Pilipino Culture Night
Pilipino Culture Night
California State University Fullerton
Pilipino American Student Association Kaibigan
23rd Annual Pilipino Culture Night
PCN 2010 HERO Mission Statement
With this year’s Pilipino Culture night we have two goals: to educate and to entertain at the same time.
The show takes place during the Philippine Revolution between 1892-98 and tells the story of not only two of our greatest heroes, Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, but also that of the everyday citizen who fought for the freedom that we Filipinos all enjoy today. The truth is a great many Filipino Americans of our generation don’t know much about this important time in our history, this isn’t their fault, noone taught them, but we would all agree that any battle for our freedom is worth understanding. As Cherry, Clyde, and all of PASA put this show together, we are driven by the fact that we are telling a story that deserves to be told, and truly needs to be told.
But noone wants to watch a boring show. Our specific goal when it comes to entertaining is to transcend the genre of PCN. As I’ve observed, college PCNs have become a subgenre of a subgenre of their own. Meaning when it comes to shows, the audience narrows for college performances, then narrows further for cultural shows, then narrows even further still for Pilipino Culture Nights. It’s rare when I see a PCN that isn’t about a young Fil-Am who doesn’t appreciate his/her cultural identity until they find their grandparent’s journal, etc. There is nothing wrong with this, but what we’re trying to do is create a show that transcends these stereotypes associated with typical PCNs and give us the broadest audience possible.
The way we accomplish this is by modernizing PCN but at the same time keeping it extremely traditional. We are telling an important story of our unique history with well known characters, but the overall themes of sacrifice, love, and the nature of martyrdom are universal, and people of all races can identify with this concept, and our show. We are also using very modern methods of storytelling for the play, and going in new directions for the traditional dances. It’s an exciting time for PCN and I’m grateful you’re all a part of it.
Your PCN Coordinators,
Clyde Bessey and Cherry Anne Mabutas
