Acknowledgements

Welcome to Lasa Ng Imperyo!

We are thrilled to kick off 2025 with Lasa ng Imperyo, our first mainstage production at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. The English version, A Taste of Empire by Jovanni Sy, has been a generous legacy for the company starting with 食盡天下/Sik Zeon Tin Haa, Derek Chan’s Cantonese translation in 2018. Carmela’s Filipino translation brings a complex lens to the colonial effects on raw ingredients and the hands that touch them as she makes the famously hard-to-make Filipino dish, rellenong bangus. There is nothing more satisfying than having audience members laugh and empathize together despite language barriers. The skill and craft of translation in live performance builds bridges to various intersections, unifying our hearts regardless of where we come from. We are grateful to work with the incredible talent and community that was able to pull this production together, from the collaborative creative team, the savvy production team that creates magic out of nothing, and the community groups and small businesses that continue to believe in the value of live theatre performances. As our company and programming continue to grow, we welcome new audiences who share in creating meaningful and life-changing art with us. Join us through our newsletter or follow us on our various digital platforms. We hope you enjoy the show!

- Anjela Magpantay, Interim Artistic Director of rice & beans theatre

Land Acknowledgement

This performance takes place on the stolen, ancestral, and traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial. As we explore the history of colonialism in the Philippines through Lasa ng Imperyo, we draw connections between the shared legacies of colonial violence in these lands and those of the Philippines. Colonial systems seek to exploit labour and land, and suppress cultural identities and language. By acknowledging these intertwined histories, we honour the resilience of Indigenous Peoples and stand in solidarity with the ongoing struggles for sovereignty, self-determination, and justice in both of these contexts and across the globe. 

As we centre Tagalog in this production, one of more than a hundred languages in the Philippines impacted by over 300 years of colonialism, we encourage you to consider donating to an organization that is leading the charge in fostering local Indigenous language revitalization right here in BC - The First People’s Cultural Foundation. To learn more, check out their website at www.fpcf.

Presenters 
Push International Performing Arts Festival and Boca Del Lupo

Community Partners
Kasama Chocolate and NPC3 

Funders
Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, BC Arts Council, Province of BC, City of Vancouver, MetroVancouver, Hamber Foundation, Deux Mille Foundation

Donors 
Bonnie Mah, Leonora Angeles, Kathryn Barr, George and Brenda Laquian, Tess Conrad, Ian Hood, Stuart Barr, Eleanor Guerrero-Campbell, Clayton Baraniuk and Jason Dubois, Maya Laquian, Keltie Forsyth, Blossom Koh-Mackinnon, DD Kugler, Kathleen Flaherty, Joseph Cuenca, Jasonda Desmond, Lauren Kresowaty, Nancy Jean Ross, Marilo Nunez, Jessica Hood, Elaine Dianko, Jarin Schexnider, Howard Dai, Carmela Sison, Jasmine Chen, Cameron Mackenzie, Daniela Guerrero-Rodriguez, Eri Kikuchi, George Plawski, Valerie Sing Turner, Heather Walker, Christine Quintana, Beck Hallett, Donal Thoms-Cappello, Anonymous

Special Thanks 
Bonnie Mah, Vincent Garcia, Leonora Angeles, Jovanni Sy, Allen Baylosis, Pedro Chamale, Derek Chan, Search & Rescue Denim, Theatre Conspiracy, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Pacific Theatre, Avyen Von Waldenburg, Annabelle Ching, Lee’s Donuts, Cameron Anderson, Emily Cooper, Bard on the Beach, Kaitlin Straker, Ladan Sahraei, Melanie Valencia-Soriano, Lee’s Donuts and the teams at PuSh and Boca. 

A Taste of Empire was first presented by Cahoots Theatre Company and performed at the Market Kitchen, a test kitchen at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.

Ang A Taste of Empire ay unang ipinakita ng Cahoots Theatre Company at ginanap sa Market Kitchen, isang pagsubok na kusina sa St. Lawrence Market sa Toronto. And bersyong Tagalog ay ginawa nang may pahintulot ng may-akda, ang tagasalin na is Carmela Sison, at Marquis Literary (Colin Rivers).

Artist Bios

  • Adaptation, Translation Lead Performer 

    Carmela Sison (she/her) is a Filipina-Canadian artist living and working on the stolen territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. A graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA in Acting program, she has been working in theatre and film for 15 years. Select theatre credits include Kamila Sediego’s Homecoming (Urban Ink), Miss Bennett: Christmas in Pemberley (Arts Club), Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice (Bard on the Beach), Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Calgary), Are We There Yet?, Consent, Under Cover (Concrete Theatre), Cowboy Vs. Samurai (Chromatic Theatre). Beyond acting she has also taken on producing, arts administration, and coaching for young actors. Lasa ng Imperyo has been developed through Workshop Theatre Montreal’s Glassco Translation residency in Taddousac, Quebec and rice & beans theatre’s DBLPSK. She is so grateful for her friends’ and family’s love and support and to all the artist who have been a part of this process. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat! 

  • Director 

    A playwright, actor and theatremaker, Marcus’ fifteen or so plays have been produced in multiple languages in twenty countries across North America, Europe and Asia. They include Winners and Losers, King Arthur’s Night, How Has My Love Affected You?, Adrift, The In-Between, Ali and Ali and the aXes of Evil, Jabber and A Line in the Sand. Marcus is the recipient of Canada’s largest theatre award, the Siminovitch Prize for Theatre, for his body of work as a playwright and mentor, as well as Berlin, Germany's Ikarus Prize, the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award, the Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award, the Chalmers' Canadian Play Award, the Seattle Times Footlight award, the Vancouver Critics’ Innovation award (three times), the Canada Council Staunch-Lynton Award, and an Honorary Fellowship from Douglas College. Marcus’ directing credits include Charlie Demers’ Leftovers (Neworld/PuSh), Porno Death Cult (Tara Cheyenne Performance/High Performance Rodeo) and Sultans of the Street (Carousel). Marcus is thrilled to be working on his friend Jovanni’s play with such a great team. He is also a bit surprised to be working in Tagalog :)

  • Set and Lighting Designer 

    Parjad Sharifi is a Vancouver-based theatre scenographer and maker. His recent design work includes set design for The Arts Club’s Teenage Dick, set design for VACT’s Parifam, and lighting design for The Arts Club’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol. Parjad has received multiple Jessie Richardson Awards for his designs and has collaborated with various performance companies across Vancouver and Canada, including Fight With A Stick, The Arts Club, Vertigo Theatre, Caravan Farm Theatre, Neworld Theatre, Leaky Heaven, Electric Company, Rice and Beans, Theatre Conspiracy, Rumble Theatre, Pi Theatre, 605 Collective, Kokoro Dance, among others. He is an associate professor of theatre at the University of the Fraser Valley, where he has directed three productions: Art, Pariah (Outcast), and Rhinoceros. As a performance researcher, Parjad has been developing a digital performance and scenography project titled Delayed, which was exhibited at UFV’s S'ELIYEMETAXWTEXW Art Gallery in 2022.

  • Video and Surtitle Designer

    Andie Lloyd is a queer interdisciplinary artist and community advocate, raised and currently living on unceded Qayqayt Territory. She works as a lighting designer and media artist, and is a co-founder of HK House 香港屋 (@hkhouseofficial), a local non-profit dedicated to the love and preservation of Hong Kong culture. Some notable design involvements include: Fat Joke (Neworld Theatre) — Projection Design, SmartSmart (SpiderwebShow) — Interaction Design, Residuals(住み・墨) (Shion Skye Carter) — Lighting Design, Peace Country (rice & beans theatre) — Projection Design, Happy Valley 馬照跑．舞照跳 (rice & beans theatre) — Projection Design, Clean/Espejos (Neworld Theatre) — Surtitle Design. Andie is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. GFHG SDGM. Free Palestine.

  • Props and Costume Designer

    Jenn is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist who lives on the unceded lands of the the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Selected credits include: Blond Eckbert (Vancouver Opera YAP, Set & Costumes), Kuroko (VACT, Props), Wet (Itsazoo, Set & Props), (Seizieme, Set & Costumes). Jenn studied at Studio 58 and UBC. She is a member of CAEA and the Associated Designers of Canada. www.jenniferannstewart.com. 

  • Sound Designer

    MJ Coomber [they/them] is a collaborative music and sound artist who primarily works on the unceded, sovereign territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people.  Recent theatre credits: Linck & Mülhahn (Studio 58), The Hobbit (Pacific), Eyes of the Beast (Neworld), Hamlet (Bard on the Beach), Fat Joke (Neworld), This Is How We Got Here (Firehall), CHILD-ish (Pacific), Snow White (Carousel), Hurricane Mona (Touchstone), How Black Mothers Say I Love You (Frank), Division Infinity Saves The World! (Neworld), Rubaboo (Grand/Arts Club/Citadel).  MJ is a member of ADC and a graduate of the School of Contemporary Arts at SFU.

    Mary Jane Coomber’s position was commissioned by Bonnie Mah.

  • Dramaturge and Grammar Consultant

    Karla Comanda (they/she) is a poet, playwright, editor, translator, educator, and arts administrator. Their poems have appeared in Contemporary Verse 2, filling station, decomp, Poetry is Dead, Room Magazine, and others. She has taught writing workshops for the UBC Philippine Studies Series, Vancouver Public Library, Migrante BC, La Salle University - Ozamiz, Western Mindanao State University, Co.ERASGA, and other organizations and institutions. In 2019, Karla hosted the Sinag-Araw Writing Workshop, a poetry workshop series created for Filipino youth in the diaspora.

  • Performer

    Oswald Pingol (he/him) is a queer emerging artist and a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines. He has a background in choral singing, musical theatre, poetry, as well as community engagements and outreach work. His most recent engagements include “buto/buto : bones are seeds” and “The Addams Family, A New Musical Comedy”. He is known as Cyrus Mulan in the Vancouver ballroom scene, and is part of the International Legendary Imperial House of Hua Mulan. He is also part of The internationally acclaimed Vancouver Youth Choir and has performed in different concert halls in Istanbul, New York and Newfoundland among others. He is currently working on his bachelor’s degree, majoring in Psychology. He loves working with youth and exploring art as a medium to create social change.

  • Stage Manager

    A graduate of Theatre Humber’s Technical and Production program, with an extensive repertoire in stage management and stagehand work. Twenty-four years of industry work with Directors/Choreographers such as: Lois Anderson, Donna Spencer, Crystal Pite, Richard Wolfe, Diane Roberts, Stephen Drover, Corey Payette. Notable productions: CHILD-ish, Revisor, The Shipment, Reflections on Crooked Walking 2023, Cedar Woman, The Invisible Hand, God’s Lake, The Whipping Man, Children of God, Long Division, Annapurna, Skydive, Falling In Time. Headshot photo courtesy of Four Eyes. To Keith for his love and support. Dedicated to my Mother.

  • Production Manager and Technical Director

    Christian Ching is a scenographer, lighting designer, and production manager with a love for design and nature. They are a graduate of Simon Fraser University (2021) with a double degree in Theatre Production and Design and in the Biological Sciences. Originally from the Philippines, they are currently based in the unceded Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations (also known as Vancouver). Their practice aims to revolve around playful collaboration and the consideration of ecological aspects of design. In their free time, they like to write and run RPGs, draw, and make music.

  • Playwright

    Jovanni Sy is a Montreal-based playwright, director, and actor. He is the former Artistic Director of Gateway Theatre (Vancouver) and Cahoots Theatre (Toronto). Since his professional career began in 1992, Jovanni’s artistic mission has been to create bridges across cultures with a particular interest in reimagining Western classics through an Asian Canadian lens. Jovanni’s plays include: Salesman in China (co-written with Leanna Brodie); The Five Vengeances, a comic kung-fu adaptation of The Revengers Tragedy; Nine Dragons, a detective story set in 1920s Hong Kong; and A Taste of Empire. His plays have received a Jessie Richardson Award, a Quebec Writers' Federation Playwriting Prize, and two Tom Hendry Awards. A Taste of Empire and Nine Dragons have been published by Talonbooks; Salesman in China will be published by Playwrights Canada Press in Spring 2025. A Taste of Empire has been translated into Cantonese by Derek Chan as well. Jovanni is currently developing several new works: The Tao of the World, Kowloon Bay (a prequel to Nine Dragons), a farce for the Arts Club Theatre, and a new interdisciplinary piece as the Resident Artist at Bishop's University.

  • Workshop Dramaturge

    Nina Lee Aquino, a Filipino Canadian, is a renowned director, dramaturge, and artistic leader. Her journey began as the inaugural Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian theatre company (2002-2009), where she organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference and edited a seminal anthology of Asian Canadian plays, alongside co-editing an award-winning book on the subject. She became Artistic Director at Cahoots Theatre Company (2009-2012) and Factory Theatre (2012-2022, leading to her current role as Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre. Aquino's directorial work has garnered prestigious awards, including the Ken McDougall Award, John Hirsch Prize, Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best Director, and three Dora Awards for Outstanding Direction. She co-authored the play Miss Orient(ed) and serves as an Adjunct Professor at York University. Additionally, Aquino was the President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre from 2018-2024. In 2019, she was honored with the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award.

Creative Team List

Adaptation/Lead Performer: Carmela Sison*

Director: Marcus Youssef*

Set/Lighting Designer: Parjad Sharifi

Video/Surtitle Designer: Andie Lloyd

Props/Costume Designer: Jennifer Stewart

Sound Designer: Mary Jane Coomber

Dramaturg/Consultant: Karla Comanda

Performer: Oswald Gabriel Pingol

Stage Manager: Jethelo Espaldon Cabilete*

Production Manager/Technical Director: Christian Ching

Playwright: Jovanni Sy

Workshop Dramaturge: Nina Lee Aquino

Community Ambassadors: Jesse Del Fierro and Viktor Atencia 

Portrayal of Chef Maximo in Voice Recordings: Jovanni Sy

Portrayal of Chef Maximo in Projection Images: Derek Chan

Photography Credit for Images of Chef Maximo: Pedro Chamale

Photography Credit for Promotional Images: Emily Cooper

* The participation of these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy.

Content Warnings

Lasa Ng Imperyo runs 75 minutes with no intermission and contains the following:

  • Live cooking of fish

  • Coarse language

  • Flashing Lights

  • References to war and violence

  • Political satire, too! 

For more information, please check out our Visual Story on the PuSh website.