Filipino-Japanese Theater Collaboration ‘Sari-Sali Portal Café’
Opens For A Limited Run At The Peta Theater Center In December
Manila, Philippines – Sari-Sali portal café サリさり portal cafe, an interactive ‘cafe-in-a-theater’ show created by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and Kyoto-based theater group BRDG, opens a limited 5-show run in Manila from December 6-8, 2024, at the PETA Theater Center, Quezon City.
Directed by Ian Segarra and Keiko Yamaguchi, Sari-Sali portal café draws inspiration from Japan’s Hokkori Café, a warm and welcoming communal hub where people from diverse backgrounds can enjoy a great meal while engaging with one another.
Sari-Sali portal café features four Filipino and Japanese characters: Ayaka an introverted artist (Hitomi Nagasu), Mayumi, a Filipino music teacher (Zoe Damag), Kaloy, a former political activist (Julio Garcia), and Yoshi (Hiroyuki Kozaka) a part-time worker in the cafe.
The inclusive atmosphere of a community café translates to the unique production design by Ralph Lumbres, which integrates the audience as part of the scenes. The audience, as a collective character, represents the diverse voices and experiences that enrich the Sari-Sali café, emphasizing the play’s themes of belonging, connection, and multiculturalism.
Sari-Sali portal café celebrates the power of community through music, dance, theater, and food from different cultures.
The show is organized by The Japan Foundation, Manila, co-organized by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and Kyoto-based theater group BRDG. The work in progress underwent development during the Artist in Residence program at the Kinosaki International Arts Center in Japan in November 2023.
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Photo Credits: Igaki Photo Studio
Courtesy of Kinosaki International Arts Center (Toyooka City)
SARI-SALI PORTAL CAFÉ SHOW INFORMATION:
SHOWDATES
December 6, 2024 | 8:00 P.M.
December 7, 2024 | 3:00 P.M.
December 7, 2024 | 8:00 P.M.
December 8, 2024 | 3:00 P.M.
December 8, 2024 | 8:00 P.M.
VENUE
PETA THEATER CENTER
No 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City
CAST, ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF
| Keiko Yamaguchi | Director |
| Ian Segarra | Director |
| J-mee Katanyag | Playwright Consultant |
| Ness Roque | Dramaturg |
| David Esguerra | Lighting Designer |
| Ralph Lumbres | Set and Production Designer Videographer |
| Toru Koda | Sound Designer |
| Hitomi Nagasu | Actor |
| Hiroyuki Kozaka | Actor |
| Zoe Damag | Actor |
| Julio Garcia | Actor |
