History of Fil-Am Theatre
The relationship between the Philippines and the United States “has been tumultuous [and] remains within us and our artistic life as a subliminal handicap at worst and as a creative tension that finds brilliant expression, at best” (Bonnivier). The surfacing of theatre born from this development began with the 1901 Sedition Law which forbade Filipinos from advocating for their independence or separation from the US.
As a result, theatre “was used as a vehicle of resistance” with the introduction of the drama simbolico which was “a drama form introduced to the culture under Spanish rule [that] became a very useful form of protest under American rule” (Bonnivier). A reflection of a similar form which can be found in the sense of resistance and clear protest within the message of WELGA.
Later, Filipinos began arriving in the US . . .
(watch from 55:50 till the 1:01:44 timestamp)
This clip from WELGA shows how the students begin their rehearsal, telling of how the Filipino labor workers came to the States to work during the time of the Great Depression. They were already facing discrimination and harsh conditions which would continue on into the 1960s in which the Delano Grape Strike later takes place.
However, that didn’t stop Filipino playwrights as they continued to create art.
In Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier’s article detailing a summarization of the history of a hundred years of Fil-Am theatre, she mentions how there is a need to bring back Filipino audiences due to the new generation of Fil-Ams and how the national discourse on identity has now deepened in present times.
Bindlestiff Studio, upon its opening in 1989, was the only permanent, community-based performing arts venue in the nation that was specifically dedicated to showcasing Fil-Am artists (“Our Mission”). Not only was this the studio that lent its black box space to Panganiban to premiere WELGA, but is also located in the same location as the play!
A large part of the inspiration Panganiban drew upon were the lives of those in the South of Market (SoMa) community in San Francisco which Bindlestiff lies within the heart of. And, due to its founding and its mission to celebrate Filipino works, he was allowed a space to first share WELGA.
Fig. 7. Bindlestiff Studio. Original Bindlestiff Studio Door at 185 Sixth St.
San Francisco, CA.
In 1991, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW) was founded in Midtown Manhattan, an organization “devoted to creating, publishing, developing and disseminating creative writing by Asian Americans, and to providing an alternative literary arts space at the intersection of migration, race, and social justice” (“About Us”). Just last year, the AAWW celebrated its 30th anniversary and still continues in their pursuit to circulate the changing stories of the Asian community and to “[draw] writers back again and again” (Gamalinda and Francia).
Recently, on June 26th of 2018, the very first meeting of Filipino TV writers in Hollywood occurred. Considered to be a historic mixer, attendants were astounded to discover that there were “only 25 Filipino writers in the WGA (Writers Guild of America)” (Nepales). One of the organizers of the meeting by the name of Bernard Badion described how:
Fig. 8. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Filipino TV Writers.