Toronto,Ontario
Genesis of play came from workshop
By Ted Alcuitas
Stories of their families’ struggles and their own struggles growing up in Canada shared during workshops morphed into ANAK – a play about a Filipino Canadian family’s hopes, dreams, secrets and lies.
Toronto’s Carlos Bulosan Theatre (CBT) premiered the play on March 3 in Scarborough. It will run until March 12.
‘Anak’ is the Filipino gender-neutral word for “offspring/son/daughter”.
In the play, two sisters end up in different economic circumstances. One has a daughter who is facing a life detour and the other has a son with a secret that threatens to tear the family apart.
Artistic director Leon Aureus describes the play as “a touching drama about a family facing unexpected challenges that uncover deep-seated resentment and tensions.”
ANAK is a story about family — their hopes and dreams, their secrets and lies, and their struggle to stay together.
The play was written and performed by the CBT Collective, the group’s resident pool of artists: Ann Paula Bautista, Belinda Corpuz, Isabel Kanaan, Richard Mojica, Alia Rasul, and Anthony Raymond Yu.
Costume design is by Richard Mojica, set design by Jackie Chau, lighting design by John Cabanela, sound design by Belinda Corpuz, projection design by Kevin Feliciano.
Carlos Bulosan Theatre, named after the Filipino-American author Carlos Bulosan, was founded in 1982.
For over 35 years, Carlos Bulosan Theatre (CBT) has helped tell Filipino-Canadian stories for several generations. Now more than ever the world needs theatre and art with purpose and heart, with depth, intelligence and soul.
Carlos Bulosan Theatre continues to work hard to help Filipino-Canadians realize their potential as artists and storytellers. It strives to build an audience, a community to help support these artists and stories that are (y)our artists and stories.
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY THE CBT COLLECTIVE Ann Paula Bautista, Belinda Corpuz, Isabel Kanaan, Richard Mojica, Alia Rasul, Anthony Raymond Yu WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY Ray Jacildo & Ulysses Valiente
DIRECTED & DRAMATURGED BY Leon B. Aureus
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/DRAMATURGE Ash Knight SET & PROPS DESIGN Jackie Chau LIGHTING DESIGN John Cabanela SOUND DESIGN Belinda Corpuz COSTUMES Richard Mojica PROJECTION DESIGN Kevin Feliciano STAGE MANAGER Maricris Rivera
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES:
Friday March 3, 8pm Saturday March 4, 8pm Sunday March 5, 3pm
Friday March 10, 8pm Saturday March 11, 8pm Sunday March 12, 3pm
LOCATION: St. Paul’s United Church, 200 McIntosh Street, Scarborough
Tickets at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com