Ruby Slippers Theatre premieres Abi Padilla's Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla., February 6 to 16
Heartwarming, hilarious play is presented in association with the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Presentation House Theatre, and Blackout Art Society

Abi Padilla in Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. Photo by Emily Cooper
Ruby Slippers Theatre presents the world premiere of Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. by Abi Padilla in association with the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Presentation House Theatre, and Blackout Art Society from February 6 to 8 and 13 to 16.
Audiences are invited to witness this hilarious and heartwarming tale that is not a traumatizing story about war crimes, dementia, or getting old. On the contrary, Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. is a sprint down memory lane of a butt-kickin’, bar-spittin’, tough grandma who escapes the care home to be with her family.
When beloved Filipino grandma Lola Basyang goes missing, it’s up to her grandchildren Nika and Jun-jun to bring her back to safety. Using their Lola’s unfinished memoir, the two find clues that lead to her whereabouts, simultaneously uncovering details about her full-of-beans origin story and the historical turmoil of their motherland. Reminiscing on their immigration stories, Nika and Jun-jun reflect on what it means to maintain family ties in a Western society.
Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. started as a 15-minute solo show created by Padilla while she was a Studio 58 acting-program student at Langara College. It has since evolved into a full-length play directed by Leslie Dos Remedios, with historical elements inspired by both of Padilla’s grandmothers, who were children during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in the 1940s.
Audiences will get to experience the comfort of everyday laughter and the thrill of juicy gossip in Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla., along with such elements as fun fight choreography, rap songs, and culture-infused dark humour. Padilla herself will star in the production alongside cast members Yorlene Bernido, Evelyn Chew, Kevin Nguyen, Vince Sendrijas, Raugi Yu, and Terrence Zhou.
Performances will take place at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby from February 6 to 8 at 7:30 pm and on February 8 at 2 pm, and at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver from February 13 to 15 at 7:30 pm and on February 15 & 16 matinees at 2 pm.
Tickets can be purchased through the Shadbolt Centre and Presentation House Theatre. More information is available at Ruby Slippers Theatre.
Post sponsored by Ruby Slippers Theatre.
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