Ma-Yi Theater Honors Activist Carlos Celdran by Streaming LIVIN' LA VIDA IMELDA

Ma-Yi Theater Company will honor the life and work of Filipino cultural activist and performance artist Carlos Celdran (1972-2019) by streaming his celebrated one-man show Livin' La Vida Imelda. Directed by Ma-Yi's Producing Artistic Director Ralph B. Peña and running online June 17-30, Livin' La Vida Imelda takes a look at the inimitable life of one the world's most extravagant personalities, Imelda Marcos, the wildly controversial former First Lady of the Philippines. Celdran, one of the Philippines best-known storytellers and provocateurs, uses his endless charm and biting humor to give audiences an insider perspective into Manila's elite.

"Carlos wore many hats: artist, activist, provocateur, tireless advocate for his beloved city, Manila," says Peña. "He wore them interchangeably, often blurring their distinctions as to when he used performance art to advocate for Reproductive Rights inside Manila Cathedral in 2003. That act landed him in jail, charged with an archaic law for "offending religious feelings." By August 2018, his case made it to the Philippine Supreme Court, which upheld the conviction. On February of 2019, rather than face the grim and very dangerous prospect of a year in Manila's notorious prisons, he flew to Spain, where he died on October 8, 2019, in exile.

"Carlos's friends and family are still grieving this tremendous loss. We hope this recorded performance of his one-person play Livin' La Vida Imelda serves as a reminder of his blazing talents."

Complimentary streams of Livin' La Vida Imelda will begin on June 17 at ma-yitheatre.org and will be available online until June 30, 2020. Ma-Yi's most recent streaming event, a historic production of Lonnie Carter's The Romance of Magno Rubio recorded live in Manila, received a total of 95,400 views.

Livin' La Vida Imelda is written and performed by Carlos Celdran and features a special appearance by Toti Manasan. The creative team includes Nick Francone (set designer), Becky Bodurtha (costume designer), Yi Zhao (lighting design), Fabian Obispo (sound designer), Hannah Wasileski (projection designer), and Cristina Sison (production stage manager).

Please visit ma-yitheatre.org for more information.

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