Habits are hard to kick. For me, I have smoking. It makes an obstacle a bit easier to conquer, when I light up a cigarette. Hell, I’m probably smoking outside while you’re enjoying the show. I’ve been trying to quit for a while but when the environment around me is okay with smoking, not exactly encouraging it, the goal of quitting gets a bit difficult.
With Not One Batu, we see Honey Girl’s struggle to stay clean as she is surrounded by her former addiction, methamphetamine. It’s ironic as she is dealing this drug to people as well. It’s as if she is playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette where anything can make her go back into the world of addiction. And to me, my guttural question is why. Why? Why is she walking that risky line when she is already making strides to better herself? Reflecting that question onto the real world, why do we like to take risks? What is so enticing? Not One Batu investigates that question, answering it in both positive and negative lights.
What is also so enticing about Not One Batu is the representation in this show. Eight of the nine actors are actors of Color, seven of them identify as Asian/Filipino/Pacific Islander/Hawaiian, and four of them will be playing their own race for the first time. In 2016, a study from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, determined in the last 10 seasons (2006-2016) approximately 4% of Asian-identifying actors were casted in Broadway shows. This show is, what I consider, groundbreaking as a Filipino-American Theatre Artist. While I think this is awesome, it goes to show that we, as theatre makers, have much more work to do when it comes to diversity and representation. I hope that theatre people, such as yourself realize the importance of representation in theatre.
Finally, what I urge you to do when watching this show is to react. Laugh, cry, get immersed (safely) into this show. You are the final piece of the puzzle for this cast.
With Not One Batu, we see Honey Girl’s struggle to stay clean as she is surrounded by her former addiction, methamphetamine. It’s ironic as she is dealing this drug to people as well. It’s as if she is playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette where anything can make her go back into the world of addiction. And to me, my guttural question is why. Why? Why is she walking that risky line when she is already making strides to better herself? Reflecting that question onto the real world, why do we like to take risks? What is so enticing? Not One Batu investigates that question, answering it in both positive and negative lights.
What is also so enticing about Not One Batu is the representation in this show. Eight of the nine actors are actors of Color, seven of them identify as Asian/Filipino/Pacific Islander/Hawaiian, and four of them will be playing their own race for the first time. In 2016, a study from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, determined in the last 10 seasons (2006-2016) approximately 4% of Asian-identifying actors were casted in Broadway shows. This show is, what I consider, groundbreaking as a Filipino-American Theatre Artist. While I think this is awesome, it goes to show that we, as theatre makers, have much more work to do when it comes to diversity and representation. I hope that theatre people, such as yourself realize the importance of representation in theatre.
Finally, what I urge you to do when watching this show is to react. Laugh, cry, get immersed (safely) into this show. You are the final piece of the puzzle for this cast.