In the Summer of 2023 Litmus dove head first into a first phase script development workshop for our new project, Balikbayan, at St Luke’s United Church in Toronto. Lead Writer Adriano Sobretodo Jr. took inspiration from the space and offers from our team and wrote a draft of the first half of the play.  

We have a rare opportunity over the next two years to exclusively develop and stage this new play in the St Luke’s while it’s undergoing a major renovation. 

The word “balikbayan” is Tagalog for someone from the Philippines living abroad. Our play Balikbayan is about a son uncovering his mysterious father’s past while wrestling with the definition of masculinity across generations and cultures. And it’s also an homage to the 80’s sci-fi classic Back to the Future, where “absolute dream” Marty McFly is still inspiring us to change the present by examining the past.  

And the whole thing is set in motion with a son’s epic fail of a eulogy at his dad’s funeral.

Team:

Adriano Sobretodo Jr. – Lead Writer/Co-Producer

Matthew Walker – Director/Co-Creator/Co-Producer

Atanas Bozdarov – Lead Designer/Co-Creator

Althea Balmes – Associate Designer/Accessibility Assistant/Co-Creator

Marie Barlizo – Dramaturge/Co-Creator

Acknowledgements:

Litmus Theatre thanks the following supporters for Development Phase 1 of Balikbayan.