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In this enchanting fusion of dance, singing and theatre, the third part of the Cosmological Gangbang trilogy, multidisciplinary artist Joshua Serafin goes back to the spiritual roots of Philippine society from before it was influenced by colonial ideas about gender. 


In the ‘Pearl of the East’, before the arrival of the staunchly Catholic Spanish in the 16th century, identity was not understood in terms of rigidly defined binaries, but was rather seen as fluid and rooting in the divine. High priestesses embodied this gender diversity and passed it on to the next generations. Serafin and their co-performers in the Philippines have rewritten history and conceived of a future in which bodies are divine once more, away from conventional gender norms.


By the same token, PEARLS aims to be not just theatre, but a healing ritual. The three performers will share the pain they experience as queer and trans persons with brown bodies. They are able to turn their stories of trauma into scenes of unparalleled beauty, like oysters do with strange and abrasive particles, adding layers until it makes a beautiful pearl.

  • Joshua Serafin

  • PEARLS

    © Michiel Devijver

  • PEARLS

    © Michiel Devijver

credits

concept Joshua Serafin performance Joshua Serafin, Lukresia Quismundo, Bunny Cadag sound Pablo Lilienfeld scenography RV light design Ryoya Fudetani costumes Katrien Baetslé video Federico Vladimir Strate Pezdirc artistic assistance Rasa Alksnyte research Jaya Jacobo outside eye Arco Renz coproduction VIERNULVIER, BIT Teatergarasjen, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlijn), Beursschouwburg, STUK, WpZimmer & C-TAKT, Theater Rotterdam with support by Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie acknowledgements Talaandig-Manobo community, Kulahi in Bukidnon translation Christian Jil Benitez, Rica Paras, Macky Torrechilla