Malacañang Made Us is a Filipino Australian premiere which explores a pivotal moment in Philippine history — the night of the 1986 People Power Revolution — through the lens of a family story that stretches across generations. The play follows two brothers, Martin and Ernie, as they climb the walls of Malacañang Palace just as the Marcos regime collapses. That act becomes the starting point for a broader exploration of memory, activism, and the way political legacies shape personal lives.
The staging blends past and present, with scenes shifting between 1980s Manila and contemporary Brisbane. Archival imagery, video projections, and shifting timelines are used to connect history with the lived experience of the people involved. Rather than offering a straightforward historical account, the play focuses on how major political events are inherited within families — sometimes through silence, sometimes through conflict.
The writer Jordan Shea (Ate Lovia, Kasama Kita) and director Kenneth Moraleda (4000 Miles, One Hour No Oil) bring to live a play which engages themes of power, memory, and migration without offering simple answers.
Malacañang Made Us brings together an acclaimed Filipino Australian cast — Marty Alix (Hamilton, In The Heights), Mark Paguio (Spiderhead, The Twelve), Marcus Rivera (Miss Saigon, The King and I), Miguel Usares (Joan Must Die, Stupid Fucking Bird), and Mike Zarate (Come From Away, Young Rock). The performances are grounded and often restrained. The two brothers are portrayed with a focus on the weight of what they’ve lived through, as well as the consequences of their actions.
There are moments in the play that carry a quiet, visual tension — people scaling walls, crowds outside gates, the charged stillness before a shift in power. While the setting is 1986 Manila, the imagery lands with an eerie familiarity. It’s not a direct comparison, but it’s hard not to think about how political unrest can play out in other democracies, even in recent memory. The play allows these echoes to sit just beneath the surface, leaving space for audiences to notice the patterns for themselves. It’s a reminder that history doesn’t just repeat — it returns in different forms, often closer than we expect.
Malacañang Made Us is now playing at Queensland Theatre until 1 November. Tickets are available through the Queensland Theatre website. Whether you’re familiar with this chapter of history or coming to it for the first time, the production offers plenty to reflect on — and a timely reason to return to the theatre.
