DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
MAY 2023. ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD has its world premiere at East West Players in Los Angeles, the largest and longest-running Asian American theatre in the United States. The production runs for 23 performances, including a sold-out one-week extension. Click here to learn more.
The world premiere is produced in association with FilAm Arts. In the cast are Steven-Adam Agdeppa, Zandi de Jesus, Mike Palma, Cassie Simone, Andrea Somera, and Shaun Tuazon, with Justine Rafael and Melvin Biteng as understudies. Creative team includes Marc Macalintal and Jennifer Lin (music directors), Allen Lucky Weaver (choreographer), Yi-Chien Lee (scenic design), Glenn Michael Baker (props design), Jaymee Ngernwichit (costume design), Szu-Yun Wang (lighting design), David Murakami (projection design) and Maddi Deckard (sound design). Edward Khris Fernandez is production stage manager; Mikayla Bettner is assistant stage manager.
JULY 2022. East West Players helps develop ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD through a staged reading held at Boston Court Pasadena, CA.
In the cast are Eymard Cabling, Zandi de Jesus, Everjohn Feliciano, Sam Pablo, Andrea Somera, and Cassie Simone, with Reuben Uy reading stage directions. Music director is Marc Macalintal; production stage manager is Edward Khris Fernandez.
JULY 2022. Paulo K Tiról and Noam Shapiro spend a week in upstate New York working on ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD at the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, a fully-funded residency for musical theatre writers. ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD was one of eight musicals chosen from 145 submissions to be developed over the summer at this prestigious residency.
MAY 2022. Paulo K Tiról and Noam Shapiro spend two weeks in residency at the Catwalk Art Institute in upstate New York, working on both ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD and their new musical adaptation of journalist and immigration rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas’ bestselling memoir DEAR AMERICA.
SEPTEMBER 2021. FilAm Arts presents excerpts from ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown.
In the cast are Marie-France Arcilla, Kris Bona, Reggie de Leon, Joanne Javien, Jeffrey Laughrun, and Maya Valenciano. Music director is Marc Macalintal.
SEPTEMBER 2021. ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD has its first West Coast Audience in Musical Theatre West’s first Festival of New Musicals in Long Beach, CA.
In the cast are Marie-France Arcilla, Kris Bona, Reggie de Leon, Joanne Javien, Jeffrey Laughrun, and Maya Valenciano. Music director is Marc Macalintal.
NOVEMBER 2020. ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD is one of eight shows selected from 349 submissions, to present at the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s 32nd Festival of New Musicals. Typically held in New York City for an audience of theatre leaders and producers nationwide, the festival is held virtually this year. Click here to learn more.
In the cast are Marc delaCruz, Jaygee Macapugay, Diane Phelan, Michael Protacio, Vincent Rodriguez III, and Kay Trinidad. Music director is Steven Cuevas.
FEBRUARY 2020. Prospect Theater Company presents a concert staging of ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD, as part of their IGNITE concert series. The two-night event at Greenwich House in New York City is sold out.
In the cast are Albert Guerzon, Joanne Javien, Jaygee Macapugay, Diane Phelan, Michael Protacio, Kevin Schuering. Music director is Ian Miller, Elizabeth Goodman is stage manager, Rachel Nortz is line producer, and Ethan Olsen is lighting designer.
MAY 2019. Three Hares presents a sold-out two-week workshop production of ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD at Access Theater in New York City. Click here to learn more.
In the cast are Albert Guerzon, Joanne Javien, Jaygee Macapugay, Diane Phelan, Michael Protacio, Kevin Schuering. The creative team are Ian Miller (music director), Matt Bovee (choreographer), Melanie May (scenic design), Ethan Olsen (lighting design), Annie Le (costume design), Michaela Whiting (props design), and Lawrence Schober (sound design). Producer is Megumi Lee, with Rachel Nortz as line producer.
SEPTEMBER 2018 to FEBRUARY 2019. ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD is awarded an artistic residency by Access Theater in New York City. Eleven songs are written during this period, four of which are still in the show today. The residency culminates in the first staged reading of ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD.
In the cast are Belinda Allyn, Chris Ignacio, Joanne Javien, Diane Phelan, Michael Protacio, Sam Simahk. Music director is Ian Miller. Stage manager is Angela Griggs.
MAY 2018. “Light of the Home” from ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD is featured in a showcase of Musical Theatre Factory’s POC Writers Roundtable at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Paulo K Tiról had been sharing work in the roundtable since 2016.
Director Noam Shapiro is at the showcase, hears the song, and emails writer Paulo K Tiról the next day, wanting to know more about the song and the show it’s from. After exchanging a few emails, they meet up for coffee a few days later — and their long-time collaboration begins.
OCTOBER 2013 to MAY 2015. Paulo writes the first six songs for ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD (five of which are still in the show today) while working on his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. The show was born as a project, in which students were asked to choose a community, about which to write a song cycle over the next two years. Paulo chose Filipino immigrants in the U.S.: he was an immigrant himself, having moved from Manila to Boston in 2012; he didn’t know of any other Filipino immigrant composer-lyricists writing Filipino immigrant stories; he had many Filipino immigrant friends whose stories he could turn into songs.