Are you fond of watching plays? It’s been a long time that I watched theatrical plays when I was in college.
I was delighted to learn that Flipzoids will set to stage its play in the Philippines on July 17 to 19 at the Music Museum.
Flipzoids is about a funny and highly moving story about three Filipino immigrants in America navigating through the shifting landscape of home, desire, loneliness and belonging.
Set on a beach in Southern California, “Flipzoids” is a funny and highly moving story about three Filipino immigrants in America navigating through the shifting landscape of home, desire, loneliness and belonging. The play examines what it means to be an outsider, to be Filipino and/or American, to be a hybrid.
Redford arrived in America from the Philippines as a child and spends his time in public restrooms in search of relationships to fill a void in his identity. Instead, he finds connection through a chance meeting with Aying, an older Filipina on a beach. It is through Aying that Redford discovers his culture.
Aying’s daughter, Vangie, is a nurse who holds all of American culture in a tight embrace and who diligently memorizes the dictionary to sound smarter – more American. She is in awe of the glamour of upscale shopping malls and wants so badly to blend in…to “melt into the soup,” in an attempt to forget about her past in the Philippines.
Aying, Vangie’s mother, struggles with understanding a daughter to whom she has become an embarrassment. Aying refuses to relinquish any of the culture and tradition of their homeland. She is a story teller who clings to traditions and rituals, laughs heartily and cares deeply while imparting bits of wisdom through her folk tales. Aying is the link between Vangie and Redford and their shared cultural memory. Together, they search to understand their identity in their new American world.
Flipzoids was directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, Artistic Director for Playwrights’ Arena in Hollywood, CA. This award-winning theatrical work is brought to life by a trio of outstanding performers:
Becca Godinez, Ellen D. Williams and Maxwel Corpuz
FLIPZOIDS received its world premiere on October 4, 1996 by Ma-Yi Theater Company, Ralph B. Peña, Artistic Director, Jorge Z. Ortoll, Executive Director.
