Queer Flipside - Filipinx storytelling comes to Art House Theatre in Jersey City
Jersey City — Art House Theatre in Jersey City will host a landmark double feature for one night only, celebrating queer Filipinx art, history, and identity on Friday, August 7, 2026.
The evening brings together two critically-acclaimed works: Because of You: A History of Kilawin Kolektibo, a documentary on queer Filipinx history, and Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother, a deeply personal solo theatrical performance exploring migration, identity, and queer experience. Both works have earned acclaim internationally, making this double bill a significant moment for Jersey City’s arts and LGBTQ+ communities.
Kilawin Kolektibo - documenting LGBTQA+ struggles
Lani Montreal in “Anak ni Tapia.”
Because of You: A History of Kilawin Kolektibo (dir. Barbara Malaran & Desireena Almoradie)
This archival documentary traces the history of Kilawin Kolektibo, a pioneering collective of lesbian and queer Filipinxs who came together in New York City in the mid-1990s seeking community amid a racist and lesbophobic society.
The film serves as an exhilarating memorial to the rebellion and nostalgia of the 1990s, and a love letter to today’s QTBIPOC community.
“Deliciously punky…deeply personal and vital.” -MovieJawn
“A triumph and a testament to history and identity.” -Cinema Sugar
Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother (written and performed by Lani T. Montreal)
Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother centers on the journey of an immigrant woman who grew up in the shadow of her celebrity mother in the Philippines. The title translates to “Child of Tapia,” a reference to the iconic character “Miss Tapia,” played by Lani’s mother, the late Mely Tagasa, on Philippine television throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Blending comedy, kundiman, personal narrative, and audience participation, the show navigates themes of memory, immigrant experience, and queer identity in a performance that is both intimate and universal.
“If writing is therapy, performing is healing others. Lani made us laugh, cry, and reflect on cross-cultural complexities, sexual fluidity, mother-daughter relationships, and feeling secure in one’s skin.” - Audience Member
Date and Time: August 7, 2026 | Doors: 6:00 PM / Show: 7:00 - 9:30 PM
Venue: Art House Theatre, 345 Marin Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Tickets: https://www.arthouseproductions.org/products/queer-flipside-august-7-2026
Queer Flipside is an official Jersey City Pride event, proudly supported by The Pride Center of New Jersey, Hudson Pride Center, Mango Tree Counseling & Consulting, and Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) - Metro New York Chapter. # (A Press Release by Catherine M. Judge)
