digital subculture
Angelo Balagtas Interview: Upcoming Creative
With his first play completed, Angelo reveals his process, philosophical outlook and what the creative industries could do better.
What do we need to know about you?
I'm gonna say how I'm connected with everything else. I'm in an enlightened phase in my life where I'm trying to dispel this illusion of disconnectedness from everything else, especially the earth.
What gives you the inspiration for writing, an image, political idea, another play?
The things that people say. At one point in my life, I realized that people say the weirdest things. So for the first ever play I ever completed, the lines have been ones that have actually come from real people. I had a Chinese friend who had a white boyfriend, and she heard his grandfather say: Oh! She's Chinese, that's great, next time you can upgrade to Japanese. When she told me that, it sounded so surreal, and yet SO FUNNY. I mean it's wrong and shit, but it was one of those things that I just had to write in, because it was so reflexive for me.
What would you change about the arts world?
I wish people wouldn't take it so seriously. That is, the important conversations should lead to intelligent reflection and tangible change, but I think that there still has to be that sense of magic and a child-like sensibility to it.
What do you think are the main difficulties facing upcoming writers?
1. Self-doubt, which could very well be a product of the systemic oppressions that we face.
2. Narrow-mindedness, in that we often get stuck in our own circles and experiences that our perspectives are shallow and reductive. Again, often caused by our own biases we inherit from society.
3. On a more practical level I think it's the administrative stuff.
I mean, where do I start? where can I get published? But I do think that it's part of the test. If you really wanted to, you will find a way. For some of us, that's going to be harder because of discriminative practice, but that's why we need to keep pushing - to tell our stories.
Due to the recent developments of COVID19, the first performance of Swimming Pool had to be cancelled, yet the future looks bright for Angelo and his creative ventures.
get in touch - aesthetictaste@gmail.com 2020
