linguists.

Since Coronel works with clients on both sides of the Atlantic, she switches back and forth among the different definitions and terms based on who she's working with. "It's a much-debated topic!" she says, laughing.

Nevertheless, in the US, she has with worked with Ma-Yi Theatre, National Asian American Theatre Company, Comedy Central, Atlantic Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Connecticut Repertory Theatre, among others.

Crucial accents

Currently in rehearsals, Coronel has been working one-on-one with the actors. "We've been spending a lot of time researching, discussing, and integrating socio-political events like the Hart Cellar Act and women's rights, in addition to how women from Korea and the Philippines during the 1970s would think, act, speak, and behave."

She believes the play is a "beautiful, universal story accessible to people from all backgrounds, and is yet still culturally specific and true to the identities represented."

For Coronel, the characters' accents are crucial in the storytelling because "this is an immigration story. The accents represent the character's native language and culture. It is important for all of us that these accents are not stereotypical, but that their speech is comes from an authentic, humane place."

"The Heart Sellers" runs Feb. 7 to March 19, 2023. Visit Milwaukeerep.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121522/accent-coach-helps-bring-milwaukee-reps-immigration-play-to-life

Filipino American in Gerard Butler starrer 'Plane' making new short

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 31, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net

LOS ANGELES — Filipino American actor and filmmaker Ariel Felix is working on a new short film titled "She Done Did It."

Filipino American actor and filmmaker Ariel Felix (right) with Gerard Butler
while filming "Plane."

The dark comedy revolves around the Del Rosario siblings, first generation Fil-Ams who are brought together by an unforeseen circumstance after years of strained relationships.

The film's description states "love them or hate them, they're family. And sometimes you have to depend on them to help you get away with murder."

Felix can currently be seen on the silver screen in the action thriller "Plane," headlined by Gerard Butler (Zak Snyder's "300") and Mike Colton (Netflix's "Luke Cage").

"The film takes place in the Jolo islands of the Philippines," says Felix. "We filmed it in Puerto Rico in locations where it actually looked and felt like the Philippines."

"It features several Filipino American actors. I had never worked with those guys before and it was great getting to bond with them off set. We had each other's backs."

Felix says it had been his first time traveling during the pandemic so he was a little concerned at the time. "But everyone was on top of it and production took very good care of us."

Inspiration

Felix was inspired to produce "She Done Did It" because he and his Fil-Am actor friends wanted to collaborate on something. "Something relationship-driven, specifically Filipino American.  Because if we don't tell our stories, then who will?"

Filipino American actor-filmmaker Ariel Felix. 

"I initially sought out scripts because writing isn't easy," he says. Felix knows of where he speaks. He wrote and produced another short film, "The Others," a few years ago.

It had a successful film festival run and won a few award, including Best Acting Ensemble. "I get inspired by my talented friends and by the idea of pushing Filipino talent and stories forward and being included in the narrative."

"The Others," which is about former Broadway actors reuniting after the death of their dear friend, is streaming on Amazon Prime. "That's also a very much relationship driven film. There's some singing, great acting and some beautiful shots in it."

He eventually got inspired to write a script himself when he went to Maui on vacation. "It's one of my favorite places. I spent hours on my hotel balcony writing and by the end of the week, I had a first draft of the script."

Collaborators

One of the film's goals is to offer audiences "Filipino American culture and relationship dynamics in a fresh, nuanced and amusing way." The film is currently slated to clock in at 15 to 18 minutes but there are plans to eventually turn it into a full feature.

Fil-Am collaborators attached to the production include award-winning director Myra Aquino ("Beauty Queen"), cinematographer Mike Maliwanag, editor Ben Bulatao and producer Paul Martinez.

Cast includes Emy Coligado, Evan D'Angeles and Princess Punzalan. Felix will also be part of the cast.

"They are all excited. They all related to the script but I think even more so, they were drawn to the prospect of collaborating and being a part of an all-Fil-Am team of artists. I know I am."

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121398/fil-am-in-gerard-butler-starrer-plane-making-new-short

Filipino American outfits 'Othello' for a sexy, edgy 'Bridgerton' touch

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 26, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net

CEDAR CITY, Utah — For this year's Utah Shakespeare Festival, Filipino American costume designer Raven Ong is designing a "Bridgerton"-inspired wardrobe for a production of William Shakespeare's "Othello." 

Raven Ong's work-in-progress for his costume design for Othello. 

Ong is collaborating with director Cordell Cole to reimagine the play's setting in a world akin to the sexy Netflix hit historical romance series set in 1810s Regency-era England based on Julia Quinn's novels.

The original milieu of the Bard's work has Othello serving as a general in the Venetian army in the 1570s. Newly married to Desdemona, the couple soon become victims to the machinations of his ensign Iago.

"It is an imagined world. Cordell and I looked at images that were Regency-inspired. We wanted silhouettes that were athletic, angular yet edgy, and form-fitting with hints of asymmetry," says Ong.

First time  

"We put in a lot of consideration for the costume designs, especially because this show will be seen by students who may be watching a Shakespeare play for the first time."

Filipino American costume designer Raven Ong
is working on Utah Shakespeare Festival's "Othello." 

The Utah Shakespeare Festival's legacy stretches over 50 years. "Othello" is this year's installment for the festival's Shakespeare in the Schools tour, which brings shortened adaptation of a Shakespeare play to schools and communities through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Arizona.

This is Ong's second time designing for the festival. "I designed last year's touring show, `Much Ado About Nothing,' directed by Betsy Mugavero under the recommendation of Vince Cardinal, the former Artistic Director at University of Connecticut.

"The festival was kind enough to send me an invitation to come back and design again this year."

Ong's recent credits include De-Cruit Theatre's Shakespeare triptych: "The Head of Richard," "Make Thick My Blood," and "She-Wolf." He also designed Owl and Pussycat Theatre Company's "The Ecstasy of Victoria Woodhull."

Symbolic

Ong stressed the importance of costume design as part of the storytelling and helping audiences distinguish characters from one another.

Raven Ong's work-in-progress for his costume design for Desdemona. 

"The story of 'Othello' is about jealousy of rank, betrayal of friendships and position. We looked at the hierarchy of each these characters and selected distinct details that would help establish each one of them.

"We asked questions like: What does wearing a military jacket mean? A uniform symbolizes rank. What does wanting to obtain a military jacket mean? We wanted the pieces to be symbolic."

"Othello will be the only character who will have the most embellishments in his military coat. Iago, the play's antagonist, only gets to wear a vest with less embellishments."

After meaning and intent were established, Ong was able to work on aesthetics. "Since the color of the set design is cream and beige with a marbled texture, we went for a black base for costumes. Having only seven actors playing many different characters, we wanted to show a tight color palette as a lot of the costume changes happen on stage. We added burgundy and metallic gold as accent colors."

Ong's upcoming projects include Kate Hamill's "Sense and Sensibility" for Central Connecticut State University (where he teaches) and the world premiere of "Webster's Bitch" by Jacqueline Bircher at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, Connecticut.

"Othello" begins Jan. 27. Visit Bard.org/othellotour.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121220/fil-am-outfits-othello-for-a-sexy-edgy-bridgerton-touch

Here Lies Outrage: Imelda musical triggers emotions online

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 23, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net

NEW YORK — "Here Lies Love," a disco pop musical about the life of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution of the Philippines, is slated to begin performances on Broadway in June, but the announcement of the musical's planned opening has sparked passionate reactions on social media platforms. The emotions range from confusion to fury about the show's premise.

Detail from a poster of a previous staging of "Here Lies Love."

"Here Lies Love" is a biographical musical featuring a score  by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. The musical's unique set design simulates a discotheque wherein audiences will have the option of standing and dancing instead of being seated. As soon as the show was announced, however, netizens started posting strongly worded comments, memes, animated GIFs, poems, links to articles, and screenshots or photos of old newspaper headlines to express feedback, on Facebook, Instagram (both @herelieslovebway) and Twitter (@herelieslovebwy, without the a).

Some comments have been enthusiastic ("Excited!!!!" "Sweet!" "Can't wait!") and others, curious ("I am intrigued!"). Some have asked how the show would be handling its subject matter: "Somebody pls tell me this is going to be satire."

On Twitter, numerous opinions have been emphatically against the show. "No," "EW" and "Booooooo" are just a few of statements among lengthier ones. User @kumukuan wrote, "Take out the first and last word from the musical's name and that's all anybody needs to know about this piece of sh_t."

Statement

The musical's social media accounts then released the following statement:

"What is the show about? The show tells the story of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos' rise and fall into infamy, Ninoy Aquino, Martial Law and the People Power Revolution that ended the Marcoses' 20 year dictatorship.

"What is the show's history? The show's critically-acclaimed runs were at The Public Theater (New York) in 2013, the National Theater (London) in 2014 and Seattle Rep (Washington) in 2017.

"How is the story told? Through spectacular music and dynamic staging in an immersive club experience where young Filipinos and Filipino Americans explore, grapple with and interrogate a vital part of their history.

"Why now? History repeats itself. Democracies all over the world are under threat. The biggest threat to any democracy is disinformation, Here Lies Love offers a creative way of re-information - an innovative template on how to stand up to tyrant.

"Why on Broadway? We cannot tell the modern history of the Philippines without the United States. They're intertwined.

"Here Lies Love is an Anti-Marcos show. It is a pro-Filipino show, being told in a quintessential American form: the Broadway musical. Two cultures, two histories, continuing a centuries-old complicated dance."

Responses

On the show's Instagram account, user @johnfbau responded in a comment, "Salamat sa paglilinaw! Napakahalaga ang musical na ito lalo na't nakabalik ang mga Marcos sa mga makapangyarihang puwesto. Kailangang malaman at maunawaan ng publiko ang makatotoong kasaysayan para hindi ito maulit. (Thanks for the clarification. This musical is very important especially now that the Marcoses are back in power. The public must know and understand real history so that it will not be repeated."

User @keiraandrewsauthor, wrote in a comment, "I am baffled at the criticism that this show glorifies the Marcoses. As a white Canadian who basically only knew about the shoes before I saw this at the Public [Theater], my sympathies were entirely with Aquino and the Filipino people who suffered under the Marcos dictatorship. I can't wait to see this again on Broadway! It's more needed than ever."

User @ficassidy78 wrote, "Yassss! . This musical is even more relevant now especially with the things going on in the Philippines and the world."

Meanwhile, the show's worldwide virtual open call (i.e. auditions) for closes on Jan. 27, 2023. Details at https://tinyurl.com/HLLOpenCall.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/121003/here-lies-outrage-imelda-musical-triggers-emotions-online

Filipino American family secrets at LA’s Geffen Playhouse

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 20, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net 

LOS ANGELES — Filipino American family dynamics will be on full display at the Geffen Playhouse with Ellen D. Williams and Fran de Leon hashing it out as daughter and mother, respectively, in the play "God Will Do the Rest."

Filipino American actors Ellen D. Williams (left) and Fran de Leon
rehearsing for Nicholas Pilapil's "God Will Do the Rest." Photo by Isaak Berliner

Written by Nicholas Pilapil, the play will have a staged reading directed by Rodney To (recently seen in Jo Koy's "Easter Sunday").

Forty-something divorcee Connie (played by Williams) has been estranged from her family for 20 years. She returns home for her glamorously overbearing mother Maggie's 70th birthday and will have to deal with prayers to the Santo Niño, karaoke, chicken adobo and "a homestead soon exploding in an uproar of hidden truths and harbored secrets."

Williams is known to TV audiences for her role as Patrice in the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother" and was most recently in the FX comedy "Baskets." Fran de Leon is Co-Artistic Director of theater group Will & Company.

The cast features Fil-Am TV stars Timothy Granaderos (Monty De La Cruz in Netflix's "13 Reasons Why") and Jon Jon Briones (Netflix's "Ratched" and Paramount Plus' "Star Trek: Picard"). Other Fil-Ams in the cast include Jennifer Chang, Christine Corpuz and Brandon English.

Prestigious

The play was written with support from the Geffen's new play development program The Writers' Room.

"The program is specifically for local LA playwrights," says Pilapil. "It's a prestigious opportunity because the Geffen Playhouse is one of the few major regional theaters in LA. I pitched a multi-generational family story about Filipino American identity. I told them I wanted to give American theater and Filipino American audiences our version of the big family drama, the Filipino 'August: Osage County'!"

"The writers met once a month, receiving feedback from each other and our facilitator, director Jennifer Chambers. It's helpful because you learn a lot along the way and the support from fellow writers is a great confidence boost.

"For a play that is culturally specific like mine, having diverse eyes see it early on helped me find the balance of sharing Filipino culture in a way that non-Filipinos will understand or can come out of the play feeling like they learned something."

Powerhouses

Pilapil explains that staged readings are helpful in developing new works. "Staged readings allow [playwrights] to learn what is working and what's not and helps us make decisions on how to rewrite the play. You learn what the audience likes or doesn't like. For example, when I write comedy, even though I think it's funny, the audience is the true test. Staged readings help us get from a rough draft to something polished."

Filipino American theater artists.
Playwright Nicholas Pilapil (left) and director Rodney To.

For the upcoming reading, Pilapil hopes to showcase his writing, but he also wants audiences to see "how talented all these artists are and how much they deserve to be on more major stages."

"I have truly witnessed some of the best acting I've ever seen in that rehearsal room. There were times when Fran, Ellen and Jon Jon would literally bring the entire rehearsal room to tears. All the actors are powerhouses. Rodney assembled a dream team of Filipino American actors for this play."

High demand

"Staged readings also help people discover our work and our talents." Pilapil is excited for theater producers to be in attendance at the reading. The goal of readings such as this one is to build interest and potential funding for future stagings. "It is the goal! We hope that this reading will put this play in the minds of people planning theater seasons.

"It feels long overdue for more Filipino stories to be put on more major stages in American theater. Filipinos are the third largest Asian population in the US. We deserve to be more represented in major regional theaters. We are entertainers, we all love karaoke and we love to dance. We love theater! We're the type of people who will sell out a show that entertains us and puts us in the spotlight."

Case in point, according to Pilapil, although it got postponed to this February, demand for the reading's original schedule was three times the capacity of the venue. "We had to put people on a waitlist."

"God Will Do the Rest" staged reading is on Feb. 24 at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, California. Visit Geffenplayhouse.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/120980/fil-am-family-secrets-at-las-geffen-playhouse

'Nanay' has Filipino American twins, monsters and healers on stage in SF Bay Area

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 18, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net

SAN FRANCISCO — Filipino Jewish American playwright Molly Olis Krost's play "Nanay" features twins, one of whom is "cohabitating" with a monster.

Filipino American actors Ann Warque (left) and Lore Gonzales
in rehearsals for Molly Krost's "Nanay."

When Angela arrives to congratulate her sibling Eve on her new baby, she discovers Eve has been living with a creature with an infamous hunger for all things fetal. Does Angela believe Eve's claims that all is well with her new relationship?

Directed by Fil-Am Yari Cervas, the play is part of Town Hall Theatre's New Voices Series. A facilitated talkback follows after each performance allowing the playwrights a chance "to receive feedback from audiences in a constructive manner while also giving audiences an insight into the theatre makers' process."

Other Fil-Ams involved in the production include costume designer Hope Birdwell and the cast: Lore Gonzales, Sam Topacio and Ann Warque.

Loss

"Eve, in her desperation to reforge a loving connection with her mother-culture, traps herself in denial rather than accept the painful reality of loss," says Cervas.

Cervas, whose gender identity uses all pronouns, is founding Artistic Director of MaArte Theatre Collective in San Diego. Directing credits include "Your Best American Girl," "The Fire in Me" and "You're Safe."

"Enter the manananggal, a vampiric demon by most accounts," she says. The twist in Krost's tale is that the manananggal is also a babaylan, a folk healer, Cervas explains.

"By presenting the manananggal in this way, Molly asks us to imagine what a pre-colonial healing journey might possibly have been. How do our colonized perceptions, whether inherited or learned, villainize indigenous culture, spirituality and healing practices? What happens when we finally wipe away the colonized film from our eyes to see ourselves and our heritage plainly?"

"Can remembering their wounded pasts lead twins Eve and Angela back to self-love and love for each other? 'Nanay' is a practice in healing generational mother-wounds in children of the Philippine diaspora."

Love

"At the heart of 'Nanay' is the love and bond of Eve and Angela," says Krost. "While I don't have any sisters myself, I grew up surrounded by my mom and aunties. The messy beauty of their relationships with each other and seeing all of the highs and lows they've gone through together is the lifeline of this play. 'Nanay' is a tribute to them and all they have taught me about love, strength, and how to find healing."

Filipino American theater artists.
Playwright Molly Krost (left) and director Yari Cervas.

Krost, whose mother is Filipino, hails from Hayward, California. Now based in the Bay Area and Seattle, her works have been performed or are forthcoming at Magic Theatre, Z Space, San Francisco Playhouse, MaArte Theatre Collective and SOMArts Cultural Center, among others.

Krost says the play has been living and evolving with her since 2018. "It began as my own exploration into the notion that Filipino Americans struggle with discussing mental health, especially around the pains and trauma of pregnancy loss."

"It ultimately became a play about what it means to be a Filipino American living 'in between.' How it often feels like a balancing act of wanting to honor and connect with the history, traditions, and practices we come from but also figuring how to presently live and survive in a colonized world.

"The two sisters' differing approaches demonstrate how every Filipino American experience is unique and all we can do is embrace the journey that we are all on."

"Nanay" runs Jan. 20 to 28 at Town Hall Theatre Company, 3535 School St., Lafayette, California. Visit townhalltheatre.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/120864/nanay-has-fil-am-twins-monsters-and-healers-on-stage-in-sf-bay-area

Filipino American Tony winner Clint Ramos staging Imelda musical ‘Here Lies Love’ on Broadway

By WALTER ANG
Jan. 13, 2023 | USA.Inquirer.net

NEW YORK — Filipino American Tony Award winner Clint Ramos is co-producing the first musical on Broadway that tackles Philippine history. "Here Lies Love," a disco pop musical about the life of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution, is slated to begin performances in June at the Broadway Theatre.

Filipino American Clint Ramos is a Tony Award winning costume designer. 

The show opened off-Broadway in 2013 and won the Village Voice Obie award for music (David Byrne and Norman "Fatboy Slim" Cook) and lyrics (Byrne).

Ramos is once again designing the costumes for the show. He designed the costumes for the 2013 run, for which he won the 2014 Lucille Lortel award. Critics lauded his work as "vast and fabulous" (New York Times), "[providing] beautiful symmetry" (The Hollywood Reporter), and "top-notch" (New York Magazine). The show was then staged in London's West End in 2014 and then in Seattle in 2017.

Ramos won the 2016 Tony Award for costume design of a play for "Eclipsed," written by Danai Gurira (Okoye in "Black Panther").

The show's unique set design and staging will require removing seats from the venue's existing space in order to transform it into a dance club environment where audiences will stand and move with the actors. A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available for audiences. 

Direction is by Alex Timbers (Tony Award for "Moulin Rouge!") and set design is by David Korins ("Hamilton," "Dear Evan Hansen," "Beetlejuice").

History lessons

Casting has not yet been announced. Fil-Am creative team members include music director J. Oconer Navarro, assistant director Billy Bustamante and casting director Gail Quintos.

Filipino American Jaygee Macapugay played Imelda Marcos
in a previous staging of "Here Lies Love." INSTAGRAM

Fil-Am Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas is also a producer. Co-producers include Miranda Gohh, Celia Kaleialoha Kenney and Rob Laqui.

"Exciting lessons are often learned through uniquely surprising works of art," says Ramos. "Nothing is more surprising than the way `Here Lies Love' vibrantly and creatively sheds light on a crucial part of Philippine history. Jose and I are so proud to help bring forth this singularly original show."

Vargas, founder of immigration organization Define American, says, "Filipinos are among the largest immigrant groups in America-and also among the most invisible culturally, despite the two nations' shared colonial histories. While the Asian diaspora can no longer be denied in American popular culture, Filipinas and Filipinos remain woefully outside the spotlight. I'm thrilled to help break barriers on what has historically been an exclusive stage: Broadway."

Co-producer Giselle "G" Töngi, who also serves as the production's Cultural and Community Liaison, says, "Theater has always been a vehicle to spark conversation and I am fully behind art as a way to think critically. People Power happened and I was there for it so I am fully aware and will never forget."

In a statement, the producers said, ""As a team of binational American producers-Filipinos among us-we are thrilled to bring `Here Lies Love' to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theater. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show."

Visit HereLiesLoveBroadway.com and follow @herelieslovebway on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/120744/tony-winner-clint-ramos-co-staging-imelda-musical-here-lies-love-on-broadway

Mom-daughter tug-of-war, secrets in Filipino American's new novel

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 22, 2022 | USA.Inquirer.net 

SAN FRANCISCO — In Filipino American Jeannie Barroga's just-released novel Turn Right at the Water Buffalo, Reena, who has lived away from the Philippines for years, has manipulated her "Americanized" daughter, Lainie, to attend their 1989 family reunion in Leyte province.

Writer Jeannie Barrage with her new novel.

In a post-martial law milieu, Lainie maneuvers through a family tug-of-war, language, town personalities, surprise guests, female diwata, jungle nationalists, kababayans who reveal their true alliances, and, of course, long-held secrets kept by mothers.

"My mother had me promise that I'd write her story," Barroga said. "Reena's background is filled with love affairs, one leading to marriage and relocation to the United States. With ambition like that of Scarlet from Gone With the Wind, she is viewed by the people from her hometown Ormoc as driven and steely. A harrowing incident during the shelling of Ormoc affects the way Reena handles her relationships with family and friends."

It took Barroga more than 20 years to write this book. "Since the 1989 trip 32 years; since first drafts, 22 years; while recovering from two hip replacements, nearly three years; and released to the public, 11 months ago."

Theater

A prolific playwright and theater maker, she has more than 50 plays under her belt. Barroga founded a support group for playwrights called Playwright Forum, which later merged with theater company TheaterWorks, where Barroga served as literary manager for more than 15 years.

Based in the Bay Area, Barroga was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She began writing plays in the 1980s, a time when very few Filipino American playwrights were active. She included Filipino American characters in her works, also during a time when it uncommon.

Barroga's recent theater credits include Buffalo'ed, about the African American soldiers sent to the Philippines during the Philippine-American War and Banyan, a Wizard of Oz-inspired allegory on the effects of the Sept. 11 attacks on a Filipino American corporate worker.

Her play "Walls" is included in Unbroken Thread: An Anthology of Plays by Asian American Women.

Inspirations

"I resumed novel writing after 40 years of playwrighting. It took me that long to clamp down on disciplined writing," she said with a wink.

She counts among her inspirations "Madeleine L'Engle, Nicola Tesla, American musicals, complicity, the 1950s, The Wizard of Oz, Dashiell Hammett, the Milwaukee Braves, and Hui Playwrights" when she writes about women, art and politics.

She is currently working on revisions to her novel, Marked, about a detective who is aided by her cat and paranormal clues.

Jeannie Barroga will hold a book signing for Turn Right at the Water Buffalo on Nov. 26, 2022 at San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center, 814 Mission St., San Francisco. Visit JeannieBarroga.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/117078/mom-daughter-tug-of-war-secrets-in-fil-ams-new-novel 

Filipino American books out this fall: Memoir, childhood, folktales

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 15, 2022 | USA.Inquirer.net 

LOS ANGELES — Three titles from the Philippine American Literary House are now available, two reissues and one new tome. 

Three titles from the Philippine American Literary House are now available,
two reissues and one new tome.

Will You Happen, Past the Silence, Through the Dark?
Remembering Leonard Ralph Casper
By Linda Ty-Casper

Late Literary critic Leonard Ralph Casper wrote books about Philippine writing such as Wayward Horizon: Essays on Modern Philippine Literature (1961) and New Writing from the Philippines: A Critique and Anthology (1966). He taught at several universities there and was a colleague and friend to literati and academics.

In this chronicle, his spouse Linda Ty-Casper has collected the epistles written to and from him, offering a view of who he was to friends and peers. Ty-Casper describes the book as the memoir that her husband did not get to write.

In addition to correspondence with Filipino writers, exchanges include Casper's accounts from the European front during World War II submitted to the editors of the Southwest Review Magazine and inquiries from American poet, novelist and critic Robert Penn Warren as he was working on his dissertation.

Author and editor Joel Pablo Salud has praised the book, calling it "a treasure trove of charms and jewels forthose like me who find Leonard Casper a bit of a cryptic, enigmatic figure. Linda Ty-Casper has done a great service by shedding light on Len's memory, allowing us a voyeur's look into a life dedicated to the magic and unease found in letters. I am sure this book will remain relevant for decades to come."

Growing Up Filipino 3: New Stories for Young Adults
Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

A collection of 25 short stories by Filipino authors in the U.S. and the Philippines on what it means to be young and Filipino.

The stories explore the universal themes of coming-of-age, love, angst, family, relationships, and other young adult issues.

The stories reveal Filipino and Filipino American culture, mores, history, society, politics, and other nuances. For instance, Filipino respect for their elders, extended families, religious practices, funeral rites, and love for folklore are apparent in the stories.

The first two titles in this series, Growing Up Filipino: Stories For Young Adults (2003) and Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories For Young Adults (2010), were included in National Geographic's Reading List in 2020. Used by educators in their classrooms, these books are enjoyed by adults and young adults alike.

Contributors include Nikki Alfar, Marilyn Alquizola, Gina Apostol, Cecilia Bainard, Patrick Joseph Caoile, Ian Casocot, Noelle de Jesus, George Deoso, Migs Bravo Dutt, James Fajarito, Yvette Fernandez, Patricia Go, Sarge Lacuesta, Zak Linmark, Veronica Montes, Kannika Pena, Oscar Peñaranda, Danton Remoto, Brian Roley, Renee Macalino Rutledge, Dom Sy, Eileen Tabios, Linda Ty-Casper, Marianne Villanueva and Jack Wigley.

Asian and Philippine Folktales: Retellings by PAWWA
Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

A collection of 25 Asian and Philippine folktales intended for readers ages 9 and older as retold by members of the Philippine American Women Writers and Artists (PAWWA).

The stories were previously published in two separate books that have been out-of-print for many years. This new collection includes folktales from places such as Laos, Japan, Korea, Sumatra, Vietnam, China, Bali, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines.

PAWWA was a support group for Filipina women writers in Southern California in the 1990s. Its work supporting books by Filipino American and Filipino authors has spun off with the Philippine American Literary House imprint, currently overseen by Cecilia Brainard.

Contact palhbooks@gmail.com or visit palhbooks.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/116472/fil-am-books-out-this-fall-memoir-childhood-folktales 

Filipino American leading ladies in ‘Wicked’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

By WALTER ANG
Nov. 10, 2022 | USA.Inquirer.net

CHICAGO — "Good news!" as the opening song of a certain musical announces, audiences can currently see Filipino Americans light up the stage as the lead characters in two popular musicals. 

Filipino American Lissa deGuzman is Elphaba
in the touring production of "Wicked." JOAN MARCUS. (left) 
Filipino American Lena Hall plays Audrey
in the Off-Broadway revival of "Little Shop of Horrors." EMILIO MADRID

Lissa deGuzman is starring as Elphaba in the touring production of "Wicked" and Tony Award winner Lena Hall is starring as Audrey in the Off-Broadway production of "Little Shop of Horrors."

DeGuzman stepped into the role in March. (Maria Eberline was the first Fil-Am to play Elphaba when she was an understudy in the show's first national tour.  Nicola Espallardo is the first Filipino British to have performed as Elphaba in the West End production this past July. The role was originated by Idina Menzel [voice of Elsa in "Disney's Frozen"].

Wicked

"Wicked" is a reimagined prequel to "The Wizard of Oz." DeGuzman plays a young Elphaba, who will eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical shows her days a university student and her unlikely friendship with another student named Galinda.

Lissa deGuzman as Elphaba. JOAN MARCUS

DeGuzman, whose father is Filipino, was born in Wisconsin. Her brother Mathew is currently in the Broadway production of "Disney's Aladdin."

DeGuzman's previous credits include Princess Jasmine in the touring production of "Disney's Aladdin," "West Side Story" and "Fiddler on the Roof," among others. 

The musical has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman and is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.

Currently running in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre until Dec. 4, show's next leg is Washington, DC at the John F. Kennedy Center beginning Dec. 8, 2022.

"Wicked" is also still running on Broadway and has a London production. Since opening on Broadway in 2003, "Wicked" has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries. As it approaches its 20th year on Broadway, a movie adaptation is in the works with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the cast and Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians") set to direct.

Fil-Am Deedee Magno Hall (Cartoon Network's "Steven Universe") played Elphaba's sister Nessarose in the first national tour in the mid-2000s and the original San Francisco cast in 2009.

Little Shop of Horrors

In "Little Shop of Horrors," Lena Hall plays Audrey, a down-on-her-luck florist who partners with her coworker Seymour as he discovers and battles a mysterious and voracious talking plant.

Lena Hall as Audrey. ELI WARREN. 

Celina "Lena Hall" Carvajal won the 2014 Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her work in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Hall is a San Francisco native and her father, folk and ballet dancer and choreographer Carlos Carvajal, is Filipino American.

Her other Broadway credits include "Kinky Boots," "Tarzan," and "Cats," among others.

Fil-Am stage and screen star Conrad Ricamora ("The King and I" and ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder") completed a stint as Seymour in the same show earlier this year.

Fil-Am Jon Hoche is part of the show as a cover, filling in for actors who are on vacation, and as a puppeteer. Hoche previously played the voice of King Kong in "King Kong" on Broadway and was part of the US touring production of "War Horse."

"Little Shop of Horrors" has book and lyrics by Howard Ashman ("Disney's The Little Mermaid" and "Disney's Beauty and the Beast") and music by Alan Menken ("Disney's Aladdin" and "Newsies").

Other Fil-Am Tony Award winners include Lea Salonga, 1991 Best Actress in a Musical for "Miss Saigon;" composer Robert Lopez, 2004 Best Score for "Avenue Q" and 2011 Best Book and Best Score for "Book of Mormon;" and set and costume designer Clint Ramos, 2016 Best Costume Design of a Play for "Eclipsed."

Filipino American theater artists who have won Tony and Obie Awards are included in the book Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History, available at online bookselling sites such as Amazon and Bookshop.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/115989/fil-am-leading-ladies-in-wicked-and-little-shop-of-horrors 

Filipino American guitarist Florante Aguilar’s album ‘Probinsya’ showcases traditional music

By WALTER ANG
Oct. 27, 2022 | USA.Inquirer.net 

SAN FRANCISCO — Filipino American classical guitarist Florante Aguilar's new album Probinsya is a collection of songs lovingly put together in honor of his hometown Kawit, Cavite.

Florante Aguilar

With painter Romeo Tabuena's "Guitar & Birdcage" as the featured artwork, the album specifically recalls the music traditions that Aguilar's childhood was immersed in.

The 11 tracks are a combination of folk songs and classic compositions such as "Rosa Pandan," "Cariñosa" and "Sinisinta Kita," among others, all arranged and performed by Aguilar.

Aguilar's youth in the 1970s was filled with music. "My mother, Celestina Capayas Aguilar, was a pianist and I grew up hearing her play the music of Nicanor Abelardo, Antonio Molina, Francisco Santiago and other giants of 20th century Filipino music composition. If you lift the top of the piano chair, you'll find tons of very old torn up music sheets that she collected over the years."

He credits the elders of his hometown for introducing him to different musical traditions. "I grew up listening to harana (serenade), kundiman (torch songs) and rondalla music. They taught me to play the octavina and guitar. I became `the wonder kid playing with the old-timers' during fiestas in our town. It was the best possible place for me to learn about the richness of the country's traditional music."

Focusing

Aguilar went on to study classical guitar performance at the University of the Philippines and eventually moved to the US to pursue further studies to hone his technique.

"I was there at EDSA during the People Power Revolution in 1986, protesting the rigged election of Marcos. I then witnessed all the chaos, the transitional government and the endless coup d'états. I knew that the instability of the Philippines was not a conducive place for me as an artist.

"It was very hard for me to reconcile focusing on classical guitar while the rest of the nation starved. I was glad to be part of toppling a dictator, but I also knew I needed a stable environment because all I really wanted to do was to master the classical guitar.  At the time, I felt studying in the US was the best place for it, and that I'd have a better chance of success as a musician in the US."

He left the year after to study guitar under a scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music and later earned a Bachelor's in Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Champion

Now based in Napa Valley, Aguilar has been championing Filipino traditional music through his albums and work in film and theater.

A teenaged Aguilar performing at his hometown in Cavite.

He composed and cowrote the libretto of "Aswang the Concert: Mga Kuwentong Halimaw, Their True Stories," a dramatized song cycle featuring Philippine mythical creatures such as manananggal, tikbalang, syokoy and tumao.

He is also a frequent collaborator with San Francisco-based performance group Kularts, composing music for their performances.

He is coproducer of documentary Harana: The Search for the Lost Art of Serenade, where Aguilar interviewed and collaborated with three haranistas from remote provinces in the Philippines.

Homage

Aguilar recalls receiving a bicycle from his father when he was 10. "I explored the other barangays of Kawit. I loved riding my bike, seeing the open rice fields, discovering places, enjoying beautiful sunsets over the irasan (salt beds). The salt-making  industry was huge then.

The last time he visited Kawit  was 14 years ago. "It looked very different. It didn't feel like a probinsya anymore. It [had become] well-developed and modernized.

"I think that is why I hold on to the romantic image of my hometown. It is gone. Playing traditional music is my way of paying homage to that bygone era."

"At its heart, what influences the Probinsya album is appreciation of traditional music. I saw the way the elders listened to and practiced this kind of music in a devoted way. They talked about the best kundiman singers, the legends of harana, and they had encyclopedic knowledge of the repertoire. To my young mind, they were such virtuosos of the rondalla. You could say that the album is actually rondalla music arranged and played on the classical guitar."

"Probinsya" is released by New Art Media Chicken Coop Productions and is available on music streaming services. Visit floranteaguilar.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/114560/fil-am-guitarists-album-probinsya-showcases-traditional-music