Life seems to be looking up for the Ejercito family in 1996, despite a new boom of conservatism spearheaded by John Howard and Pauline Hanson.
Lovia, 19, falls in love for the first time. Her alcoholic, father Jovy finally gets a job, and her brother Vergel lands a role in an ultra-fabulous amateur production of a Broadway classic.
Welcome to the inaugural production Ate Lovia, which is on at the Old Fitz Woolloomooloo from May 12-June 4.
Presented with Red Line Productions, the drama is set deep in suburbia, in none other than Sutherland Shire, and is penned by a budding talented playwright from the community.
The play follows a Filipino family who navigate the ever-changing political landscape of Australia in the mid-90s.
Hungry to find a better home, Lovia begins to plan her and Vergel's escape from their father. With a hint of nostalgia, and the unrelenting themes of immigration, family and love, the play examines the harsh realities faced in order to fulfil a migrant dream.
It's all about what it means to stay loyal to one's family, no matter how brutal it gets.
Written by Jordan Shea (Kasama Kita), it draws on the playwright's experiences of growing up in Caringbah and Rockdale.
One of his stand-out lines reads, "I'm old enough to understand everything you've done to make sure we survived, but young enough to realise we need to start again."
"It's a political and intergenerational story that will resonate with Filipinos, non-Filipinos, and anyone who has survived the ever-changing migrant landscape of Australia," Jordan said.
"It's a distinct story about survival in the environments that are so familiar to anyone who has sacrificed the past to make their future here."
The development of the work was supported by Shopfront Arts Co-op's Open Shop Program.
