Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio (born April 4, 1930) is a Filipino
playwright, puppeteer, and educator known as the "Grande Dame of
Southeast Asian Children’s Theatre."[1][2][3] She was recognized in
2018 as a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater - a
conferment which represents the Philippine state's highest recognition
for artists.[4][5]Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, known as Tita Amel to her
students, was born in Binondo, Manila in 1930. She studied Japanese
traditional theatre (supported by Office of Asian Pacific Affairs
ASPAC), South East Asian traditional theatre (supported by the Ford
Foundation), and international children’s theatre (supported by the
Toyota Foundation). Research convinced her of the necessity of a
theatre for young audiences using Asian and Filipino folktales and
utilizing puppets inspired by Japanese Bunraku and Indonesian wayang
(rod puppets and shadow theatre styles).[6]Bonifacio became a
Fulbright scholar in 1956 and obtained her Master of Arts degree in
Speech and Drama at the University of Wisconsin in 1958. She wrote her
first play, “Sepang Loca,†in 1957 and followed this up with
“Rooms†the following year. Both works won awards in the Wisconsin
Playwrighting Competition and were staged at the UW Play Circle
Theater, with the author herself designing “Sepang Loca.†The two
plays were later published in literary journals in the United
States.[7]During those times, the young Asian Fulbright scholar was
told by one of her American professors that her one-act play had 18
characters, far too numerous for the standard format of that time. Her
material also delved into abortion, which was barely spoken of in the
1950s. The young Amelia replied that in her milieu, Asian plays did
tend to have a lot of characters, regardless of the running time. Not
long after, the professor apologized to her privately for not
assessing her play correctly.[8]
playwright, puppeteer, and educator known as the "Grande Dame of
Southeast Asian Children’s Theatre."[1][2][3] She was recognized in
2018 as a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater - a
conferment which represents the Philippine state's highest recognition
for artists.[4][5]Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, known as Tita Amel to her
students, was born in Binondo, Manila in 1930. She studied Japanese
traditional theatre (supported by Office of Asian Pacific Affairs
ASPAC), South East Asian traditional theatre (supported by the Ford
Foundation), and international children’s theatre (supported by the
Toyota Foundation). Research convinced her of the necessity of a
theatre for young audiences using Asian and Filipino folktales and
utilizing puppets inspired by Japanese Bunraku and Indonesian wayang
(rod puppets and shadow theatre styles).[6]Bonifacio became a
Fulbright scholar in 1956 and obtained her Master of Arts degree in
Speech and Drama at the University of Wisconsin in 1958. She wrote her
first play, “Sepang Loca,†in 1957 and followed this up with
“Rooms†the following year. Both works won awards in the Wisconsin
Playwrighting Competition and were staged at the UW Play Circle
Theater, with the author herself designing “Sepang Loca.†The two
plays were later published in literary journals in the United
States.[7]During those times, the young Asian Fulbright scholar was
told by one of her American professors that her one-act play had 18
characters, far too numerous for the standard format of that time. Her
material also delved into abortion, which was barely spoken of in the
1950s. The young Amelia replied that in her milieu, Asian plays did
tend to have a lot of characters, regardless of the running time. Not
long after, the professor apologized to her privately for not
assessing her play correctly.[8]
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