There is something moving about sitting in a theatre and seeing your own story unfold on stage — your language, your memories, your familial ties — far from home. The Encounter by Melbourne-based playwright and Creative Brimbank Bowery Theatre Residency artist Ricardo Magno brings that feeling into focus at The Bowery Theatre in St Albans.
For the Filipino Australian community, opportunities like this are rare. Filipino-themed plays are seldom staged, let alone one that engages with the complexities of diaspora life — family dynamics, the sacrifices of migration, the fragility of memory, and the evolving nature of identity.
The Encounter does not attempt to simplify the migrant experience. Instead, it draws out its tensions — what is passed on, what is left behind, and what continues to shape how we see ourselves.
These themes come to life through Soledad, a Filipino migrant nurse and single mother in Melbourne. She navigates the pressures of caregiving — tending to elderly residents with dementia on night shifts — while grappling with the guilt of being away from her own mother in the Philippines, who suffers from the same illness. At the same time, she works tirelessly to support her family, including her teenage daughter, who faces her own identity struggles as a young Filipino Australian.
Moving through three generations, the play reflects how migration reshapes relationships and how distance alters not only connection but also memory — how stories are shared, softened, or left untold. At its core is the tension between remembering and forgetting, and how this shapes a new cultural identity.
There is also a persistent longing that runs through the narrative — a sense of belonging stretched between two worlds, real and remembered.
An added layer comes through the use of Philippine folklore and myth. These are not mere cultural references but serve as a device to surface buried histories in unexpected ways, enriching the storytelling while incorporating digital elements.
Magno’s use of myth and song is particularly striking. By linking pre-EDSA political turmoil to the folkloric creature ‘Busaw’ and to the grandmother’s activism, he reveals deeper truths about love, sacrifice and memory. The political context quietly underpins the emotional weight of the story.
The use of bilingual language and music further strengthens the work, reinforcing both its cultural specificity and its universal themes of family and identity.
Stage and film actress Mayen Estañero delivers a compelling performance, carrying the emotional weight of the monodrama with sensitivity and moments of humour. She shifts seamlessly across characters – mother, daughter, and granddaughter – with clarity and control. She also played a significant role in the writing process, contributing extensively not only to the creation of the work but also to its dramaturgy, rewriting scenes to frame them into more well-drawn personae.
Magno’s discipline as both writer and director is equally evident. A recipient of the 2025 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, he brings a depth of craft shaped by years of experience and grounded in migrant narratives. His work signals a growing space for Filipino theatre in Melbourne.
It has been a while since I experienced a production that lingers beyond its final scene. The Encounter does exactly that — not through spectacle, but through resonance.
Watching it brought back memories of my university days at UP, of intimate theatre spaces where storytelling felt immediate and immersive. Seeing a work like this now, in a different country and context, feels like a continuation of that journey — made even more meaningful as I watch my own daughter learn about her Filipino heritage. In a setting where Filipino voices remain underrepresented, The Encounter reminds us that our stories — wherever they are told — continue to matter.
