"This comes from our story. Our people’s story. From our survival. Throughout all the atrocities we’ve had to endure, our people have always resisted. If you look at our history, every attempt at colonization has been met with a people’s resistance. I wanted to tap into where that spirit comes from – our collective soul, our kapwa."  - Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Playwright

Thank you to Justine Abigail Yu for interviewing the Hilot Means Healer cast and crew for Intermission Magazine!  Read the full article

A full house viewed Theatre Amihan’s Fall 2019 Play Reading of the controversial classic “Tatarin, A Witches’s Sabbath in Three Acts,” by Filipino National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin at Artscape Wychwood Barns on September 30th.

“More than the grammar of performance, we want to offer an intimate and informal play reading series to showcase diverse Filipino plays and works" explained Theatre Amihan’s co-founder Maddie Bautista.

In the post-discussion comparing Tatarin to the forthcoming production “Hilot means Healer,” soon to be premiered in Toronto October 5 to 27, 2019 playwright and guest artist Jo SiMalaya Alcampo said the presence of the mythical balete tree also figures in her play set in the last days of the Japanese Occupation in Manila.

“The babaylan tending a magical garden of indigenous trees and plants to provide healing and nurturing is central to our prehistoric culture and has been passed on through generations of colonization and conquest.”

As well, said Alcampo, the role of women in pre- and post-colonial Philippines is highlighted by their often leading role in indigenous-based rites and traditions.

Read more in the Philippine Inquirer article by Patty Rivera