Preview: "The Great Filipino American Aswang Pageant" on Coast Live

ROŪGE: Theater Reinvented continues its mission of sharing bold, diverse stories with the world premiere of The Great Filipino American ASWANG Pageant, a new play by local Filipino American playwright Kat Stevens. Presented in collaboration with Old Dominion University Theatre, the production debuts as part of Old Dominion University’s Literary Festival on October 9, with additional performances October 16–19.

Blending camp, mystery, and rich cultural heritage, The Great Filipino American ASWANG Pageant transports audiences into a world where Filipino folklore takes center stage. Rooted in the myth of the Aswang—a shapeshifting creature from Philippine mythology that moves between human and supernatural—the production also uplifts real stories from the Filipino American experience, including migration narratives and community folklore. With support from Virginia Humanities at WHRO grant, ROŪGE welcomed local musician, and storyteller Maya Pagtakhan as lead story collector, gathering oral histories from Hampton Roads’ Filipino community. These stories will appear in a lobby exhibit during performances, preserved as a living archive at the ODU Special Collection and University Archive, and digitally on ROŪGE’s website.

This production highlights the beginning of a blossoming relationship between Old Dominion University Theatre and ROŪGE, featuring both ODU alum and current students. The project also fosters meaningful connections with the Filipino American Student Association and the Asian Pacific American Student Union on the ODU campus. Among the students involved are local theater veteran Anna Sosa, known for her roles in Artemis, I and Women of Troy –both ODU productions–and Broadway make-up artist and regional theatrical performer Raymond Dimaano.