Bulong

Performance Dates: 
Saturday, March 15, 2025 @ 4:00 PM
Thursday, March 20, 2025 @ 7:00 PM
Friday, March 21, 2025 @ 7:00 PM
Saturday, March 22, 2025 @ 2:00 PM
Saturday, March 22, 2025 @ 4:00PM
(ALL SHOWS SOLD OUT!)

Location:
Bindlestiff Studio, 185 6th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Tickets:
Kids Under 10 Years Old - $10
Students/ Seniors: $15
General Admission: $20
Support-the-Artist: $40

*Note: This production has limited seats. Please purchase tickets ahead of time to secure your seating.*

Bulong, meaning “whisper” in Tagalog, is a multidisciplinary, shadow puppet performance that explores the hidden lives of immigrant Filipina women and children in America. 

Incorporating live performance, original music, shadow puppetry and Filipino folktales, Bulong follows Aya, an imaginative young girl who finds her journey with her family from the Philippines to America to be both magical and bittersweet. 

Loosely inspired by personal experiences, director Aureen Almario crafts a whimsical tale around the very real yet lesser-known narratives of immigrant Filipino families. 

For this work-in-progress, audiences are welcome to participate in a brief Q&A with the director and cast after each show. Audience feedback will be much appreciated as we continue to develop Bulong in the future. 

This show runs for one hour and is family-friendly.

Accessibility - Bindlestiff Studio is wheelchair accessible and can offer aid for the hearing impaired. Please let us know when you purchase tickets if you require any accessibility needs so we can best accommodate. 

Artist Statement

Immigration is never just about crossing borders. It’s also about the people and the life we leave behind. When I sat down to write the story for this project, which I initially intended to be all in shadow, memories of my paternal grandmother rushed in my mind. When my parents decided to move to America, we left Mindanao for Marikina where we lived with my lola. One by one my siblings left for America with my mom. Because my younger sister and I were the last to leave, we grew very close to our lola. The puppetry in the front of the shadow screen was my attempt to bring to life my fragmented memories with lola. 

Our life in America is represented in shadow. As we literally and figuratively lived in the shadows as undocumented immigrants, one way we survived was to deliver newspapers. Every day, rain or shine, no days off. This was during the time when the California Proposition 187 was passed, a bill that would have prohibited undocumented immigrants from accessing public services like education and healthcare. In the current political climate, we are continuing to see undocumented immigrants used as political scapegoats. I hope this story shines a light and humanizes the undocumented experience.

Puppetry is an extremely collaborative and hands-on art form. It truly takes a community of artists to produce a single show. It was through the mentorship of several people that I have been able to hone my skills, be inspired and learn new techniques. Beginning in 2005, I was mentored by Lorna Velasco as part of her ensemble for Lakbay. Through the same production I also met the late Don Salubayba, founding member of Manila-based group Anino Shadow Collective. In 2007, I was introduced to various forms and styles of puppetry by Ramon Abad. In 2015, I had the privilege to work with Larry Reed and Shadowlight Productions. Recently I worked with Odd Savvy aka Fred C. Riley on The Ground.

Creating this show was a collaborative community effort. I could not have done this show without the help of many people. Before I could even do the show, Laura Paule gave me the insight and support to push forward and organize our production logistics. I would like to acknowledge all the work in building, choreography, and puppeteering: Tracy N, Lo, René, Tracy L, Sharleen, Mayo, and Nix—who brought each character and moments to life. Thank you to all the extra hands who helped build this show: Kat, Yaz, Barbie, Andrea and Ada. Thank you to Josh Icban, whose music carries the entire show. Joe for being the best shadow stage manager. Special thanks to Ramon Abad and Fred C. Riley for building, puppet direction and consulting, Cir for helping with all the stage set up and design, Darius for the tech support, and Oliver, Conrad & Bindlestiff for the support. Special thanks to our light savior: Shadowlight, Larry and Caryl! Extra special thanks to my creative/comedy bestie Ava Tong, who helped with build, craft service and costume. My Mama for traveling very far to be able to perform for the show (Papa for driving her). My sister Andrea for jumping in on voice and drums. Finally, a huge gratitude to my partner, Dave–who I tasked to do the impossible; lighting the show with a screen blocking his view and the sound at the same time. Thank you to Kidlat!

Cast/Crew

Writer/Director - Aureen Almario
Producer - Laura Priscilla Paule
Musical Director - Joshua Icban
Technical Director/Board Operator - Dave Ragaza
Set Designer - Ciriaco Sayoc
Stage Manager - Joe Cascasan
Lead Puppeteer - Tracy Nguyen
Lead Puppeteer - Lindsay Ordesta
Puppeteer - René Ly
Puppeteer - Mayo Arbues
Puppeteer - Sharleen Ignacio
Puppeteer - Tracy Legacion
Puppeteer - Nix Guirre
Actor - Rose Almario

Voice Actor & Drums - Andrea Almario

Puppetry Consultant & Builder - Ramon Abad
Puppetry Consultant & Builder - Fred C. Reilly III
Puppetry Consultant - Caryl Keintz

Builders: Ada Chan, Ava Tong, Barbie Usison, Kathlyn Cabrera Ibazeta, Yasmine Campbell, Andrea Almario, Gigi Hyunji Kim, Lisa Zagone

Thank you Bindlestiff!

Thank you to Shadowlight Productions!

This production is supported by Theatre Bay Area and San Francisco Arts Commission.