Stage Presence: Conversations with Filipino American Performing Artists (Meritage Press, 2007)

Editor: Theodore S. Gonzalves. Stage Presence brings together a series of essays and interviews with Filipino American performing artists, offering a rare glimpse into the lives and minds of these influential creators. Each chapter features acclaimed musicians, dancers, choreographers, and theater artists who have not only shaped their art but also mentored countless others in their fields. In this collection, artists share their personal stories, discussing both the challenges and triumphs of being Filipino American in the performing arts world. These candid conversations reveal the creative processes behind their work, as well as the frustrations and obstacles they’ve faced while navigating their careers in the United States. Featuring interviews with musicians Eleanor Academia, Gabe Baltazar Jr., and Danongan Kalanduyan; poet and bandleader Jessica Hagedorn; choreographers Joel Jacinto, Alleluia Panis, and Pearl Ubungen; and theater artists Remé Grefalda, Allan S. Manalo, and Ralph Peña, Stage Presence offers an invaluable exploration of Filipino American contributions to the performing arts. The book also includes a thought-provoking foreword by ethnomusicologist Ricardo D. Trimillos and an afterword by the editor.

“Fusing history, culture, jazz, and art, Stage Presence is one big happening jam session featuring ten Filipino American performing artists rapping on their craft, their process, their defiance to be boxed in by the category-obsessed American market, and their hunger and struggles necessary to stay true to their vision, identity, and art.”

— R. Zamora Linmark, author of Rolling the R’s, Prime Time Apparitions, and Leche
 
“This collection of interviews and reflections by many of the leading Filipino American cultural workers demonstrates the range and vitality of Filipino American performing arts – an inspiring and dynamic range of practices encompassing everything from kulintang to head-banging heavy metal, from college PCNs to off-Broadway New York theatre, from the Bayanihan to site-specific performance art. Stage Presence gives us a view rarely available to students, scholars, and audiences: the winding paths through history and identity that led these groundbreaking artists into the spotlight.”

— Karen Shimakawa, author of National Abjection: The Asian American Body Onstage
 
“When The New York Times looks at Filipinos, it sees only house maids and cooks, copycats, and mimics. But when scholar and artist Theo Gonzalves looks at and talks with his compatriots, he sees stunningly original and creative thinkers who use an eclectic range of forms and methods to make art and perform culture. This book is dizzy and alive with the Filipino soul. Read at your own risk!”

— Karin Aguilar-San Juan, editor of The State of Asian America