Carabao

Carabao is a play in development depicting the trials and tribulations of a Filipino family across borders, from Manila and Cabuyao City to Toronto and Thunder Bay.

Inspired by the historic 74-hour strike at Nexperia Philippines Inc. in March 2025, the play also addresses illegal recruitment and labour trafficking of Filipino migrant workers into Canada– commonly practiced by unscrupulous agencies amidst rising anti-immigration sentiments around the world.  This work of issue-based theatre allows audiences to reflect on the contributions of everyday Filipinos in the workplace — from Chinese-owned manufacturing facilities to Canada’s long-term care homes — as well as on the power of collective action in the global labour struggle for workers.

The play will be workshopped with a director and actors over two days with a read-through open to the public at the end of each day. This will be followed by a Q&A with the playwright and Anakbayan Toronto.

Playwright: Roann Enriquez

Director: Chantelle Han

Cast: Nicco Lorenzo Garcia, Carolyn Fe, Kryslyne-Mai Ancheta, Adriano Sobretodo Jr.

Roann Enriquez is a Filipino-Canadian writer based in Mississauga, Ontario. A storyteller across multiple mediums and genres, she was previously selected for writing workshops with Diaspora Dialogues, the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Her debut short film, Wayside, is currently on the festival circuit. Roann has developed projects through programs such as the Reelworld Screen Institute’s Emerging 20 Program and Tarragon Theatre’s Local Young Playwrights Unit. While at work on a novel, a play, and a feature film, she is also a story editor and script consultant for film and TV. Roann holds a Professional Program Certificate in Screenwriting from UCLA.

Anakbayan Toronto advocates for Philippine issues and issues affecting the Filipino community in Canada. Anakbayan Toronto is a chapter of Anakbayan, a national democratic mass organization of Filipino youth with over 40,000 members around the world. Anakbayan believes that Philippine society today is not truly free or democratic. Rather, it is under the control of U.S imperialism, along with local landlords, big capitalists, and corrupt government officials. Their organizing and struggle seeks to build true national liberation for the country and the realization of the democratic rights of the people.

Tarragon Theatre is Canada’s home for groundbreaking contemporary plays. Our mission is to create, develop and produce new plays to provide the conditions for new work to thrive. Tarragon Theatre is a creation and playwrights’ theatre. We seek to create theatre that investigates artistic form, which may incorporate non-traditional practices and methods of storytelling, and may integrate other disciplines such as movement, music or non-text based performance – all toward creating enriching and provocative theatre experiences for the artist and audience.