Producer’s Message
The idea for Kumustahan came from an urgency to check-in with Filipinx-Canadian Artists during this Covid-19 health crisis. In Tagalog, ‘kumustahan’ covers the activities of saying hello to someone; sending regards; inquiring about the condition of something or the health of someone. This initiative encourages and provides a platform for the members of our artistic community to have a voice, to initiate dialogue/thought, to share their stories. Ultimately it could serve as the beginning conversation of a larger initiative and as an archival record of these extraordinary times.
In its presentation, we urged artists to explore and strive for more theatricality within a web-video format – anything that stretched artistic bounds. And though we provided support for editing, graphics, as well as dramaturgy and direction – the videos in the project are nearly entirely created by the individual artist themselves. Everyone was stretched: from writers suddenly thrusted in front of a camera to luddite actors YouTubing how to edit videos. In a mere two-weeks, these tireless artists wrote scripts, planned multi-location shoots, and waded through the world of video post-production.
The world has undergone massive changes since this pandemic hit. It’s made us question our values and further exposed major inequalities. There’s an opportunity, if not a vital responsibility, for us to do something to support positive and lasting change.
This is our response to these extraordinary times.
Adriano Sobretodo Jr.
Kumustahan Co-Producer
THE VIDEOS
(Click the thumbnails to view the individual videos)
Artistic Producer’s Message
So, How's Everybody Doing? Kumusta Na?
How are you?
How does one even begin to answer that question these days?
“Well there’s this pandemic thing, killing hundreds of thousands around the world; our communities are in lockdown, so many out of work. A black man is killed while jogging (Ahmaud Arbery), another black man suffocated to death (George Floyd), a black woman killed in her home (Breonna Taylor), and worldwide protests surge, saying enough is enough – Black Lives Matter! Meanwhile in the Philippines freedom of press is in peril, Rappler’s Maria Ressa is imprisoned, ABS CBN shut down, the Anti-Terror Bill is passed (is a new strain of Martial Law just around the corner?). Back in Canada an Indigenous woman is killed during a ‘wellness check’ (Chantel Moore), anti-Asian sentiment is on the rise (“Bat soup!” “Go back to where you came from!”), businesses are shutting down, our savings are dwindling along with our patience and sanity, Filipino frontline workers (nurses and caregivers) and factory and migrant workers are bearing the brunt of the virus as confirmed cases and the death toll rises for our neighbours to the South where Trump is still President and the U.S. is playing a dangerous political blame game with China. Did I forget something? Oh yeah, global warming and murder hornets.”
There’s more, I’m sure, but I’m going to stop. Have to stop. It can all be so overwhelming, no? Enough to make you curl up into fetal position and binge watch Netflix and shut yourself out from the rest of the world. Fuck it.
That’s why I’m so thankful and inspired by everyone involved with KUMUSTAHAN 2020. In the best of times, creating art and sharing your stories can be a daunting endeavour. In the midst of this haunted roller coaster cliff’s edge ride that is 2020, it takes even more courage and fortitude to stand up and say something, to take action and do the work that in some way might shine some light during these bleak and frightening days.
It would be foolish to presume or present the KUMUSTAHAN 2020 videos as representative of an entire community. They aren’t. However, the heartfelt, compassionate stories told in each and every one of these works represent very personal reflections that connect us on a very human/humane level. We hope you might relate, you might learn or gain some inspiration from something you see on this site.
These videos also serve to remind the world that we’re still here too, that our Filipinx stories, our experiences, our representation matters. [Pop quiz: how many Filipinx-Canadian artists do you see in lead/principal roles on Canadian stages, in N. American film and television?]
Special thanks to the Project Co-Producers Adriano Sobretodo Jr. and Ash Knight (also Project Dramaturg) who helped me develop and guide the Kumustahan initiative and artists all the way through. It’s tough going keeping this independent theatre company afloat, but with such dedicated, caring and professional artists such as these two onboard, we can weather the storms and reach our destination. (Onward to new projects!)
And if you’re reading this right now, thank you for taking a moment to connect, to be a part of our audience, our community. Times are definitely precarious and unsettling, but we must continue to believe in the power of art and imagination, of dialogue and compassion, of courage and action. We’re in this together, we’ll only get through this together.
Leon Aureus
Artistic Producer
Carlos Bulosan Theatre
Project Team
Adriano Sobretodo Jr.
Project Co-Producer
Ash Knight
Project Co-Producer & Dramaturg
Brendan Mirotchnick
Video Effects Editor
Franchie Lagmay
Web Designer
Andrea Jean Aquino
Promo Video Editor
Leon Aureus
Artistic Producer
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Carlos Bulosan Theatre selected Kodie Rollan’s play, ‘The Watchdog Society’ for inclusion into our recent Tales From The Flipside Festival, largely due to its important exploration of race and privilege in our society, especially as it pertains to Filipinos’ own challenges with internalized racism and colonial biases. For this reason we asked the playwright to share a little more background history and deeper reflection on the play and what it means for our community and the important learning and work we have to do in the name of equality and social justice:
Visit page.
Coming Soon: in Community Partnership with Chromatic Theatre in Calgary, CBT will present an excerpt reading of the play as it continues its development as part of the Chromatic Theatre Playwright’s Lab.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Wesley Cabarios had been pretty active in 2019 with CBT. He had participated in our playwriting workshop, acted in the workshop reading of a new play: ‘Mapasantu’, and tried to help establish a writing room with other CBT artists. When his computer crashed in the midst of working on his film project, CBT offered him the use of our office and computer to be able to continue work on it. Empz 2 After Death is a documentary film that explores the lives of troubled youth in the Malvern community known as Empringham and how they are adversely affected by generational gun violence.
“When I started this film there were only 2 black men who had been murdered due to gun violence attached to the film, now there are 4.”
While this a film and not theatre, CBT believes it’s important to highlight and support the work of Filipinx-Canadian artists like Wesley and we asked him to share his own personal reflections on making this documentary. Visit page.
Carlos Bulosan Theatre gratefully acknowledges the invaluable support of its programs and productions
by the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association (OCGA) via Dolphin Gaming.