BWW Interviews: Nina Lee Aquino talks EVERY LETTER COUNTS

Nina Lee Aquino has a very commendable vision - she wants to see more diversity in our world's theatres (and more specifically, here on Toronto stages). To that end, she has spent many years championing diversity in the arts and her upcoming show 'Every Letter Counts' is no exception. The play is a re-imagining of the life of an important political icon from the Philippines, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino.

The story focuses on the critical five days in Benigno's life just before he was assassinated. It is told through the eyes of his niece Bunny, a six year old who he teaches life lessons to through the game of Scrabble. The show reflects on many important issues in Benigno's life but also examines the bigger life lessons of love and mortality through the eyes of a child.

Nina sat down to speak with BWW about why this particular show is so important to her, about how she feels about diversity in the arts and her feelings on the theatrical climate of Toronto as a whole:

First off, congratulations on Every Letter Counts! Can you tell us a bit about the development of the show?

The idea and concept was first planted years ago when I was at Cahoots Theatre where Giovanni was the first person to really take notice of what I was doing. He made me a playwright in residence and the early drafts began forming. From there it continued to grow and transform into what it is today.

I was inspired after seeing Marjorie Chan's Madness of the Square. It's one of my favourite plays by her and when I saw it I loved the idea of giving voice to the voiceless in a time of revolution. In terms of Benigo's life, I wanted to write something about him from a different perspective. There are a ton of biographies and quite an extensive collection of documentaries about him but I wanted to intertwine the personal and the political in a new way.

Madness of the Square had a young voice and that really stood out in that iconic revolution. I thought it would be interesting if I could do the same thing with a story from my country and that is when I thought of Benigno and the People Power revolution. I wanted the lens to be not only a young lens, but a personal one as well.

Would you say that your play has a hopeful tone?

I think there's hope all over the place, but the play doesn't gear up towards redemption. The journey itself doesn't come to a definite conclusion, instead I leave that up to the audience. It's an acknowledgment of despair and sadness as well as hope. Benigno was revered as a hero in the Philippines but I wanted to show that he wasn't a perfect man, he had a dark side too. That side is something he reveals to his niece during the show.

What made you make the switch to writing and directing and away from acting? And why was Les Miserables your last show?

I consider Les Miserables to be my 'retirement' show in a manner of speaking. It was the last show I did before I decided that I didn't want to act and sing anymore. I have a lot of stories inside of me that I want to tell, and it takes me a long time to get the courage. I have voices in my head but I'm not always sure how to translate them.

When I came to Canada at the age of seventeen I began seeing signs that maybe my calling would be somewhere other than acting. I knew it would still be theatre, but I felt like it would be something different than being a performer. I felt that I needed to be in a different position in order to empower my community and artists and the arts itself. I saw a bigger picture that didn't have me on stage but instead pushing people to the stage, or nurturing playwrights to write for the stage.

Do you ever regret the decision?

I don't regret it, performing is something that I still do from time to time as an opportunity to learn from directors. The rare acting gigs that I say yes to are because I want to learn something new about direction. I take them as a way to grow as a director instead of a performer.

You have been an advocate for diversity in theatre - is working directly with the Asian population still near and dear to your heart?

A large part of my work and how I select my projects is driven by my beliefs and values surrounding diversity both on and off Toronto stages. Since I came onto the scene and began working and practicing theatre I have always carried that with me wherever I go - I'm an advocate for diversity in our entire community. I had to start somewhere and even before I began working with Fu-GEN I worked with Carlos Bulosan Theatre. Now I'm at Cahoots which is not just pan-Asian but instead diverse and includes all colours of the skin. I would like to grow myself and reach a lot more people and keep informing and educating as I grow. I want people to realize that you can imagine Shakespeare in colour. My goal is always going to be to have the Toronto theatre community look like the inside of a TTC bus - which is how it should be.

Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141

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