Set in the central valleys of California in the 1930s, the play focuses on Magno Rubio, an illiterate Filipino farm worker and his pen-pal courtship with Clarabelle, a white woman from Arkansas who advertises in the back pages of a “lonely hearts” magazine. Believing he’s found the woman of his dreams, Magno fantasizes about their life together, only to soon realize that reality and dreams do not always align.
THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO was filmed in July 2003 by Francisco Aliwalas at The Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila before a live audience, for the Sangandaan Festival. Presented with support from the Asian Cultural Council. Ma-Yi Theater Company broadcast the play in May 2020, where it received over 90,000 views.
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Cast
Arthur Acuña | Performer
Antonio Del Rosario | Performer
Ramon De Ocampo | Performer
Ron Domingo | Performer
Jojo Gonzalez | Magno Rubio
Creative Team
Lonnie Carter | Playwright
Carlos Bulosan | Author, "The Romance of Magno Rubio"
Ralph B. Peña | Original Filipino Text
Fabian Obispo | Original Music, Sound Design
Loy Arcenas | Director, Scenic & Costume Design
James Vermuelen | Lighting Design
Cristina Sison | Production Stage Manager
Suzette Porte & Jorge Z. Ortoll | Producers
Kristin Jackson | Movement Coach
Francisco Aliwalas | Cinematography