We are busy planning Kapisanan’s 7th Annual Kultura Filipino Arts Festival!

KULTURA Festival is KAPISANAN’s signature annual summer Filipino arts festival since 2005. The festival features a live music showcase, a visual arts exhibit in the KAPISANAN gallery, film screenings, now co-presented by Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, and theatre showcases presented in partnership with Carlos Bulosan Theatre.

Here’s an update of August 2011’s theatre presenters and how their work has grown since showcasing their work at the 6th Annual KULTURA Festival.

Transit Diaries by Meesha Albano
Since Transit Diaries showcase, playwright Meesha Albano was then accepted in the Carlos Bulosan Theatre’s Play Creation Unit. While part of the Unit she continued to develop Transit Diaries with the support of Play Creation Unit Director, Marjorie Chan.  In March of this year Meesha showcased new scenes of Transit Diaries in a staged reading as part of CBT’s Flipside Festival under the direction of Ruth Madoc-Jones (pictured left).

We can all see the production of Transit Diaries by Meesha Albano this summer as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival Starting July 4th-15 2012
More Details Here

Through the Bamboo by Byron Abalos & Andrea Mapili

Playwrights Byron Abalos and Andrea Mapili took their 40 minute play with them when they moved to California shortly

after presenting at KULTURA. While there they continued to develop their play and recently had a 70 minute reading of Through the Bamboo at Bilndlestiff Studio in San Francisco!  Bindlestiff Studio was founded in 1989 by Canadian artists Chrystene Ells, Chris Brophy, and a group of local theatre artists and for many years flourished as an experimental theatre space.

Bindlestiff Studio cultivates artists who reflect and celebrate the diverse
values, traditions, and histories of Pilipino and Filipino American cultures through bold artistic expression and community engagement.

Rebound (formerly Monday Night Lights) created by The Sixth Man Collective: Byron Abalos, Marjorie Chan, Colin Doyle, Darrel Gamotin and Richard Lee

About five years ago a group of actors came together to let off some steam and play some basketball. From their weekly gatherings they  were inspired by the correlation between art and sport. Last year’s presentation brought audience and actors together with story and basketball drills in this outdoor interactive play. The Theatre Centre Artistic Director Franco Boni, was in the audience for this showcase and after an application process The Sixth Man Collective was chosen as one of The Theatre Centre’s 2012 resident companies.

Their continued development on Rebound (formerly Monday Night Lights) will return 1087 Queen St. West to its roots as one of Toronto’s first YMCAs and the home of some of the earliest basketball games in Toronto’s history.

Catch the next phase of Rebound on Sunday July 8th 4:00PM at The Theatre Centre 1087 Queen Streest West (entrance on Dovercourt) and later again in mid December 2012

Every Letter Counts by Nina Lee Aquino

Every Letter Counts makes its world premiere at Factory Theatre Directed by Nigel Shawn Williams – recent Dora Mavor Moore Award winning Actor for his role in Obsidian Theatre’s Top Dog/ Under Dog, and previously nominated for Outstanding Direction for Anusree Roy’s Brothel No. 9.

Nina Lee Aquino has been an Associate Artist of Factory Theatre for three years and Every Letter Counts was developed through Factory Theatre’s Play Development Program and is the first Factory production of one of Nina Lee Aquino’s plays.

See Every Letter Counts at Factory Theatre (Main Space Theatre) January 26-February 24, 2013
More Details Here

Nina is CBT’s Director of Novice Play Creation Unit and the Novice Play Creation Unit (pictured right) will be showcasing their work at this year’s KULTURA.

KAPISANAN’s 7th KULTURA Filipino Arts Festival slated to open Friday August 17, 2012. More details soon!