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Zarzuela to ‘honour history, journey' of Filipino people
Gulf Today
|June 11, 2025
A group of professionals and third culture Filipinos would be in a different frame via a UAE-made zarzuela this weekend in Dubai and Sharjah.
Part of the 127th Philippine Independence Day commemoration and a project of the Dubai homegrown Off-Broadway UAE, in collaboration with the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), the original musical is “Kalayaan at Pag-ibig” (“Freedom and Love”), penned and directed by Elipas Sibua.
Eighteen years as a music/piano/voice teacher, across ages and ethnicities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Off-Broadway UAE founder, Sibua told Gulf Today that he conceptualised the plot, against the backdrop of his motherland's liberty from the 300-year-rule-and reign of Spain, “to honour both our history and the ongoing journey of our people; a reminder that independence is not only about the past.”
“But, also about the choices we make every day to uplift our families, to serve with excellence while staying rooted in our heritage.”
Sibua, put up Off-Broadway UAE in Dubai in 2024, “to inspire, develop and celebrate the performing arts” across the country “by providing musical theatre experiences that nurture local talent, foster cultural exchange, and engage diverse communities through innovative storytelling and performance.”
WCOPA holds annual competitions in California.
This story is from the June 11, 2025 edition of Gulf Today.
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