Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Primary Major
Humanities and Cultural Studies
Primary Minor
Psychology
Second Minor
Leadership Studies
Thesis Advisor
Carlos Rodriguez, MA
Abstract
Flipping the Script: Gabriela Silang’s Legacy through Stagecraft is a chronicle of the scriptwriting and staging process for Bannuar, a historical adaptation about the life of Gabriela Silang (1731-1763) produced by Dominican University of California’s (DUC) Filipino student club (Kapamilya) for their annual Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN). The 9th annual show was scheduled for April 5, 2020. Due to the limitations of stagecraft, implications of COVID-19, and shelter-in-place orders, the scriptwriters made executive decisions on what to omit or adapt to create a well-rounded script.
In this chronicle, scriptwriters’ choices in character development and musical elements in the show are examined. Additionally, it investigates the importance of PCN as a medium for storytelling in Filipino American culture. By analyzing an original script of Silang’s life, audiences gain a deeper understanding and more dynamic perspective of her legacy as the first woman warrior of the Philippines. This thesis is a timeline of Silang’s life amid the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, an examination of Silang’s importance within the Filipino narrative, and how her legacy survives through stagecraft.
Included in
Acting Commons, Asian History Commons, Dance Commons, Oral History Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Playwriting Commons, Women's History Commons