Balikbayan

Becoming A Filipino Artist (with Giovanni Ortega)

Episode Summary

Alan talks with Giovanni Ortega about being a "1.5 immigrant," finding his Filipino creative voice, and why Los Angeles is home now.

Episode Notes

Giovanni Ortega is a playwright, actor, director, and an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Pomona College.

Gio moved to the US from the Philippines when he was 12. We talk about what that was like, the experience of being a "1.5 immigrant," how he became an artist who regularly engages with Filipino identity, and why LA is home now.

Music by RV Mendoza and Blue Dot Sessions. Logo by Niccolo Pizarro. For more about Gio's work, check out his website.