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By Jenesha (Jinky) de Rivera
[picture_513][B]Lights up on a small stage[/B] in San Francisco’s Mission district. The silhouettes of seven bodies appear onstage. They are all women, all Filipinas, who identify as queer. In alternating tableaus, the women perform theatrical portraits based on real life experience: a butch-identified lesbian applies for political asylum with the INS, two queer moms help prepare their six year old daughter for school, a lesbian couple bickers about what to wear for their first couple’s therapy session, and a young woman prepares to go to a heterosexual salsa club.
This was the first scene of Kreatibo’s performance [B][i]Dalagas & Tomboys: A Family Affair[/i][/B] in April of 2005 at Bindlestiff Studio, the only permanent, community-based performing arts venue in the nation dedicated to showcasing emerging Filipino American and Pilipino artists. Kreatibo, a queer Pinay artist collective founded by Lolan Sevilla and Maiana Minahal in 2002, collectively wrote, performed, and produced this ensemble production that included theater, movement, spoken word, music, and film. The show was directed by Michelle Bautista and was performed by the collective’s members: Maiana Minahal, Lolan Sevilla, Patty Tumang, Jenesha (Jinky) de Rivera, Tina Bartolome, Aimee Suzara, Morningstar Vancil, Cynthia Blancaflor, Nedjula Baguio and Geene Gonzales.
Kreatibo’s work, which has been described as humorous, provocative and political, explores the themes of gender, sexuality and Filipino identity as experienced by lesbian, bisexual and transgender Pinays. The group boldly innovates traditional Philippine artistic forms, embraces modern day pop culture and utilizes comedy, drama and satire to bring new meaning to the concepts of family, friendship and community.
“Our stories were not just about sexuality and queer erotica but about how we experience colonization, oppression, racism, and sexism and how that effects us as queer Filipina Americans and immigrants living in the U.S.,” says Patty Tumang, one of Kreatibo’s members.
Kreatibo’s goal with this show and their first multimedia performance, [i][B]Halo-Halo[/B][/i], was to share their stories with the wider straight, Filipino, and LGBT community and portray the universality of their experiences. “We wanted to change the common misconception that our struggles are only about homophobia,” Tumang explains, “because there is much more. Some of us struggle with disabilities, discrimination around us, wanting to become parents, unrealistic expectations from our families to become successful corporate card-carrying Americans but the reality is that many of us are artists and activists who work in nonprofit organizations. How we express ourselves through artistic forums contributes to a greater social justice movement because we are cultural workers who use art as activism and cultural resistance.”
Kreatibo’s members are volunteers and are all working full time as teachers, self-sustaining artists, activists and/or students. “Finding time to meet is always a struggle,” Tumang says, “but our commitment to art and social change is what motivates us. Of course it would be much easier if Kreatibo had the funds to support its members but funding for art, particularly funding for ethnic, community based arts groups, is hard to come by.”
Despite their continual challenges with funds and time, Kreatibo is currently hard at work on a new show slated for the fall of 2006. The cast and crew will consist of some old and new members and the show will be staged in San Francisco. In the future the group hopes to tour their performances but for now is happily building their support base in the Bay area. Kreatibo does not have a website but interested individuals can contact them by sending an email to [B][a href=mailto:kreatiboarts@gmail.com]kreatiboarts@gmail.com[/A][/B].
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