CIRCA Pintig Unveils New Acting Ensemble for 35th Season in Chicago

CIRCA Pintig, Chicago's Filipino American theatre and community arts organization welcomes its upcoming 35th year with the announcement of establishing an official acting ensemble of Filipino performers. After a successful run of The Art of Belonging as part of Chicago Theatre Week, the organization keeps the momentum going of sharing Filipino storytelling within the Chicago theatrical landscape with the CIRCA Pintig Ensemble - a troupe of Filipino working actors and performers in the city as the creative pintig, or heartbeat in Tagalog, of the organization.

Artistic Director RJ Silva is thrilled to launch the acting ensemble, many of whom he has collaborated with and cast throughout his tenure in the role. "Our hope," Silva says, "is that more Filipino and Filipino American stories, scripts, and new works will come our way, knowing there is an ensemble of Filipino actors in Chicago hungry to perform and bring them to life."

Silva recalls a playwright from the inaugural Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival who shared that it was the first time they had ever seen an all-Filipino cast perform their Filipino play. "I want our ensemble to be seen as a safe space, and a creative playground, for Filipino playwrights to explore stories and themes and share them with the world."

The inaugural year of the CIRCA Pinting Ensemble has recruited seven incredibly talented performers in their own right.Cast members of CIRCA Pintig's 2026 production of THE ART OF BELONGING, Rich Adrian Lazatin, Mikael Silan, and Mari Joy join the ensemble. Mari Joy was also served as the solo performer in 2025's production of EVERY BRILLIANT THING. Silan additionally served as sound and lighting designer for previous productions. Festival performers Carina Lastimosa and Joselle Reyes also join the ensemble, as well as comedian and musician Amanda Payne who was previously seen in the 2024 production of DARYO'S ALL-AMERICAN DINER. Rounding out the first year of the ensemble is Nina Mae Vidal Howard, a longtime CIRCA Pintig performer who has been a staple at the Theatre Festival, and having recently been in the workshop readings of KROSSROAD THE MUSICAL and HAIL MARY/MARIA. When asked about becoming part of an official acting ensemble, Lazatin shares, "Being in this ensemble means getting to continue the legacy of Filipino-American theatre in Chicago. CIRCA Pintig has been such a gift in getting to tell Filipino stories, play Filipino characters, and connect with other Filipino artists and storytellers."

CIRCA Pintig will share their Ensemble in a showcase on March 16th at Bramble Arts Loft, reading pieces from the CIRCA Pintig library: a monologue from Chicago playwright Allison Crisostomo "Diaspora's Daughter," a 10-minute play "Karaoke at the End of the World" by Matt Denney, and an excerpt from Eric "Pogi" Sumagil's 10 minute play "Turo Turo," all Filipino playwrights that have been selected in previous years of the Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival. CIRCA Pintig also plans to share their upcoming season at the showcase, as well as food and drinks included in the donation ticket.