Fil-Am theater group Circa Pintig announces 33rd season

(From left) Filipino American theater group Circa Pintig artistic

CHICAGO — Filipino American theater group Circa Pintig held a gala to celebrate its 33^rd anniversary and to announce its lineup this season, titled “Kapwa, Next Generation.”

“We will have a mix of original works, community collaborations, monthly gatherings and staged readings,” said the group’s Executive Director Ginger Leopoldo.

The gala, which was held at the Rizal Center, featured some excerpts from this year’s upcoming productions.

Starting off the season this spring is the world premiere of “Panther in the Sky” by Lani T. Montreal, a poignant and powerful piece delves into the narratives of four mothers and their sons who deal with poverty, violence and racism in Chicago. This will be a co-production with Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble.

READ about Fil-Am playwright Lani Montreal’s “Nanay.”

Montreal’s other plays include “Nanay,” about a young Filipina coming to terms with her mother’s secret identity as a manananggal, “Looking for Darna” and “Sister-Out-Law,” among others.

Larry Itliong

Next up is the Midwest premiere of “Sama Sama: Solidarity in the Fields” by director and playwright Giovanni Ortega. The play centers around students who want to learn more about the experiences and plight of Filipino American and Mexican American farmworkers and labor organizers during the Delano Grape Strike of 1965. Fil-Am Larry Itliong is a central character in the play.

Ortega’s other plays include “Criers for Hire,” about women hired to cry at funerals, and “Allos: the Story of Carlos Bulosan.”

READ about Filipino American playwright Giovanni Ortega’s “Criers for Hire.”

This touring show was originally commissioned by East West Players Theatre in Los Angeles and will be presented in libraries, schools and community organizations.

Popular demand

Conrad A. Panganiban “Daryo’s All American Diner,” which was staged by the group last year, will be mounted again due to popular demand.

READ about last year’s staging of “Daryo’s All American Diner”

The play is about the resilience of a Filipino family who struggles to keep a business open at the height of the pandemic. The play sets the tone for how a traumatic act of violence can lead to an act of grace as family and friends come together during a time of crisis.

Panganiban’s other plays include “Welga,” a play about Fil-Am labor leader Larry Itliong, and “Esperanza Means Hope,” which deals with domestic violence, and “The Perfect American,” about how entrepreneur Beverly Marie Spencer wants to teach new immigrants how to become “perfect” Americans.

Theater Festival

The group also has activities that involve teaching artists who will interact with community members by asking for their personal stories in workshops and then transform the stories into theater and storytelling events.

Then come autumn, there are plans for Circa Pintig to host a Filipino American Theater Festival.

This year’s projects has funding from the Neighborhood Access Program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

For more information, visit circapintig.org. Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.