‘Of Butterflies and Daisies’ dinner show for a cause

PEERS give support and pay tribute to Cebuano playwright-director Daisy Brillantes Ba-ad in a special fund-raising dinner on her birthday on March 31 at 7 p.m. at the Lakwatsa Resto Lounge, along Hernan Cortes Avenue, Mandaue City.

Theater and music lovers in Cebu will be treated to an evening of music and performances from the local community theater, Broadway shows and Hollywood musicals (Les Miserables, Dream Girl, Sister Act, Enchanted, etc.).

Ba-ad has forged a solid career in the performing arts in Cebu over the last three decades and is known for her original Cebuano musical “Tall Tales Kuno!”, a grant awardee of the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). She has worked with American acting coach Eric Morris, playwright-activist Eve Ensler, Broadway performer Monique Wilson, Filipino premier actors Gina Alajar and Leo Martinez and film director Laurice Guillen.

Ba-ad’s directorial work “Siddhartha: A Musical Journey to Enlightenment”, an original musical in English written by award-winning songwriter Jude Gitamondoc, and produced by Buddha’s Light International Association, has had successful runs at the Waterfront Ballroom in Cebu and at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It was a huge success that the production was brought to Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Her latest directorial job was Zephryin Namuncura: The Musical, written by Jude Gitamondoc, for Don Bosco Cebu in honor of the Blessed Ceferino Namuncura of Argentina and the Mapuche people of South America.

In 2012, she published her first book on Amazon.com “How I Turned a Punishing God into Someone Madly in Love with Me: A Guide to Healing Your Inner Child.”

Ba-ad completed her degree in Mass Communication at St. Theresa’s College where she also taught.

“Of Butterflies and Daisies” aims to promote cancer awareness and prevention as well as raise funds for Ba-ad’s medical treatment for soft-tissue sarcoma, a type of cancer that develops in the body’s connective tissues.

The event is organized by Prof. Bien Fernandez Jr., in coordination with the St. Theresa’s College Alumnae Association (STAA) and the STC Bantawan Theater Group (batch 1981).

The dinner show will feature performances by the Young Thespians of Cebu, The SIDD, PACE, Creative Thespians of Cebu, G10, Facebooked, UPstage and STC Buhilaman theater groups, and exciting direction and choreography by Rudy Aviles.

Those who want to donate for Miss Daisy may call STAA president Alice Morada at 2548629 or the STAA office at (0927) 7508187 or e-mail at [email protected]. /CONTRIBUTOR CRISTINA CAMINGUE BUO