October 1, 2025 - Starting on October 9, Lasa ng Imperyo will be on stage at Presentation House Theatre. Presented by NPC3 in partnership with Rice and Beans, a Vancouver-based theatre company, this adaptation of Jovanni Sy’s A Taste of Empire, performed in Tagalog with English surtitles, was adapted, translated and performed by Carmela Sison. Surtitles use projection equipment and software (like Captitles) to display live text synced to a performance.
Presentation House is at 333 Chesterfield Ave, North Vancouver. Dates for the play are October 9-11 and 16-18 at 7:30 PM and October 12 & 19 at 2:00 PM.
This exciting adaptation of Jovanni Sy’s ATaste of Empire reimagines the play with a fresh female perspective through witty sous-chef Mela.
The play starts when super star of the culinary world Master Chef Maximo Cortes failed to show up for an exclusive demonstration of imperial cuisine. His intrepid Sous-Chef Mela took over to save the day. In showing how to cook rellenong bangus, or stuffed milkfish, a dish whose intricate process takes its roots from the country’s culinary traditions and colonial past, she takes audiences across the layered history of Philippine cultural heritage through a live cooking demonstration.
In an interesting fusion of theatre and gastronomy, the live cooking demonstration pairs the harsh truths of a global food system with shocking humor. As the dish is brought to life, so too are the stories embedded within its ingredients.
Costs of tickets are on a sliding scale from $20-$50. Get them before they’re gone! https://www.phtheatre.org/lasa-ng-imperyo-oct-2025/
Canadian Filipino Net is an independent, non-profit digital magazine produced by volunteer writers, editors, and webmasters. Your donation will go a long way so we can continuously publish stories about Canadian Filipinos. Click on a donate button and proceed either through PayPal, Debit, or Credit Card.
