Theatre

  • Fringe Festival

Baliti - A Physical Theatre Monodrama

Folklore. Magical realism. Physical theatre.

A black-and-white photograph of an expansive and intricate banyan tree. The tree's numerous roots and branches create a dense, almost maze-like network, giving the scene a mysterious and ancient feel. Sunlight filters through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground and highlighting the tree's textured bark and entwined roots.
Past Event

Image Credit: Teague Leigh

  • Created and Performed by: Ricardo Magno

  • Sound design: Michael Green

  • Design by: Kiki Ando

This story doesn’t begin with “Once upon a time,” but with “Once, there was a tree...”

A boy named Boy is hidden in the hollow trunk of a Baliti, a parasitic vine that latches onto a host tree – eventually engulfing it, killing it and leaving its host to rot away.

Baliti is a one-man, physical theatre show that takes us to Manila, Philippines. Watch Boy as he takes refuge inside a Baliti tree, known in the Philippines as a home to various magical creatures and entities from Philippine folklore.

Each Baliti tree, they say, lives for a thousand years – a silent witness to a myriad of stories in Boy’s city.

Which tales will the tree share with Boy?

Which ones are you ready to hear?

Additional Dramaturgy: Zachary Dunbar
Direction: Tony Yap
Presented by: Tony Yap and Collaborators (TY+C)