Two Stories About The Same Miracle
wo Stories About the Same Miracle -- is a multimedia theater experience where parents of a special needs child tell their respective stories about her birth and first few years of life. Each parent is dedicating one hour each, to their interpretation.
Within the father’s (Kilusan Bautista) interpretation entitled "pxso: PhoeniX rising in ScorpiO", he acknowledges his years of struggle with depression and his rediscovery of humanity; his story uses a fantastical approach and takes viewers on a journey through a land that is inhabited by an animated bird/Phoenix. The overarching themes discussed within his story are: common stereotypes about BIPOC fathers; deafblindness; disability rights and his daughter’s enduring spirit. He fuses storytelling, projection, animation and movement.
Within the mother’s (Lia Bautista) interpretation entitled "No sleep til Phoenix", she uses three mediums, theater (monologue), film and dance. She touches on her issues with infertility, being a struggling artist, and the guilt she felt immediately after the arrival of her daughter when she had to undergo heart surgery. The film portion of the work documents a typical day in the life of their daughter Phoenix; obscuring and fragmenting the screen so that it replicates the way she is able to see her environment.
