Presented by AniMalayaWorks as part of 2025 Philly Theatre Week!
Freedom Rain Speaks is a poetry-in-motion performance celebrating Poetry Month and Philly Theater Week led by Filipino-American Poet, Malaya Ulan, Philadelphia’s current Youth Poet Laureate. (Freedom Rain is an English translation of Malaya Ulan; thus, the title Freedom Rain Speaks).
This poetry performance is a mother-daughter project between Malaya Ulan and her multidisciplinary mother artist, Ani Gavino. They will merge dance, text, music, and writing modalities such as the epic poem writing and the Sarswela used in Philippine Theater.
Malaya will lead poetry workshops at Studio 34 on March 5 19, and April 2 leading up to the show. This poetry workshop is open to youth and adults, especially to folx who are shy about writing. Willing participants will have a chance to perform their poetry at the Freedom Rain Speak performance on April 12, 5:30-6:30 and 8:30-9:30. Food and refreshments will be available.
This project is part of the Blade and Barrel project supported by the Paul Robeson West Philadelphia Creative Arts Grant. Join us with activating poetry and somatic movement as our blade.
The suggested donation for Freedom Rain Speaks is $20.