The Art of Belonging​

⁠THE ART OF BELONGING is an evocative adaptation of three short stories by acclaimed Filipino American writer Bienvenido Santos, reimagined for the stage by CIRCA Pintig’s own Larry Leopoldo. The production is interwoven with rare home films from the Estrella Alamar Collection, featuring migrant Filipino families in the Midwest from the 1950s through the 1970s; bringing memory, migration, and identity into vivid dialogue.⁠

This project is fiscally sponsored by an Illinois Humanities Grant, supporting CIRCA Pintig’s mission to preserve and uplift Filipino American history and storytelling in the Midwest.

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We are honored to collaborate with the following artists in bringing this powerful work to life:

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Rich Adrian Lazatin

Mari Joy

Mikael Silan

Daphne Nitsuga

Arvin Jalandoon

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THE ART OF BELONGING will be presented at the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago and the Rizal Center⁠

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This ensemble aims to explore what it means to build home across generations and oceans using story, movement, and archival memory to illuminate the Filipino American experience in the Midwest.