By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Family karaoke can be a tradition in many households. But for Seattle’s Matt Dela Cruz, it proved a jumping-off point to bigger things.
“I actually started singing when I was around 5 years old, and like many Filipino families, karaoke was a big deal at family parties!” Cruz recalled. “So, you could say that some of my earliest performances weren’t necessarily on a stage, but in front of family members with a karaoke microphone in my hand. Looking back, I think that’s where my love of performing really began.”
Cruz is a teacher, performer, and producer whose most recent project with Pork Filled Productions focuses on Filipino family dynamics. Cruz is the assistant director and a lead producer for the world premiere of the play, “Nanay,” showing at the Theatre Off Jackson in the Chinatown-International District through mid-November.
Written by Filipina playwright Molly Olis Krost, the play focuses on two twin sisters, Angela and Eve. Angela arrives to congratulate Eve on her pregnancy, only to find Eve co-habitating with a manananggal, a Filipino demon who eats fetuses. The play examines sisterhood, motherhood, and loss through a pre-colonial lens.
Discovering drama
Cruz attended the University of Washington, but didn’t focus on drama until his junior year. He later moved to New York City to attend Circle in the Square Theatre School. There, he said, two instructors specifically stood out to him: Terry Hayden, his acting teacher, and Danyon Davis, his physical acting teacher.
On his very first day, Cruz remembered, Hayden told him, “You are more than just a singer. You are more than that.”
“Those words have stuck with me ever since, especially as I’ve discovered how multifaceted I am as a theatre artist,” Cruz said. Danyon, he said, “had this wonderful way of making every student feel seen. He gave us all nicknames, and mine was ‘Monsignor’ because apparently I would strut into class like I was Beyoncé!”
“But beyond that,” Cruz continued, “Danyon was one of only two people of color on the faculty at the time. As a person of color myself, I looked up to him immensely. He was not only an incredible educator, but someone who genuinely cared about his students and the work he was teaching. And now, as an educator myself, that’s something I really try to carry into my own classroom.”
Nanay
Some Pork Filled Productions players participated in a stage reading of “Nanay” a few years, which is how the play came to be on the company’s radar. Cruz said that “[t]here was a lot of love for the play,” and the company felt it an added bonus that the play was written by a local Filipina playwright.
The cast for Nanay: Alanah Pascual, Mayari Layson Roy, Angeline Nguyen, Mario Orallo Molinaro, Ays Garcia, Naleisha Pedro-Rabena. Photo by @bonnieleungphotography.
Cruz said it was Alanah Pascual—who plays Eve and who serves as another lead producer and an outreach coordinator—who “really helped lead the charge in bringing ‘Nanay’ to Pork Filled Productions. Before we officially started producing the show, Alanah also helped organize a devising workshop that gave [Krost] the opportunity to further explore and develop the play into what it is today.”
Cruz said that he instantly recognized the manananggal, the demon central to the play.
“[T]he manananggal immediately reminded me of those cheesy Filipino horror films my mom would make my brother and me watch as kids!” he said. “So, when I first read that there was a manananggal in this play, I was like, ‘What!?’ and also, ‘Hell No!’”
But, Cruz said, beyond the immediate layer of the supernatural, the play is really about complex familial dynamics and experiences.
“What I love is that these two sisters, despite being fraternal twins, have very different ways of seeing the world and dealing with their experiences,” he said. “I also love how Filipino mythology is woven into the story. The manananggal isn’t just there to scare people, but also helps explore the expectations surrounding motherhood and how we process grief.”
Cruz said that he is a “naturally collaborative person,” and that one of his favorite parts of the production is working with so much talent to bring the story to life.
“I think being a drama teacher has really helped me navigate both roles [of assistant director and lead producer],” he said. “When you teach everyone from preschoolers to eighth graders, you learn pretty quickly how to adapt, communicate, and think on your feet! And trust me, those skills definitely come in handy when producing theatre!”
Cruz said that he is considering moving back to New York City in 2027—“[b]ut wherever I end up, I hope to continue teaching, performing, and supporting the incredible work Pork Filled Productions does.”
“Nanay” plays through Nov. 14 at the Theatre Off Jackson, located at 409 7th Avenue South in Seattle.
Showtimes, ticket prices, and other information can be found here.
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