CIRCA Pintig Reveals Year Two Line-Up for the Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival
Events will run from October 11 to October 26.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 29, 2025
CIRCA-Pintig has revealed the second annual Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival playing October 11 through October 26, 2025 at the Rizal Community Center and the Hoover-Leppen Theatre. The festival coincides with Filipino American History Month in October and highlights the work of Filipino and Filipino American Playwrights, artists, and writers from all around the world. The three-week festival will feature 13 new plays from multi-hyphenate and award-winning artists, as well as a continued partnership with PrideArts for the second weekend.
"After last year's success at the inaugural Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival, we wanted to keep the momentum going by focusing on a smaller selection of plays," says newly appointed Artistic Director RJ Silva. "In selecting our 13 shows, we are able to dedicate 2 nights of performances for each piece for not only our actors to be able to sink into these stories, but for our audiences to have more opportunity to enjoy original Filipino theatrical works."
The first weekend will present staged readings at the Rizal Community Center on Saturday, October 11 at 7PM and Sunday, October 12 at 2PM. The shows featured in the first weekend include:
"August" by M Manalastas
"The Fire in Me" by Thelma Virata de Castro
"Paboreal" by Matt Ordonez
"Diaspora Daughter" by Allison E Crisostomo
"If I'm Lucky" by M Oliveros
"Lola's Banig" by Fran de Leon
The total run time of presentations will be approximately 2 hours, including one 10-minute intermission.
Following the success of last year's reading of "The Butterfly of Chula Vista" by Giovanni Orteg, CIRCA Pintig continues its partnership with PrideArts Chicago presenting another queer Filipino story. The companies will present "Debut" written by Nate Cozens, a play about a 29-year-old Filipino gay man who decides to throw himself a Filipino "debut" traditionally celebrated when Filipina girls turn 18. This performance will run for two performances, Saturday October 18th at 7PM, and Sunday October 19th at 2PM at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre. Following each performance, there will be a talkback discussion on the intersections of "coming out celebrations" for the queer community in different cultures.
The third weekend will see the festival return to its home stage at the Rizal Community Center for performances on Saturday October 25th at 7PM and Sunday October 26th at 2PM. The readings presented for this weekend include:
"Bisikleta" by Joy Regullano
"Pag-asa" by Timawa Pintado
"Sebastian" by Miguel Barretto-Garcia
"Lychee, or Other Exotic Fruits" by Georgie Morvis
"What is Your Spouse's Name?" by Ron Anahaw
"Anniversary" by Nelsito Gomez
The total run time of presentations will be approximately 2 hours, including one 10-minute intermission.
Comments Silva: "One of the biggest inspirations to continue the festival was from our artists who have never performed with an all-Filipino (or sometimes all-Asian or all-POC) cast before. Our playwrights were able to see their plays performed by all Filipinos or authentically cast for the first time, not having to write with limitations of their communities."
Tickets for the festival are currently available and can be purchased by visiting circapintig.org/cfa-theatre-festival via email at ginger@circapintig.org. Please also email to explore financial assistance or pay-what-you-can options. Single tickets are available for $15 and $10 for seniors and students. Festival passes for all three weekends of performances can be purchased for $40.
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