Sinag-tala Filipino Theater and Performing Arts Association

Hello again, everyone. We have fewer than usual items to broadcast this time around, but they do deserve special focus. Here they are:

1. WE WILL WORK OUR TAILS OFF AT THE FIESTA TO RAISE MONEY. There’s no clearer way to put it. As announced earlier, one of our fundraisers this year will be the Sinag-tala Food Booth at the annual Filipino Fiesta on June 8 at the Rizal Community Center. And as also announced, raising funds requires smiling volunteers. In short, we need you, dear friend – even if you can only smile an hour or two that day. Here are some of the tasks for which we need volunteers:

a. DRIVERS – to transport supplies, materials and equipment to and from the Fiesta site on Saturday afternoon (June 7) and as early as 5:00AM on Sunday morning (June 8). Drivers will also be needed to haul things away around 5:00PM on Sunday. All vehicles are welcome but pickups and vans are preferred.

b. CASHIERS – to handle money.

c. COOKS – to cook at one of 6 indoor and outdoor cooking stations, including barbeque grills.

d. KITCHEN/COUNTER ASSISTANTS – to take orders, assemble combo plates, assist cooks, manage supplies, serve as runners, etc.

e. CREW – to help unload transport vehicles, make and put up signage, decorate the booth, operate our power supply, set up tables, help with clean-up, etc.

And if you can’t volunteer, at least plan to buy a lot of food from us or make a generous donation upfront to help us defray the cost of ingredients and supplies. With longtime professional caterer and restaurant owner (for 25 years) Aida Encarnado supervising things, we know the food will be irresistibly and knee-shaking delicious, very Filipino and reasonably priced. To stay competitive, we won’t openly announce our menu just yet. But if you’re really dying to know – email me. By the way, the volunteers will get to eat for free. PLEASE volunteer.

Also, if you would like to volunteer but cannot attend the mandatory vendors’ meeting on Wednesday, May 28, just let us know. We encourage everyone to attend this meeting because it will greatly help reduce the chance of being assessed fees by health inspectors for non-compliance with the long list of regulations we must observe. But if you absolutely can’t make it, we’ll schedule a separate “in-house” briefing for our own volunteers later. Please confirm one way or the other if you can volunteer. Again, PLEASE volunteer.

2. CALLING ALL ALUMNI AND NEWCOMERS. Our first official Reunion and Kick-off Picnic is scheduled for Saturday, July 26, from 10:00AM to 4:00PM at Elk Grove Park. This will be the first “salvo” in the build-up to our 20th Grand Anniversary nest year. So one of the first orders of the day is to gather as many, if not all, of the performers, artists, volunteers and supporters since 1990 who have been members of the proud Sinag-tala Family. So if you fall within this category (as most of you do) or know someone who does, please don’t procrastinate – contact Raul Bernaldez, ST 2008 Production Manager, with contact information immediately. Of course, this event will also be a huge welcome celebration for anyone joining the Family for the first time, so we’ve got our binoculars trained on the newcomers out there also. And do you have fun, fresh ideas for making our picnic Sinag-tala worthy? Raul is looking for volunteers with creative imaginations to serve on the picnic committee. Raul may be reached at raulbernaldez@aol.com . Keep watching for more details.

3. AUDITIONS FOR SINAG-TALA 2008: A THEATRICAL REVUE. Come on, we know there’s potential in everyone to be either a theater or performing artist. And we know many of you already are artists but just haven’t stepped forward. And we know that many of you don’t think you have what it takes, yet wish you could step on the Sinag-tala stage. Well, we’ve got just the thing for you. Singing, dance and acting auditions for Sinag-tala 2008 will be held on July 10, 11, 12 and 13. The exact times and venues will be announced soon. But do keep in mind that our auditions are not meant to weed out people. In fact, it’s our way of opening our doors to everyone and anyone who’s interested in being part of our programs, whether or not you’ve had prior training or experience. Since 1990, we have never turned anyone away yet and look what we’ve managed to do. The shy and nervous gained confidence and skills; the experienced got even better. We’re looking for participants of all levels and interests who think they can benefit from the free training we offer. Repeat – free training. We’re also looking for those who already have backgrounds in the theater or performing arts and wish to increase their experience or, if appropriate, would like to volunteer as teaching or resident artists. In short, we have room for everyone – including non-Filipinos. We are also especially interested in young adults, parents, aunts, uncles and grand parents joining us. In fact, parents and seniors are exempt from auditioning. All they need to do is fill out our application form. What could be easier? So keep these dates open.

That’s it for now, folks. We hope to see everyone at the Fiesta! And remember, if you didn’t find any typos in this bulletin, you may not have read closely enough. Enjoy the crazy weather and stay happy!

Sonny Alforque
CEO & Artistic Director
Sinag-tala Filipino Theater and Performing Arts Association

Hello again, everyone. Full steam ahead, as they say. Here’s the latest in Sinag-tala news.

1. ANTIGONE CLOSES THIS WEEK. Starting tonight at 7:30PM, the River Stage production of Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old-but-highly-relevant tragedy, Antigone, will have its last four performances at the River Stage Theater on the Cosumnes River College campus. In a previous bulletin, we shared the exceptional press reviews about the production so we won’t repeat them. But it’s not often that classic Greek theater is done locally so we recommend that you try to see this one. If for nothing else, see it to see Julian Torrente and me. Seeing your resident artists’ work outside Sinag-tala is one way to evaluate their artistic competence. Besides 7:30PM tonight, the remaining shows are at 7:00PM Friday and Saturday, then 2:00PM on Sunday. By the way, I am offering 3 complimentary tickets to the first person(s) to request them by 5:30PM today. The tickets are valued at $18 each. Student and group prices are also available. Visit http://www.riverstage.org/ for more information.

2. AFGHAN WOMAN. Bina Sharif, the award-winning Pakistani playwright, actress, director and poet whose works have been produced off-Broadway and internationally came from New York last weekend under the auspices of the Ethnic Theater and Film Program headed by Angela-Dee Alforque at Sacramento City College. Bina presented a lecture at SCC on May 12 then staged her powerful one-woman play, Afghan Woman, at the college’s Art Court Theatre on May 13 to a hushed, captivated audience. Later that evening, she paid a brief visit to the Sinag-tala Studio to observe Andriana Castellano, Krystle Jong, Kat Escobar, Febelyn Acosta-Green and Ana Maria DeYoung in rehearsal for the Pacific Rim Street Fest. We are exploring the possibility of adapting one of her plays to a Philippine setting for possible production next year, along with Conrad Panganiban’s Garden of Dreams, as part of the Sinag-tala 20th anniversary commemoration. Congratulations to Angela for her successful two-year quest to bring Bina to Sacramento, and to SCC staff and faculty for their support.

3. NEXT UP FOR THE TOURING ENSEMBLE: PACIFIC RIM STREET FEST. Everyone is invited to enjoy the program that will be presented by the Sinag-tala Theater Ensemble at 11:30AM this coming Sunday, May 18, on the River Front Stage at the Pacific Rim Street Fest. This exciting all-day annual event, which will feature many other Asian American Pacific Islander cultural groups and other attractions, will take place as usual in Old Sacramento. The event is free. Bring your friends, relatives and a little cash so you can savor the great food sold there. And umbrellas, wide-brim hats and spritzers. A suggestion for neutralizing the hot weather: after the Sinag-tala show, cool off with refreshing halo-halo at the Loard’s Halo-halo and Ice Cream booth, operated by longtime Sinag-tala supporter Sal Marcellana (see item # 7 below). Most likely, they’ll be the only halo-halo vendor in sight, so there’s no excuse not to find them.

4. BURMA AND BURGOS AT ELK GROVE HIGH. The students of Sinag-tala alumna Cheena Chun, theater arts instructor at Elk Grove High School, decided to respond to the plight of the cyclone victims of Myanmar in a most interesting way. They will stage Benefit Night for Burma at their school theater at 7:00PM on Wednesday, May 21, which will feature feature music, dance, monologues, and one acts composed by the students themselves. But that’s not all. They are also featuring a short one act play loosely based on the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, the Filipino political activist whose widely covered disappearance in April 2007 at the hands of armed abductors is just one of scores of mysterious disappearances of Philippine activists and journalists over the past several years. According to Cheena, her non-Filipino students chose on their own to research and write about political disappearances believed by many to have been connected to government operatives. Another timely artistic endeavor. By the way, admission is by voluntary donation, with $5 as a minimum. Also, they are still looking for additional acts to include in the program. All Sinag-tala artists and participants are encouraged to volunteer as performers if not to see the show. Contact Cheena at misschunster@gmail.com for more information.

5. 4TH INTERNATIONAL KIDS DAY. The touring ensemble will also perform on May 31 at the 4th International Kids Day at Fair Oaks Park. Watch for more details about the event and our performance time.

6. THANKS TO DIO AGUSTIN AND OUR VERIZON ANGELS. After all these years, Dio Agustin, one of our longtime and most endearing Sinag-tala dads, and his colleagues at Verizon, continue to support the SFTPAA through their workplace matching program. Their generous, unsolicited annual contributions and the Verizon Foundation’s outstanding community giving program have been very valuable to us. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for their friendship and caring hearts and hope for their continued interest in our work. When you see Dio, be sure to let him know that you feel the same way.

7. THANKS TO SAL MARCELLANA. In our last bulletin, we encouraged the unheralded State employees who have been generously yet silently contributing to SFTPAA through the State Employees Charitable Contributions Campaign to allow us to mention their names publicly. A good number of you reading this belong to that selfless group. Among that group is our good friend Sal Marcellana, who wrote us this note a few days ago: “I prefer not to but do publish my name as a state employee supporting SFTPAA. Sometimes potential donors feel more motivated and therefore do the same or better when they see a colleague believing a cause they currently don’t feel too passionate about.” Thanks for the thought and for always believing in the SFTPAA mission. We hope other State employees will take his words to heart.

8. WANT FOOD? YA GOT IT. BUT YA GOTTA WORK FOR IT. You have four choices (but we’re not talking about the menu yet). The SFTPAA will be selling fiesta gods-pleasing combo plates all day at the Filipino Fiesta on June 8 at the Jose P. Rizal Community Center on Florin Mall Drive, South Sacramento (across the street from the Southgate Public Library). We’ll announce our menu soon. Meanwhile, as a devoted Sinag-tala friend, your choices are to: a) be a food booth volunteer – we need 25 cheerful people; b) donate a contribution to help us defray our booth expenses; c) buy this gods-pleasing food at our booth; or d) do all three. We’re perennially busy, we’re a small organization, and we don’t get to do too many fundraisers. So this food booth is a BIG DEAL. We need help Please support this effort. Consider serving on the food booth committee so we can discuss what bases need to be covered and who will cover them. By the way, volunteers will get free food as long as they earn it first. We’ll meet next week – watch for the announcement. We will also be discussing our booth plans during the ST2008 Production Meeting on May 25. In addition, if you are willing to lend us any of these items, please let me know ASAP: propane barbecue grills (we need 3), stand-by gas generator, fuel for the grills and generator, large water containers with easy to operate spigots, large ice chests, buckets, paper towels, ice, oven mitts, aprons, barbecue utensils and folding chairs.

9. Item deleted…

10. DEE PIZARRO’S C.A.M.P. Musical Director recently announced the first-ever C.A.M.P., which offers an exciting summer music program. Here are the details, courtesy of Dee:

C.A.M.P. stands for Creative Arts Music Program. This is the 1st annual summer camp of its kind that will be held from July 25-July 27, 2008 at Folsom Lake and will be attended exclusively for the guitar and piano students of Dee Pizarro. Most teachers hold annual recitals, but Dee is thinking of fun instead of stress in the summertime.

C.A.M.P. is staffed by local Sacramento artists and will feature them facilitating in workshops and activities that will motivate and inspire them to have interest in other aspects of performing arts such as script writing, theater, rhythm and movement, vocal projection, relative tuning and use of the CAPO (for guitar only) etc. We will also be having an Awards Dinner and Program presentation on Saturday, July 26 at our campsite.

For information on registration and the fundraisers that are being planned for the camp, please contact Dee Pizarro at 916.802.4386. Contact Dave Acosta @ 916.952.0861 for the Texas Hold Em Tourney.

Well, that’s this edition of our bulletin. You know there’re more to come. And remember, if you didn’t find a typo in this bulletin, you may not have been reading carefully. Thanks to everyone as always for your interest and support. Have an enjoyable time, whatever you do!

Sonny Alforque
Artistic Director

Hello there, everyone. It’s that time again to catch up on what’s happened recently in the busy Sinag-tala world or that we can look forward to soon. As you know, there’s never a shortage of news. Here’s what we’ve rounded up for this edition:

1. HEARTFELT THANKS TO KAISER AND STATE EMPLOYEES. The SFTPAA is very blessed to continue to receive very generous support from Kaiser-Permanente and California State Government employees who participate in their respective ongoing worksite payroll deduction programs. Some of them prefer not to be publicly acknowledged. So to play it safe, we haven’t mentioned names so far. But if you’re one of these donors and won’t mind us releasing your names, kindly let us know. We must add that some of these supporters have been quietly donating for years with little or no recognition in return, and are therefore very dear to us. Thank you, esteemed friends. If you’re a Kaiser or State employee but haven’t signed up yet for your worksite giving program, or if you work for another employer with a similar program, we encourage you to consider participating. It’s easy, safe and convenient – and any amount, no matter how small, can be pledged.

2. WE OWE RICHARD PASALO. A couple of bulletins ago, we thanked various Sinag-tala alumni who are now associated with youth-oriented performing groups such as Press P.L.A.Y. for proudly citing their Sinag-tala experience in the bios they submit for souvenir programs. One alumnus we regrettably overlooked was Richard Pasalo, who is a key artistic leader in Press P.L.A.Y. and who devotes himself to a string of community service projects. He attributes his onstage and leadership confidence to his Sinag-tala learning days and thoughtfully points it out in his list of credits. Thanks for mentioning us, Richard, and for continuing to extend your choreographic and dancing gifts to other youths. Keep up the great work.

3. WHEN HOLDING ON TO CASH IS LITERALLY HARD. Some still-unclaimed cash was found at the Studio recently after a recent rehearsal. If you think it belongs to you, please e-mail me some details that will help us verify that it was yours. Otherwise, it will be gladly added as an anonymous donation to the SFTPAA general fund.

4. A SENSATION AT THE SHERATON HOTEL. Congratulations go to the Sinag-tala Theater Ensemble for the wonderful program it put on for its first major booking of the year at the Justo wedding reception last May 3 at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento. Under the artistic oversight of Booking Manager/Stage Manager/Emcee Sandi Corpuz, Assistant Director/Choreographer Krystle Jong and Choreographer Gladys Imperio-Acosta, the company performing that evening included Febelyn Acosta-Green, Dio Agustin, Cesar Atalig, Ashley Bates, Bryan Briones, Amanda Corpuz, Jennifer Domingo, Josie Domingo, Edison Dominguez, Heile Gantan, Elizabeth Green, Jasmine Henderson, Shawn Henderson, Krystle Jong, Kenny Kaulupali, Alaia Lacerna, Dick Mazon, Martin Sinlao, Alexia Sanchez, Nicole Sanchez, Aljohn Tabion, Ariana Taraya and Cece Torralba. Congratulations also go to parents Febelyn Acosta-Green, Josie Domingo, Leonard Nisay, Jackie Sanchez, Frank Sanchez and Dagma Taraya for running the backstage operations besides hauling costumes and props. Remember – the touring artists work hard all year to raise funds for and increase awareness about the SFTPAA – be sure to thank them personally when you see them.

4. NECKS CRANED TO SEE JASMINE AND SANDI. Because the audience seats were level, many attendees at the 2008 Local Hero Awards held on May 6 at the KVIE Public Television studio either stood up or peered between the heads in front of them during the InterACT staged adaptation of excerpts from the true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Among others, the cast featured our own Jasmine Henderson and real-life mom Sandi Corpuz in inspiring portrayals of the famous ill-fated Japanese youngster and her mother. As a toddler, Sadako Sasaki developed leukemia after the Word War II atomic bombing of Hiroshima and is celebrated for her pursuit of a Japanese belief that if one were able to fold a thousand origami cranes, his or her wish would come true. Her wish as she slowly died was for world peace. Directed by Dennis Yep and co-starring Heddy Chiang, the performance was part of the entertainment featured during the award ceremonies. By the way, Jasmine has toured local schools and other venues for a couple of years now in the role of Sadako and really deserves our applause.

5. MORE TOURING ENSEMBLE DATES. We weren’t kidding when we warned that they would be busy this year. As goodwill ambassadors and – when fortune comes along – fundraising foot soldiers, our Sinag-tala Theater Ensemble performers face a hectic itinerary. The company’s next engagement will be at 11:45 AM on Sunday, May 18 during the Pacific Rim Street Fest. We will perform on the River Front Stage, near the Yellow Schoolhouse and the Tower Bridge in Old Sacramento. The event is free to the public, so we hope to see a lot of you there. Following that will be the 4th International Kids Day at Fair Oaks Park on Saturday, May 31. Then there will be the Asian Community Fortune Festival on June 7 in the Sears Parking Lot on Florin Road and 65th Street in Sacramento, followed by the Filipino Fiesta on June 8 at the Rizal Community Center. At 6:00PM on Sunday, June 29, the ensemble will entertain the congregation at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Elk Grove. Those who wish to perform with the touring ensemble must attend the training and rehearsal sessions. If you’re interested but have not received the rehearsal schedule for the May 18 Pacific Rim booking, please let me know. Rehearsals for Ito Ang Gusto Ko start tonight. The schedules for the other bookings will be announced soon. Those who have not auditioned yet but would like to be in the touring ensemble should contact me ASAP to arrange for auditions.

6. ANGELA-DEE ALFORQUE ANNOUNCES FREE CITY COLLEGE EVENTS. Having connections to what seems to be the only community college ethnic theater program hereabouts is nice because we get to learn about rare theater events that genuinely delve into less-explored aspects of cultural diversity in theater and film. Sinag-tala Associate Director/Choreographer and Sacramento City College ethnic theater professor Angela-Dee Alforque has helped arrange for three upcoming events that we encourage everyone to support. The first is a student-produced and -directed play that will be presented by one of her students, Jamellah Kiswani, at 6:00PM on Sunday, May 11 in the Little Theater (aka Room A-6) in the Humanities Division Building at City College. Admission is free. The second is a free lecture by celebrated Pakistani-American playwright Bina Sharif on Monday, May 12 at 3:00PM in the Sacramento City College Main Auditorium. On Tuesday, May 13, at 1:00PM Ms. Sharif will appear in her own one-woman play, Afghan Woman, in the SCC Art Court Theatre. Admission will also be free. Afghan Woman offers a forceful and moving perspective on the impact that the bombing of Afghanistan after 9/11 had on the Middle Easter community. Given that we who are Filipino shake our heads when others seem to misunderstand our heritage and history, these events are all very much worth our checking out.

7. FEBELYN ACOSTA-GREEN’S MUSIC VIDEO APPEARANCE. This is technically belated news, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Febelyn Acosta-Green’s familiar face in I-Hotel, a music video produced in 2005 by the Bay Area-based band The Autonomous Region in conjunction with the Little Manila Heritage Foundation. The video included Rise of the I-Hotel, a documentary on the 28-year struggle for fair and affordable housing that was punctuated by the dramatic 1977 eviction of the residents of San Francisco’s International Hotel, many of them elderly Filipinos. The song I-Hotel won the 2008 DIY Festival Award for best video music. But back to Febelyn – she played various roles, although the film credits list her as one of the evicted tenants. Congratulations to Febelyn and her son Chris, who also appears onscreen, for helping to preserve the memory of the I-Hotel saga – a part of Filipino American history everyone should study.

8. ST 2008 PRODUCTION MEETING. The next ST 2008 Production Meeting will be held at 7:00PM on Sunday, May 25 at the Sinag-tala Studio, 8275 Florin Road. Among the agenda topics will be plans for a food booth at the Filipino Fiesta on June 8 as well as plans for the big July 26 Reunion and Kick-off Picnic.
Both activities are going to be really BIG deals, and Aida Encarnado and Raul Bernaldez, who are key workers behind them, will need a LOT of input and a lot of volunteer help. Please come to the meeting because we need you. We don’t mind people bringing food

9. FUNDRAISING IS A COMMUNITY EFFORT. This isn’t to say that we are financially unstable, but as most of us know, our enthusiasm level outstretches our treasury. Some may wonder why, even as we talk about our generous supporters and donors, we continue to look for financial support. The reason is simple: it costs a lot of money to run and maintain our programs. Studio space, performance venues, sound and light system rentals, insurance, printing, advertising, costumes, sets, storage and transportation comprise just a portion of operational costs, and these costs only tend to rise with inflation. Thanks to volunteer labor and in-kind assistance, we are able to get by with what we gratefully receive through grants, corporate help, ticket sales, touring ensemble fees and donations from the general public. But extremely kind as all these givers have been, it takes a lot of hard, year-round work to cultivate donors and to sustain the giving process, especially in hard times. And even then, we still have to skimp in certain areas in order to do affordable work of reasonable quality. We always wish we could do more. The key is to remember that we offer free and unique training and learning to community members who are otherwise not reached by many mainstream, larger-budget arts programs or even by schools. We could charge large participant fees as mainstream community arts organizations typically do, but our mission is to reach the broadest numbers of underserved people who do not readily pursue the arts due to different barriers, including economic and ethnic barriers. With your help, we can continue to fill the theater and performing arts training void in the Filipino and similar communities in ways that since 1990 no other programs have done. Please donate generously to the SFTPAA.

That’s it for now. Thanks for supporting the SFTPAA. Remember – if you didn’t see any typos in this bulletin you may not have read everything. Take care!

Sonny Alforque
CEO and Artistic Director