MAGNO RUBIO
images of 1896

Images of 1896 (1997)
A modern musical about the birth of the secret revolutionary organization, the Katipunan. Images of 1896, unearths the treachery surrounding the trial and execution of the founder of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio.

walang sugat

Walang Sugat/Undefeated (1996, 1998)
A sarsuela (traditional musical play) about the Philippine revolution against 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. Two lovers, Julia and Tenyong, are torn apart by the call of the revolution. Believing that Tenyong has been killed during a fierce battle with Spanish forces, Julia is forced to accept the marriage proposal of a persistent and wealthy suitor, Miguel. Tenyong must choose between his love for Julia and his devotion to his country.

no boundaries

No Boundaries (1995)
An evening of three one-act plays. In Portrait of an Artist as Filipino, two sisters confront the changes in their lives as U.S. power replaces Spanish colonial rule. Mga Kwento-Stories with no Boundaries, explores the effects of economic restructuring on the lives of Filipinos in Canada. In Tenement Lover: No Palm Trees in New York, an unhappy immigrant loses herself in the fantasy of a colour TV, news reports on the Marcos dictatorship, and letters from Bongbong, another immigrant who is slowly going mad.

not on my time

Noong Kapanahunan Ko… Not On My Time (1994)
A play about the quiet collisions and unspoken wars between generations of Filipino-Canadians. Fearful of the cultural changes her family has undergone in Canada, Lola uses her treasure box to teach Jerome about his Filipino heritage. Carmen, Yolly and Nenette, talk shop in a workplace washroom and discover that their generational differences do not prevent them from sharing the same glass ceiling.

home sweet home

Home Sweet Home (1993-1994)
A play about violence against women in the Filipino Community. A series of skits depicts various forms of violence and abuse against Filipino women from past to present times.

cb trilogy

Carlos Bulosan: A Trilogy (1992)
An evening of 3 one-act plays based on the writings of Carlos Bulosan. In Alos, a young Filipino man, Danilo, discovers Carlos Bulosan’s novel, America is in the Heart and begins to assume the identity of its protagonist, Alos. The second act, The Poetry of Carlos Bulosan, is a dramatization of poetry written by Bulosan that depicts the struggle of his life in America. In the final act, Dinner with a King, a young boy learns his first lesson in the corrupting values of an adult world.

sampung daliri

Ten Fingers/Sampung Mga Daliri (1991)
Locayo, the youthful narrator, journeys through a historical playground. From Spanish colonial rule to a futuristic pushbutton society, the evolution of Filipino society is seen through the eyes of its youth.

if my mother

If My Mother Could See Me Now/Inay Kung Alam Mo Lang (1989,1990) One winter morning finds Perla, Mimi and Minda huddled against a freezing wind outside the doors of the Canadian immigration building, where all their dreams of a future in Canada await them. The women soon discover that life as domestic workers is not what they had anticipated. Perla, encourages the others to be grateful for what they have and to not rock the boat. Mimi tries to escape the harsh realities of her life by taking on a married lover. For Minda, feelings of isolation and the pressures of an abusive employer become increasingly difficult to bear.

carding

Carding (1984, 1986)
Follows the plight of a Filipino man, Carding, who immigrates to Canada seeking a better life then the one in his native country, where inflation is rampant and the political situation more oppressive daily. As Carding joins his older sister in Canada and begins to look for work, he is quickly faced with the realities of Canadian life and the particular hardships of a recent immigrant in current times of recession and unemployment.