Bindleblast - May 28, 2020

Bindle-Zoom-Silog Show 5/30 at 8pm

Get your garlic rice, fry an egg and enjoy a variety of our troupes performing for the very first ever BindleZoom Silog Show.  From our living rooms to yours, we’re coming together (virtually) for a one-night event for a great cause. Geek Show, Queer AF, and Granny Cart Gangstas, with special guest Darkheart, hosted by Joe Cascasan and live music from Jonah Pavon & LO on May 30th at 8pm PST.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can sliding scale from $0 to $50. 

This event is a fundraiser for the Bindlestiff artist relief fund. Due to the ongoing quarantine, many performance spaces and artists have had to put productions on hold. This comes with a huge financial loss for artists who rely on stipends. Any amount you can donate will help and your attendance is a huge support in itself.

Sponsored by: 
Bindlestiff Studio
Balay Kreative
SF Arts Commission
SF Grants for the Arts

Get your tickets now: BindleZoom Silog Show

Artist Spotlight: Ramon Abad

By Dave Ragaza

Catch “Rosalyn Learns How to Misbehave” on Saturday, June 6th, at 2PM. 
Register Here:  https://bit.ly/RosalynOnZOOM

For the longest time Resident Artist Ramon Abad wanted kids to realize that they can make theater too. After training a team of Bindlestiff artists since the fall of 2019 in puppetry design and puppeteering, he conceived a series of monthly shows called “Family Fun Day”. He hoped to encourage kids from SOMA Pilipinas and the Sama Sama Cooperative to participate in puppetry workshops that would culminate in the kids creating their own show to be featured in the United States of Asian American Arts Festival, presented by APICC. Then the Coronavirus struck. We caught up with Ramon over the phone about reimagining his original “Family Fun Day” show into “Rosalyn Learns How to Misbehave”, the story of a girl so bored of being so good.        

You have an amazing group of Bindlestiff artists working with you on “Rosalyn Learns How to Misbehave”. How hard has it been transitioning from the original conception of the show for a live, intimate audience towards the now ubiquitous Zoom format?

Honestly, I was ambivalent at first when APICC offered the Zoom format in the regularly scheduled date for the USAAF festival. The original story, that a great team of Bindlestiff artists had worked on for many months, had hand-crafted puppets that were meant to be manipulated by two to three people. They would have had to be really close to each other to bring the puppets to life. And now with the Coronavirus and the whole shelter-in-place thing, it was impossible to get kids together in a small theater setting. I reached out to a parent from the Sama Sama Cooperative, who we were initially collaborating with, to ask how practical it would be to do workshops with the kids online. She gave me a reality check. She basically said kids are watching screens way more than before this pandemic hit and that was a little discouraging for me in having a five session workshop centered around puppeteering. So I pivoted towards this one performance for kids, gathering Bindlestiff folks from the past who I knew would be skilled with puppets and storytelling. And I thought it could be fun for them to reconnect remotely with this one character travelling through different Zoom screens. Hopefully, this show will help people stay connected to our Fil-Am theater community.  

What can audiences expect from the show?

Experiencing a kid friendly event. It’s one of the rare opportunities for a Bindlestiff collaboration that is specifically targeted towards a kid audience. And, with that in mind, I hope it’s a fun experience to watch groups of people in different parts of the country(San Francisco and Seattle) come together to tell a story from their own homes.

Has there been any art that’s been inspiring to you as a creator during this whole quarantine period?

Absolutely! There’s a British puppet company called Little Angel Theatre that’s been releasing videos of puppet shows for kids made by puppeteers who are currently sheltering in place. And I watch those and think to myself, ‘Okay, I see..you can build this. You can build that. And, okay, this is possible!’ I also heard an NPR interview with a puppeteer from the east coast about how childrens’ theater companies are adapting to Coronavirus and how to reach kids online. So those have been encouraging and motivating.

Sponsored by:
Bindlestiff Studio
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
California Arts Council
SF Arts Commission
SF Grants for the Arts
Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development - SOMA Stabilization Fund
Department of Children, Youth & Their Families

Thank you to the California Arts Council for awarding two grants to Bindlestiff Studio earlier this month: Cultural Pathways ($28.5K) will help us pay our staff, and Artist in Communities ($16.8K) will help fund the next production of Tagalog. 

According to CAC’s press release: “A total of 1,534 grants have been awarded to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state for their work in support of the agency’s mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The investment marks a more than $5 million increase over the previous fiscal year, and the largest in California Arts Council history.”

We are proud to be counted among the worthy organizations receiving CAC’s support, and we look forward to fulfilling our mission of bold artistic expression and community engagement despite the challenges we face.

We’d like to congratulate artists in our community who were awarded Individual Artist Commissions ($20K) by the SFAC, including our very own Artistic Director, Aureen Almario, Managing Director, Oliver Saria, and Resident Artist, Ramon Abad -  in the Theater category. 

Other artists include:

DANCE
jose e. Abad
Sammay Dizon - Dance
Johnny Huy Nguyen - Dance
Alleluia Panis - Dance
Kimberly Requesto - Dance

MUSIC
Bryan Pangilinan
Caroline Cabading
Rupert Estanislao
jxtheo 
Mister Rey 

THEATER
Cesar Cabades

The sheer number of artists receiving commissions this year is a testament to the vibrancy of our community, and we can’t wait to see the amazing work they will produce!

We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of artist Rachael Hadassah. She was a Bindlestiff fangirl, a passionate actor who brought 200% on stage, and a friend to many people in our community. She was happy to be part of the space and she eagerly dove into all of our current workshops. Though her involvement with us was brief, her impact resonates in those she has touched. We will never forget her striking performance of Mimi in The Cleaner in Stories High 2019. Rachael seemed to be destined to play Mimi as she delivered a fierce and electric performance night after night. Most recently, she showed her funny side as the ultimate annoying tita in the FOB Show this past February. She was fearless and irreverent on stage, who immersed herself in her characters. Off stage she was the sweetest person. We remember her warm and caring nature, and as a genuine friend. She was a true student of her craft and enjoyed hanging out with her fellow actors. Her love and enthusiasm for creating art was special, and we were only beginning to see what she was capable of. She was so proud and grateful to have found us and we were blessed she chose us. She will be missed.

Bindlestiff Studio is accepting contributions on behalf of Rachael's family to cover funeral services.

Please help us raise money for the SOMA Community!

We're only $600 away from achieving our pledge goal of $2500!

We will match dollar-for-dollar up to $2500 in donations sent to the following orgs (please label your donation "BindleMatch"):

Many in our community cannot venture out, nor do they have the resources to purchase important supplies for sheltering in place. There is an acute need for the following:

• Disinfecting Wipes

• Hand Sanitizer

• Concentrated Disinfectant Solutions (70% Alcohol, Bleach, Hydrogen Peroxide, etc.)

• Toilet Paper

• Paper Towels

• Latex/Nitrile Gloves

• Masks (Non-medical, surgical, N95)

• Word puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, colored pencils, coloring books, reading materials

• Non-perishable goods (especially rice, dried noodles, crackers, spaghetti sauce, tuna, sardines, corned beef, fruit cocktail, etc.)

If you would like to donate any of these items, please ship them to:

United Playaz
c/o Rudy Corpuz
1038 Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103

You can also drop off donations at the above address during the hours of 
12pm-5pm, Monday - Friday

Call Rudy 415-716-4100 to confirm drop-off time.


Volunteers needed to help prepare grocery bags and deliver them to recipients. Please contact each respective org above to offer your time.