Photo Credit: Homecoming by Kamila Sediego, produced by Urban Ink. Directed by Hazel Venzon. Photo by Emily Cooper Photography.

Can you come back to a home you lost or never knew? 

Three generations of Filipina women hop between an ocean and time, memory and dreams. Set in Canada and the Philippines, Homecoming is a visceral show with moments of magic that reach into the afterlife, exploring cultural identity, familial duty, and delicious Filipino food.

Homecoming asks, what is home for those of us who are displaced, stuck, or who have never known a home? And more importantly, can we ever make our way back?

In this world premiere, Kamila Sediego weaves a complex story that is raw, intimate, and full of humour.

Key dates:

Premiered at The Cultch May 2-12, 2024
Toured at the Evergreen Cultural Centre May 14-18, 2024

Video credit: Interview with Kamila Sediego and Carmela Sison; filming by Cameron Anderson

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

To complement the production of Homecoming, we are offering movement workshops, artwork, and a community feast! It has been our pleasure to join forces with Kathara Society in developing these activities.

ART INSTALLATION
Explore the beautiful artworks in The Cultch Gallery curated by anata laylay, available May 2- 12th. “lagi akong uuwi”, meaning “I will always come home”, focuses on ancestral and family relationships and how that relates to our relationships in the diaspora. The personal journey of making your way back home aligns with Kamila’s, Homecoming. It will have art pieces in photography, digital art, and a short film. The art installation features Filipinx artists, Amelia Earhart, Angela M. Asuncio, and Melissa Barayang. In addition to the artists’ pieces, there will be an altar for folks to add photos of their loved ones or to call in their ancestors before the play.

FEAST & WORKSHOP
Engage in a movement workshop that involves a mix of contemporary & traditional Bagobo and T’boli dance facilitated by Kathara Society’s Artistic Director, Babette Santos. Check our website for more details on location and time. Join us for a delicious feast prepared by a Filipino chef on May 5th at 4:30PM in The Cultch’s Founders Lounge. We look forward to engaging with the community and deepening the connection to this meaningful story.

“With an incredible story to tell, Kamila Sediego’s unique voice as a playwright is one that will feel familiar, refreshing and leave you ultimately, changed.”

— Corey Payette, Artistic Director of Urban Ink

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Melicia Zaini for their artistic contributions to the costume design in this production.

Thank you to the artists who have been part of the Homecoming development since 2016, including: Rachel Ditor, Joanna Garfinkel, Spencer Ocampo, Ashley Noyes, Lisa Goebel, Lissa Neptuno, Jesse Del Fierro, Sarah Roa, Letitia Brookes, Seth Whittaker, Troy Emery Twigg, Kim Villagante & Jordan Waunch. Thank you to Chris Lam.

Kamila would like to thank everyone who has made Homecoming possible: the host nations of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh whose land this work was created and now comes alive on, the Urban Ink team, Corey Payette, everyone at The Cultch and the Evergreen, Hazel Venzon, the cast, crew, and creative team, Babette Santos and everyone at Kathara, anata laylay and all the installation artists, all my dramaturgs including Joanna Garfinkel, Reneltta Arluk, Lindsay Drummond, Rachel Ditor, the UI Writers Group, the Playwrights Theatre Centre and Block A with mia.amir, every fellow playwright who has given her feedback in the years of writing groups and programs, and the many talented Filipinx artists who have workshopped with her throughout the years. She would also like to thank, forever and always: Mama, Papa, Noelle, Francis-Rae, Miss Soledad, Eli, CK, all her family back home, and her ancestors gone but not forgotten.