The Story of Emma the Musical
Set in a rural town in the northern province of the Philippines on the cusp of the 1942 Japanese occupation, Emma the Musical focuses on the life of an elementary school teacher, Emma. The story begins with smiles and song as children, parents, and townsfolk start their day. The town is peaceful, full of life, and is built on a strong bond of community.
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Emma, the Gabaldon school teacher, admired by her students and well-liked by her fellow townsfolk, is known for being kind, caring, and cheerful with a graceful disposition. The local postman, Pruding, is Emma’s biggest admirer and watches her from afar. He has yet to work up the courage to confess his affections for her, and only his best-friend, Tonyo, knows of his true feelings.
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Suddenly, news reaches the town that the Japanese have invaded the Philippines and townsfolk are caught in disbelief. Fear begins to set in as the townspeople try to understand if the news they received is real and why the Japanese would invade their country. The war that has ravaged around the world for years has finally hit home.
When the troops arrive in their town they are commanded by Major Mamoru. Emma and the rest of the community struggle to live in peace as the Japanese mercilessly torment the townsfolk. While her friends are attacked, beaten, and abused, Emma is somehow spared.
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Living under the occupation proves too difficult for some, so Pruding and others join the resistance movement to fight the Japanese. Determined to liberate their town, the guerrillas secretly use the Gabaldon school to meet and plan their attacks.
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It isn’t long until Emma is confronted with the reality that Mamoru has been the one protecting her from his soldiers because of the affections he has for her. The town beggar who has been secretly witnessing all that has been happening is forced to reveal his secrets when soldiers capture and interrogate him.
Emma then becomes torn between risking her own personal safety to protect her fellow countrymen or hiding in the shadows to safeguard her own fleeting security. The choices Emma is forced to make lead to a powerful climax that demonstrates the perseverance, faith and resilience of the Filipino spirit, in peace or in war, and regardless of any sacrifice.
Meet the Creators of Emma the Musical
The playwright/song writer for our musical, Chie Floresca, is an accomplished script writer for ABS-CBN, a major broadcast television station in the Philippines. She has written numerous episodes for seven hit Filipino TV-series and has been nominated for both FAMAS and Star awards. Chie has also been involved in the Venice Film Festival (2009) award winning film, Clash. Chie graduated from MacEwan university in 2004 from the Digital Arts & Media program.
The composer and musical director for this production, Erica Cawagas, has worked on creating compositions for UNICEF as well as the official opening video for the East Asian Congress 2015 in Danang City, Vietnam for PEMSEA. Erica has also worked on scoring music for a Philippine television show, Mathdali, which aired on the ABS-CBN Knowledge Channel. At an early age, Erica developed her passion in music by taking classical guitar lessons and earned numerous awards from the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as the Kiwanis Festival prior to earning her diploma from MacEwan University for Music Composition in 2014.
Chie & Erica grew up listening to stories told by their grandmother, Emma Floresca, which, after her passing in 2015, moved them to find a way to share these stories with the rest of the world. Through their combined talents they collaborated to create “Emma the Musical”, a compilation of stories inspired by their grandmother. The musical is a tribute to the trials and tribulations not only of their grandmother but of all peoples of the Philippines who had to endure various hardships to survive the Japanese occupation of World War II.
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“Emma the Musical” depicts lesser known aspects and atrocities that took place in the Philippines during the war. Many people know the history of events which transpired in Europe but are unaware of those that affected other parts of the world including the Philippines. The musical honors those who fought and died to free the Philippines from Japanese oppression while helping to ensure their memory lives on.