Filipino-Japanese Theater Collaboration ‘Sari-Sali Portal Café’ to be Staged this December

Filipino-Japanese Theater Collaboration ‘Sari-Sali Portal Café’ to be Staged this December

Sari-Sali Portal Café サリさり portal cafe, an interactive ‘cafe-in-a-theater’ show created by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and Kyoto-based theater group BRDG, opens a limited 5-show run in Manila from December 6-8, 2024, at the PETA Theater Center, Quezon City.

Directed by Ian Segarra and Keiko Yamaguchi, Sari-Sali portal café draws inspiration from Japan’s Hokkori Café, a warm and welcoming communal hub where people from diverse backgrounds can enjoy a great meal while engaging with one another. 

The show features four Filipino and Japanese characters: Ayaka an introverted artist (Hitomi Nagasu), Mayumi, a Filipino music teacher (Zoe Damag), Kaloy, a former political activist (Julio Garcia), and Yoshi (Hiroyuki Kozaka) a part-time worker in the cafe.

Ralph Lumbres’ production design aims to reconstruct the inclusive atmosphere of a community café, which integrates the audience as part of the scenes. The audience, as a collective character, represents the diverse voices and experiences that enrich the Sari-Sali café, emphasizing the play’s themes of belonging, connection, and multiculturalism.

Also in the creative team are J-mee Katanyag (playwright consultant), Ness Roque (dramaturg), David Esguerra (lighting designer), and Toru Koda (sound designer). 

Sari-Sali Portal Café celebrates the power of community through music, dance, theater, and food from different cultures.

The show is organized by The Japan Foundation, Manila, co-organized by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and Kyoto-based theater group BRDG. The work in progress underwent development during the Artist in Residence program at the Kinosaki International Arts Center in Japan in November 2023.

Sari-Sali Portal Café will run on December 6 at 8PM and on December 7 to 8 at 3 PM and 8 PM at the PETA Theater Center. 

Please note: Registration for the free shows is already fully booked.