The aswang enjoys the taste of human flesh. It also drinks our blood.
The vampire-like creature is a shapeshifter from Filipino folklore at the center of the new play “The Great Filipino American Aswang Pageant,” which interweaves aspects of oral histories and migration stories from Hampton Roads’ Filipino community.
The result of a collaboration between the nonprofit Rouge: Theater Reinvented and Old Dominion University Theatre, the original work premieres as part of the ODU Literary Festival on Thursday, with three more days of performances Oct. 16-19.
Written by local Filipino American playwright Kat Stevens, the show is directed by Rachel Crist Lizan, who won Mrs. Philippines of Virginia in 2013 and is expected to use her background in pageantry to bring a unique perspective to the production and the aswang’s stage aesthetic. The mystical cryptid is said to have the ability to move between earthly and supernatural realms.
As part of its creative process, Rouge sent local musician and storyteller Maya Pagtakhan into the Filipino community to gather, preserve and create a living archive of local oral histories. These stories will appear in a lobby exhibit during performances.
The show’s creative lead, Philip Odango, said on the Rouge website: “Themes of immigration and personal sacrifice are prevalent in Filipino-American stories. Immigration can also include the diaspora of myths, cultural practices, stereotypes and generational trauma — all set to a soundtrack.”
Colin Warren-Hicks, 919-818-8138, colin.warrenhicks@virginiamedia.com
If you go
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16-17; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18; 2 p.m. Oct. 19
Where: ODU’s University Theatre, 4600 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk
Tickets: Start at $20, general admission; $15 for ODU students and faculty
Details: odu.edu
