WITH the demise of San Francisco's Manilatown, when the International Hotel met the wrecking ball, where could Filipino immigrants find a place where they can ease their way into America, where there were plenty of kababayan to speak to in your native dialect; where Mass is said in Tagalog: where your children can go to school and feel comfortable with understanding teachers?
The New Manilatown found a place in the South of Market neighborhood, hemmed in by the Tenderloin across Market St., the upscale South Beach area, to the south, the Mission to the west.
The school? Bessie Carmichael Elementary School, home of the Filipino Education Center and a center of social life for the neighborhood parents and students.
So when the prestigious American Conservatory Theater decided to turn the old Strand Theater into a secondary stage for its experimental works, it was right on the edge of New Manilatown. It was at the Strand that ACT premiered last month the two one-act plays Monstress and Remember the I-Hotel written by Filipino/American author Lysley Tenorio.
As part of A.C.T.’s ongoing efforts to connect with the young people in the surrounding neighborhood, iit has taken the school under its wing, even writing a mini-musical for the students.
When the remodeled Strand reopened last June as an A.C.T. venue for innovative, experimental works, Bessie Carmichael's 5th and 6th grade students were invited to perform.
###
No comments:
Post a Comment