Additional Antecedents
Fig. 11. New Play Exchange. Conrad A. Panganiban.
Remember that list I keep mentioning that Panganiban made that details all the various inspirations for WELGA?
Well, here it is in all its glory!
“Reflecting more on the origin story of how WELGA came to be, it’s about all of my loves:
o 80s & 90s movies set in high schools: LEAN ON ME, SUMMER SCHOOL, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, STAND AND DELIVER and SISTER ACT 2
o Filipinx American History
o Quick non-sequitored humor
o Mother and son relationships
o Dream of becoming a music teacher
o Need to see Filipinx American experiences portrayed in a stage
o Life in the SoMA
o Music
o A forward moving narrative… though I see where some edits can still happen
o Connecting plotlines
o Having a narrator
o A prologue and epilogue to bookend a story. A storytelling method I’ve always wanted to try! Especially where the epilogue says what happens to the characters!
o Not a love story
o A story about community activism
o An ending where the main protagonist DOESN’T get what they want at the end of the story
o Flawed characters
o Monologues with complex beats to help the actors flex their work
o Show that a movie plotline can be theatrical
o Create a nuanced ethnic story where people of that culture will recognize (and hopefully have joy in seeing a piece of their culture represented on stage) but won’t isolate people of other ethnicities and backgrounds. Aka, insider jokes!
o The use of a story-within-a-story plot device (Hamlet and Midsummer Night’s Dream)
o Something to involve the youth whether through music and/or jargon
o Dialogue that naturally glows into the other”