(2012) Playwright Statement: Danny Bernardo on Mahal

"Growing up Filipino in America, you learn pretty quick that things are often viewed as black or white. There's hardly any representation of Asian Pacific American culture and even less representation of Filipino American culture. I'd always wanted to write a piece to represent the community but it wasn't until my father passed last year that was able to articulate everything I had to say. What started as an artistic exercise in healing became a play that would take on a life and breath of its own. Because of the generosity and support that Jamil and Malik and the amazing artists working on this reading have shown by championing this piece, my father's legacy will live on and Filipino Americans can finally have a play that they can call their own. I hope that in showing the joys and struggles of growing up Filipino in America, people of all walks of life will be able to relate. I am eternally grateful to Silk Road Rising for giving "Mahal" it's first step in development as it moves towards a mainstage production with Bailiwick Chicago in Spring of 2013."