FringeNYC 2013: Universal Self
Kilusan Bautista's one-man show explores race in multicultural America with subjects ranging from the history of Filipino people to Hip Hop culture in the 1980's/90's to his intimate relationships with family, friends and spirituality.
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Martin Denton · August 14, 2013
Universal Self is a one-man performance by Kilusan Bautista about his formative years, growing up in the Bay Area in the '80s and '90s. It's a tale of dysfunctionality that we've heard enough times to make it feel almost banal: his father is unemployed, an alcoholic and a crack addict; he grows up poor and victimized, eventually finding his way (in his early teens) into a tough street gang; and then, thanks to an uncle, he finds a way off this dead end path when he takes up the study of martial arts.
What makes Universal Self rise about the generic? Not enough, alas: the storytelling is pretty rudimentary, here, and there's a lot of repetition and more self-pity than feels advisable. The emphasis is very squarely on impotence, whether that of a five-year-old boy trying fruitlessly to appease his drunken father or a fourteen-year-old excusing his bad behavior because his father is an out-of-work junkie. The uplift that young Kilusan's discovery of martial arts presumably brought to his life is reserved for the last five minutes or so of an hour-long show: too little, too late, and in nowhere near enough depth or detail to erase the portrait painted of a character who has been cast by circumstance (and ultimately himself) as a victim.
Indeed, this sense of victimhood extends to Bautista's view of his Filipino heritage, which is another area where Universal Self tries to differentiate itself from the garden-variety coming-of-age tale. The blurb in the FringeNYC Program Guide says the show "explores race in multicultural America," but the only culture that really gets examined is that of his family, and almost always in connection to how the Philippines have been exploited by foreigners from Spain and then the U.S. Brief allusions to learning the Tagalog language and ancient rituals of his ancestors get a bit of play, but aren't shown or realized in any way in the piece. The only rituals I noted, in fact, were those of the Catholic faith that was brought to Bautista's ancestors by the Spanish conquerors centuries ago: a trip to the church with young Kilusan's wizened grandma and a trip to Manila to see Pope John Paul's visit there.
Though I was disappointed in the material for the most part, I was definitely impressed with Bautista's skill as a dancer and martial arts practitioner. Several segments in the show deal with some of his teenage hip-hop idols, and feature Bautista really cutting loose (and often breakdancing) without, for the most part, breaking a sweat.
No director is credited in the program; an outside eye might be helpful in both adding variety to the piece and lightening it up, figuratively and literally. According to the program, Bautista has performed this piece in various festivals and especially in empowerment/educational programs, where its message will presumably resonate. The back of the program features the message: "Onward to Broadway!" It's probably not the most realistic goal for this show, but certainly with some development, perhaps with collaborators who specialize in playwriting and theater direction, Universal Self may well find its way to the commercial sector.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Universal Self
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
Journey to FringeNYC · Kilusan Bautista (Actor)
- Who do you play in this show, and what was your key to unlocking this character/these characters?
Since UNIVERSAL self is a personal narrative, I play over 10 different characters, mostly real and a few fictional. These characters range from my childhood self at 5 years old to 14 years old; Malakas - an ancestral guardian; a clever spirit of Hate; a drug addicted immigrant father; a deeply religious yet adventurous grandmother; a martial artist uncle; distant family members in the Philippines and misguided urban friends. It has taken me over 3 years to develop UNIVERSAL self, paying special attention to the nuances of each characters voice, movements and overall stage presence. As a scorpio it is quiet natural for me to go deep into everything I do which makes jumping from character to character an interesting process. I am usually drained on all levels of my being from mind, body and soul after a full production of UNIVERSAL self! The deeper I go into these characters will allow audiences to inevitably go deeper into themselves and question their universal selves..... - What are some of your previous theater credits? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
I am proud to highlight over 50 performances of UNIVERSAL self in venues across the world. UNIVERSAL self was an official selection in Sahabhaga: Festival of Participatory Performance in Bangalore, India. Recently, UNIVERSAL self placed amongst the TOP 3 productions at the longest running solo theater festival in NYC: The One Festival. UNIVERSAL self has been featured in diverse audiences ranging from adult prison inmates at San Quentin State Prison to Ivory League students at Yale & Cornell University. Kilusan Bautista uses UNIVERSAL self as a literacy model for GED students within the NYC Department of Education. - Why did you want to be part of FringeNYC?
I want to be a part of the FringeNYC because it brings together an international community of theater lovers! I plan to continue sharing UNIVERSAL self and my work in general throughout this planet! The FringeNYC is a very special space for artist from all levels. The diversity in stories, visions and artistic forms that the FringeNYC brings together is a model of how the world should be! Lastly, I want to be a part of the FringeNYC because I whole heartedly believe that this experience can be a catalyst in UNIVERSAL self being produced on a Broadway stage! - What was the most memorable/funny/unusual thing that has happened during the development and rehearsal process for this show?
The most memorable moments of the FringeNYC development process has been all of the challenges I have faced & how I responded to them. It has been a rough past two months living as a performance artist in NYC. I hit rock bottom in terms of my finances and I didn't know where I was going to come up with the FringeNYC registration fees and the overall production costs. But I didn't let this challenge stop me. Even though I had to walk for long hours because I couldn't afford a Metro card; even though I had to reduce eating habits to two meals a day....I knew that nothing was going to stop me from making UNIVERSAL self happen at the 2013 FringeNYC. I received financial sponsorship from the United Playaz, a national violence prevention organization that serves youth overcoming crime & gangs. In addition, St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church in East Harlem helped me cover some of the expenses of the FringeNYC. At the moment, like most artists around the world, I am working at odds & ends jobs just to survive. Yet the drive to continue developing UNIVERSAL self and being ready to give my best performance ever at the FringeNYC keeps me pumping with passion and light. I always honor those that have passed by dedicating my performance to them. And my performance at the FringeNYC is dedicated to Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant and all young people who die before their time! - Now that you’ve played this role, which Shakespearean role are you ready for: Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Juliet, or Puck?
Hamlet - I love his elegant psychosis & Puck - I love his poetic free spirit.
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