Advisories & News
Press Release
Filipino-Canadian tale “Through the Bamboo” premieres in Toronto
2019-07-10
10 July 2019, Toronto-The officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, its attached agencies and members of their family, watched the world premiere of the Filipino-Canadian play entitled “Through the Bamboo” last Monday, July 8, 2019 at the Factory Theatre in downtown Toronto.
Inspired by Philippine mythology, “Through the Bamboo” is an action-packed adventure about the value of storytelling, and how families deal with loss. Through the Bamboo will be performed at the Factory Theatre Mainspace starting July 3 until July 14, 2019 as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Following is a summary of Through the Bamboo, based on the play’s website: “When Philly’s Lola (grandma) dies, she finds herself in the fantastical land of Uwi. Will Philly be able to end the reign of the Three Sisters, find her Lola, and bring her back home? Through the Bamboo is a Filipinx-Canadian tale suitable for the whole family 7+, told in the style of The Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Alice in Wonderland while rooted in Philippine mythology.”
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino (Artistic Director, Factory Theatre and 2019 recipient of the Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Award), Through the Bamboo is co-written by wife and husband team Andrea Mapili (Cassettes 100) and Byron Abalos (Good Morning, Viet Mom).
As to why they wrote the play, Andrea Mapili and Byron Abalos said, “We wrote this play to fill a void. We wanted to write a Filipino play for young audiences; an epic tale featuring Philippine mythology that featured women, young and old, as the central characters. After experiencing death and loss in our own family, we were inspired to write a play about grieving from a child’s perspective.” END.