“What would happen if every Filipino person in our society suddenly…disappeared?”
This is the question asked by “Everything Has Disappeared,” a unique theatrical production whose world premiere was held on February 1 at the Praire Theatre Exchange (PTE) in Winnipeg.
Produced by Mammalian Diving Reflex and UNIT productions, “Everything Has Disappeared” is a co-creation of seasoned National Theatre artist Hazel Venzon and author, playwright, and novelist Darren O’Donnell. “Everything Has Disappeared’ imagines a world where all Filipinos just vanished — a thought-provoking concept, considering how the Filipino diaspora’s presence across the world is intertwined with the daily functions of the global economy.
The opening night performance was sponsored by PKF Lawyers, with the Hon. Flordeliz ‘Gigi’ Osler, Senator for Manitoba, and the Hon. Glen Simard, Minister of Sports, Culture, Heritage and Tourism bringing greetings to the occasion.
The event brought together a notable selection of guests from Manitoba’s Filipino community. Among them were former provincial Minister Flor Marcelino; Labor and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino; Perla Javate of the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba; Emmie Joaquin, Pilipino Express publisher, and Rod Cantiveros, Filipino Journal publisher.
Other prominent attendees were Ronaldo Opina, Philippine Honorary Consul in Winnipeg; Jackie Wild of the Manitoba Filipino Business Council; Hipolito Alibin Jr. of the Alibin Group; Abram Razon, commissioner of the Prairie Basketball League, and Jorie Sawatzky, founding president of the South Eastman Filipino Association. Barangay Canada co-founder Kris Ontong was also among the guests.
“Everything Has Disappeared” will run until February 4 at the PTE’s Cherry Karpyshin Mainstage and has a runtime of approximately 90 minutes. For more details and tickets, please visit https://www.pte.mb.ca.