"Balikbayan", adapted for the stage by May Cardoso
Initially an exercise on writing mostly dialogue, as chismis, and under 3k words, I completed the first draft of "Balikbayan" in 2021 while ruminating about the connection between funerarias and police under Duterte.
It was my friend Sigrid Gayangos, one of the first readers, who envisioned it as a play in a tweet. My playwright friend May Cardoso saw the tweet and volunteered to adapt it.
During the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, my panelist and co-fellows, all Americans, told me there is more to the story. It turns out they were right, because when I finally let go of the limitations I set for myself (chismis, under 3k words), it grew into its current form (chismis and beki, more than 7k words). Stella and Katrina as sisters and foils were developed further in the final draft.
Until last year, May and I had only vague plans for the adaptation. Somehow everything fell into place when "Balikbayan"'s publication timeline fit May's MFA Exit Program timeline. Before "Balikbayan" was even out, May and I were already working together—my first venture into theatre as a dramaturg. I sent her my writing notes and references to aid her adaptation and discussed the context and my narrative decisions.
When I was revising "Balikbayan", I played with time. There are two time settings, the linear present and the past unfolding in reverse. In the present, backstories are also embedded, which make the transition from page to stage a bit complicated. May's adaptation is nothing short of ingenuity. She utilizes things onstage in ways I can never think of, without sacrificing affect and gravitas. I think my favorite might have been relaying Stella's memory of how her cousins treated her. I've been keeping the script secret even from our closest friends for the full experience of watching it come to life.
I conceived "Balikbayan" to be decisively feminist and anti-imperialist, written years after the death of Jennifer Laude at the hands of US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was granted absolute pardon by Duterte. Before this, his charge was already lowered to homicide due to his use of trans panic as defense. Under the same system and regime, tokhang victims, most often the poor, are vilified as NPA, prostitute, or drug addict to justify their death. It was necessary for me to trust a playwright who fully understands the politics embedded in the story. I'm so happy to have trusted May with "Balikbayan".
0 Comments Add a Comment?