Miranda Aguilar introduces themselves as a queer Filipinx artist, living and working in Western Sydney. They are one of the talented writers and community arts workers with the community arts and media organisation CuriousWorks (curiousworks.com.au), where they work predominantly with Western Sydney-based emerging artists.
The latest play that Miranda has written is soon to be staged. Titled Let Me Know When You Get Home, the play is being presented by Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta as part of the Launchpad Double Bill, alongside The Sorry Mum Project. * Its world premiere is on March 18, 2021 . Its season of four shows will be on March 18 – 20, with one show per night, plus a matinee on Saturday, the 20th.
The Australian Filipina is glad to share the Q&A interview of Miranda to give an insight about the play and her persona.
What is the play about and how long it took you to finish it?
The play follows Val, a 17-year-old Filipina living in Fairfield. She and her best friend, Thi, have just finished high school, finished the HSC, and they both want to get out there and feel like adults. Val makes a break and joins a Mardi Gras parade group in the city; Thi joins a bible study group. It causes a rift in their friendship, and they have to learn whether or not they can still stay friends when it seems like they’re both growing in different directions.
I started writing Let Me Know When You Get Home in 2016. I started writing it for my 17-year-old past self, based not on personal events, but on my own experiences feeling isolated as a queer Filipinx person, and wanting to find my community. When the postal plebiscite happened, the areas where I lived and worked in Western Sydney all voted majority ‘no.’ Seeing that happen and thinking about other queer folks in Western Sydney who felt ignored, especially LGBTQI+ young people, made it feel more important than ever that it got made.
Rehearsal photo, from left to right: Tommy Misa (Prince), Valerie Berry (Director), Anastacia Mowen (Stage Manager), Gloria Demillo (Va), Brooke Lee (Thi), Miranda Aguilar (Playwright), Rose Maher (Dakota), Jemma Rivera (Maria).
What did you enjoy most in undertaking this project? what were the difficulties?
The best part about working on this play has been all the amazing artists of colour, queer artists, and queer artists of colour I’ve gotten to work with during its many developments. It was especially wonderful working with so many Filipino creatives, including the wonderful Valerie Berry, who’s directing the play, and Gloria Demillo, who is the lead actor. They’ve both been involved in different creative developments since 2018, and I love not being the only queer Filipino in the room! I feel having the chance to work with all these amazing folks has not only helped the play but has also helped my gain a deeper understanding and connection to my queerness, my gender, my culture.
What was difficult was that I had no idea how to get a theatre show up! It was especially difficult because it was my first work, and because it’s for young queer folks in Western Sydney, I wanted it to have its premiere here in Western Sydney. It took a while before it found its home at Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta.
When did you realise that your passion is in writing and being involved in the performing arts? which was your first project before Let Me Know When You Get Home?
I’ve always been interested in writing since I was a kid. I’d write poetry and short stories, but I didn’t get into theatre until high school – and I didn’t get into writing scripts until my year 11 theatre teacher, Mr. Howe. I had always had an interest in theatre before him but being taught by him made me appreciate how theatre is made.
My first project was Western Sydney’s first telenovela, a webseries called Las Rosas, produced byCuriousWorks. I was one of the lead writers. It was interesting working on it, seeing all the similarities and differences between telenovelas and teleseryes, Filipinos and Latinos. You can actually watch the webseries on Youtube ( bit.ly/wearelasrosas ).
What do you hold fondly in your heart as your achievements so far?
When I was growing up, I didn’t think writing was really a profession; I was always told that writing was just a ‘hobby.’ I’m really proud that I can now say I’m a working artist, a writer, and that I work to give the same creative opportunities to other people.
On the flip side, what challenges have you faced and overcome?
I never know how to ‘get into’ the arts. Even though I studied media in university and joined a theatre society, I graduated feeling like I had no idea how to get my work made or how the arts industry worked. I’d feel like a failure because I’d see my classmates who seemed to already be working on their own projects and could navigate the arts world.
I didn’t realise people often had family helping them fund their first short film or had family and friends that already had some understanding of how the arts industry works here. My mum was always supportive of my career choices, and I’m lucky in that regard, but she couldn’t help me understand the arts industry or fund my films.
Lastly, what is your definition of tagumpay?
My definition doesn’t have anything to do with financial success or popularity. Those things are much less important if attaining that kind of success means compromising my values.
Let Me Know When You Get Home took a long time to create because I wanted to be sure I was making it in a way that I could say I was proud of it. I took a lot of care to make sure that I wasn’t defaulting to stereotype or cutting corners to make things easier or more palatable instead of true to my values. While I’d love for my play to be sold out and wildly popular, I know that whatever happens, because I and the people who have developed this work with me, took a lot of care with it, so it will already be a success.
ABOUT MIRANDA AGUILAR
Miranda Aguilar was born in Sydney, Australia. Their parents are both Filipino, with their dad still residing in the Greater Manila Area. Their mum grew up in Quezon City, though Miranda's Lola was originally from Tarlac, and their Lolo from Manila. Miranda is the eldest child with two younger brothers, Jaime and John. They studied at UNSW, receiving a Masters in Public Relations and Advertising in 2018.
In the future, Miranda would like to continue to make the arts more accessible to young people, and create more work that centres queer people of colour and unapologetic queer joy.
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*You can buy tickets on the National Theatre of Parramatta website here: https://riversideparramatta.com.au/NTofP/show/launchpad-double-bill-sorry-mum-and-let-me-know-when-you-get-home/.