News & Reviews
"Ang Larawan" Fundraising Event
Friday, December 7 @ 9:30pm & Sunday, December 9 @ 3:30pm
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The Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association and Artist House Studio invite you to a special fundraising screening of the award-winning musical film, “Ang Larawan”, an adaptation of Larawan, based on National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin’s play: A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. This musical film has been awarded best picture, best actress, and best musical score and features a star-studded cast
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Set before World War II, this star-studded film tells the plight of two sisters who are the daughters of a high-profile painter as they struggle to fend off financial ruin. Larawan is an ode to the passing of the world of truth and beauty and a celebration of the tenacity of the spirit amidst the rise of materialism and consumerism. Continue reading
Emma The Musical combines local Filipino talent with Second World War tale of love and struggle
Edmonton Journal
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Quick, think of a love story set during the Second World War. Casablanca, right? Or maybe The English Patient?
Actually, the story of note is Emma The Musical — a romantic tale set against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during the Second World War. If the musical’s local composer Erica Cawagas has anything to say about it, the show, debuting July 7 at the Myer Horowitz Theatre, will soon be on stages from here to the Philippines and back, and on the lips of every fan who can’t resist a heartfelt tune set to a series of body-busting dance moves. Continue reading
The Emotions of Emma - The Musical
Alberta Filipino Journal
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The Learning Table held an event together with the cast and crew of Emma-the Musical on Sunday, 27 May 2018. Being a newly landed immigrant, I was wonderfully surprised to find a Filipino community here intent on keeping the younger generation passionate about their heritage through the performing arts. After all, the arts are an expression of emotion and the Philippine arts express pride in our culture. While the audience comprised mostly of young people watched, the cast and crew had an in-costume run through of the show.
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As a new enthusiast of photography, I was thrilled to be allowed to practice my hobby during this event. I relished the experience with the cast, crew, and audience. But what truly surprised me was the vast range of emotions I captured in my still shots. Continue reading
‘Emma, The Musical’ debuts in Edmonton July 7
Philippine Canadian News
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A local Filipino group is putting a musical production Emma The Musical -a romantic tale set against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during the Second World War.Directed by Ida Beltran-Lucila, founder of Edmonton’s Philippine Arts Council, it is an original Filipino musical in English based on a true story.
“It’s a personal story about love of country, love of family, and hope,” she told the Edmonton Journal in an interview.
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With an all-Filipino cast of 22, the musical’s local composer Erica Cawagas, hopes that the show will soon be on stages from here to the Philippines and back, and on the lips of every fan who can’t resist a heartfelt tune set to a series of body-busting dance moves. Continue reading
'Emma the Muiscal' Debuts in Edmonton
Inquirer.Net
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A musical based on a real Filipino elementary school teacher’s struggles during World War II will be performed at the Myer Horowitz Theatre on July 7. “Emma the Musical” was only supposed to be a mini-presentation for composer Erica Cawagas’ great grandmother Emma Floresca’s 95th birthday. Unfortunately, Floresca passed away in 2015, before her birthday.
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To honor their matriarch, Cawagas and her aunt, the musical’s playwright Chie Floresca, pushed the presentation further and developed it into a full-length production.
Three Canadian Filipino Artists Recognized in Edmonton
Canadian Filipino.Net
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In an awards ceremony held February 15 at the MacEwan University, the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC), City of Edmonton and Edmonton Community Foundation recognized the 2017 recipients of the annual Cultural Diversity in the Arts project grants and the Edmonton Artists’ Fund awards.
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Three of the 27 awardees were Canadian Filipinos.
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Musical director Erica Cawagas, and visual artist Jonathan Sherrer both received the Cultural Diversity in the Arts program grant, aimed at providing support for specific projects.