CIRCA Pintig Launches The Art of Belonging Midwest Tour

CHICAGO - CIRCA Pintig proudly announces the Midwest tour of The Art of Belonging, a multidisciplinary theatre and cultural engagement project that brings together storytelling, performance, archival film, music, and community dialogue to explore themes of identity, migration, memory, resilience, and belonging. Led by Ginger Leopoldo, Executive Director of CIRCA Pintig, the project is supported in part by an Individual Artist Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), building on the Illinois Humanities Microgrant that helped launch the production and its first series of nine public performances in January 2026.

Rooted in Filipino American immigrant experiences, The Art of Belonging combines stage adaptations by Larry Leopoldo of three stories by acclaimed Filipino American writer Bienvenido Santos with rare restored home movies by Nicholas G. Viernes, presented with permission from the archives of Estrella Alamar and the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC). Through theatre, storytelling, archival film, and facilitated community conversation, the project creates space to reflect on immigrant identity, loneliness, mental health, cultural resilience, and the importance of building welcoming communities.

“The Art of Belonging is about creating space for stories that bring people together,” said Ginger Leopoldo, Executive Director of CIRCA Pintig. “Through performance, storytelling, and community dialogue, we honor the experiences that shape our communities while building connections across cultures, generations, and places.”

The Midwest tour expands the project's reach through partnerships with the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC), the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Greater Chicago Chapter, and local FANHS chapters in Wisconsin and Michigan. The tour opened in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois on October 17 alongside the FACT Conference, continues in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 24 at Chinese Baptist Church, and closes its confirmed run in Detroit, Michigan on November 1 at 27th Street Bookstore. Additional engagements in Madison, Wisconsin and Cleveland, Ohio are currently in development, with dates and venues to be announced as they are confirmed.

The Art of Belonging is directed by RJ Silva and features an ensemble cast of Arvin A. Jalandoon, Rich Adrian Lazatin, Mikael Silan, Mari Joy Asiado, and Daphne Nitsuga, with moving image archival work by Ashley Dequilla.

CIRCA Pintig is a Chicago-based community arts organization dedicated to using theatre, storytelling, performance, and cultural organizing as tools for education, empowerment, and social change. For decades, CIRCA Pintig has created original works that center Filipino American experiences while fostering dialogue, collaboration, and solidarity across racial, cultural, immigrant, and generational communities.