PH CONSULATE IN SF SUPPORTS STAGING OF MUSICAL ABOUT FIL-AM LABOR LEADER LARRY ITLIONG
Cast members of “Larry: The Musical” perform a song to be featured at the musical, at a special community event held at the Arthaus Studio in Oakland, California on 10 September 2023. (San Francisco PCG Photo)
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, represented by Consuls Jed Llona and Vanessa Bago-Llona, attended a special community event for “Larry: The Musical,” a production based on the life of Filipino-American farmworker union leader Larry Itliong, scheduled to open in March 2024 at the Brava Theater in San Francisco. It is based on the book “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong,” written by the late Filipino American historian Dr. Dawn Mabalon and Gayle Romasanta, who also serves as the musical’s writer and executive producer.
The event was held at the Arthaus Studios in Oakland, California on 10 September 2023, and was hosted by Filipino American Community leader Mona Lisa Yuchengco, former Filipino-American broadcast journalist Lloyd LaCuesta, and San Francisco State University ethnic studies professor Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales.
During the event, Romasanta and composer Bryan Pangilinan proudly shared that the musical shall feature an all-Filipino American cast and crew. Several cast members showcased new songs in the musical, which center on labor union leader Itliong, a key figure in the establishment of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union and the 1965-1970 Delano grape strike.
Itliong was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2021, in recognition of his role as “one of the most important civil rights leaders of the 20th century and a father of the West Coast labor movement.” His birth anniversary every October 25 is celebrated statewide in California as “Larry Itliong Day.”
Details on the musical are available at larrythemusical.com and on Instagram @larrythemusical.