Tuesday, 5/20/97 Lapu, the Coyote that Cares nurtures voices of
Asian Americans THEATER: Troupe to depict small-town change,
hardship in Homer-esque play ‘Ithaka’
By Kathleen Rhames Daily Bruin Staff With a name like "Lapu, the
Coyote that Cares," UCLA’s Asian American Theater Company sounds
more like a camp activity than a performing theater troupe. But
don’t be fooled. Although fifth-year founding student David Lee
admits the group’s title bears traces of UniCamp influence, Lapu,
the Coyote that Cares is a serious theater company with a new play,
"Ithaka," premiering tonight at the Northwest Auditorium. The play
deals with the scandals and heartache of a small town. "It’s about
growing up under that ‘small town phenomena,’ making friends,
memories – your definition of home," Lee said. "UCLA is a hub of
Asian American culture and yet even here, people of color are often
misrepresented. This is one way we can remedy that." Lee, who
started LCC with friends Derek Mateo and Randall Park, dubbed the
company Lapu, the Coyote that Cares through their affiliation with
UniCamp. Explaining that in UniCamp, everyone maintains both a camp
name and his real name, Lee and his partners combined their own
camp names to form the company’s unique title. Today and
Wednesday’s performances of "Ithaka," written by Lee, will be the
group’s fourth production. "Ithaka" is the tale of a man who
returns home after 20 years only to find that no one recognizes him
and that the people and places he loved as a child have changed.
The character of John Louie, played by fourth-year English student
Michael Golamco, discovers that time has served him a cruel
injustice. "He’s got a plan for how he’s going to restart his life,
but things turn out to be completely different," Golamco said. "His
experience is about time and change and missed chances." "Ithaka"
may remind audiences of Homer’s "The Odyssey." In the classic
story, Odysseus returns home and is forced to disguise his identity
from his parents and friends. Similar to its contemporary namesake,
Ithaca is Odysseus’ hometown, but it bears the Greek spelling with
a "c." While the two stories resemble each other, Lee says his play
is only loosely based on Homer’s classic. The storyline is not
specific to the Asian American community; however, the main goal of
the production is to give Asian Americans a voice in theater. "We
have a huge concentration of Asians in Los Angeles and yet UCLA was
one of the only universities that didn’t have an Asian American
theater troupe," Lee said. "We had misgivings about creating
something like this, but we went ahead and did it and it’s been a
great success." Lee hopes the success of LCC will continue with
"Ithaka." Called the "end of a cycle" by Lee, the play will mark
the fourth and last play for Lee, who will graduate at the end of
the year. It has been a year that he describes as a learning
experience. With just 30 members (all non-theater students) the
cast of "Ithaka" has taken on complex roles and dramatic subject
matter while balancing rigorous academic and work schedules. "The
actors have brought a tremendous amount of depth to these
characters," Lee said." ‘Ithaka’ is the first production where
students are playing characters that are much older and unlike
themselves. It’s been a challenge, but it’s been remarkable." For
Golamco, playing the role of John Louie is his first lead role
since he joined LCC two years ago. Now, with "Ithaka," Golamco
feels he can relate to many of the issues brought out in the show.
"It’s really illuminated a lot of things that have been going on in
my own life," said Golamco. "Things I don’t like to face but
through this character I’m able to explore." THEATER: Lapu, the
Coyote that Cares will perform "Ithaka" at the Northwest Auditorium
today and tomorrow at 8 p.m. Admission is free. For information
call 209-0803.