Unheard Voices of Care Lecture Series: Reliving Our Stories

Artists from the regional Filipino theater company, CIRCA Pintig, will give readings and provide discussion about dramatic pieces.

Unheard Voices of Care Lecture Series: Reliving Our Stories

June 12, 2026

6:00-8:00pm

Doors at 5:45pm

Free and open to the public

About the Lecture:

Artists from the regional Filipino theater company, CIRCA Pintig, will give readings and provide discussion about dramatic pieces retelling the stories of Filipino nurses in America. Through heartfelt readings and reenacted scenes from established plays, presenters will bring to life the stories of young nurses forging their own paths in a new country—often alone and often unheard.

Giovanni Ortega (Dramatist Guild, SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA) has been working professionally for over a decade as a proponent of the performing arts as a multidisciplinary artist and educator. Playwright credits: The Butterfly of Chula Vista (San Diego Rep commission); Sama Sama: Solidarity in the Fields, Criers for Hire and Allos – the Story of Carlos Bulosan (East West Players commissioned production). Criers for Hire has been performed in Chicago, Sydney and San Francisco. ALLOS has toured Chicago, Honolulu, Austria, Uganda (Kampala Theatre Festival), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco and Singapore. Director credits include: Nicky, a modernized adaptation of Chekhov’s Ivanov, We Are Nothing Without Hantu Hantu (Hollywood Fringe) Halo Halo (Third Culture Theatre), Angel from Manila (Echo Theater), Lena Passes (Pasadena Playhouse) Scrimmage (East West Players), The Hotel Play (A.D., Center Theatre Group/ Playwrights’ Arena), La Madre de Todos los Exilios (La Casa Tercer Acto, Bogotá), Cabaret, Spring Awakening – The Musical, Urinetown. In Singapore, Giovanni directed The Body Series, Evolution, Kabaret Singapura and worked with Poetry Festival Singapore to create Benches and Palindromes (Theatre) followed by Belonging, Atlas and Nomads (Films). As a performer, he starred in San-San Onglatco’s film Zenaida (AFI Film Festival )and Dreams, A Musical at the Hawaii Theater. Additional credits: President Marcos in Imelda, The Musical (East West Players), Romance of Magno Rubio (Inside the Ford – LA Weekly award nomination), Dogeaters, The Refugee Hotel (Center Theatre Group) and Conjunto. For more information: www.giovanniortega.com

R.J. Silva is a writer and creative producer. Born and raised in Manila, he moved to America at 13 years old and has lived in Phoenix, Orlando, and Chicago. Starting with CIRCA Pintig in 2013 during his years at Loyola University Chicago, he graduated with a BA in Theatre and worked in the themed entertainment industry as a producer for Walt Disney Imagineering. Now back in Chicago, he is the producing associate for CIRCA Pintig, assisting in planning and productions, and has performed for CIRCA Pintig in ‘ALLOS: The Story of Carlos Bulosan’ and ‘Daryo’s All-American Diner.’ Outside of CIRCA Pintig, RJ is a co-founder and producer of The Ampliverse, a multimedia channel that celebrates pop culture without the toxicity of exclusivity through podcasts and writing. RJ is also a writer for the screen and stage. RJ-Silva.com

This project is partially supported by a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

The International Museum of Surgical Science acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.