World Premiere Play GOD WILL DO THE REST to be Presented at Latino Theater Company

Karaoke, chicken adobo and Santo Niño prayers. “We can only do our best, diba (right)?” In a follow-up collaboration to last year’s acclaimed production of This Is Not a True Story, Artists at Play joins forces with Latino Theater Company to present a warm, funny new play about a multigenerational Filipino American household. The world premiere of God Will do The Rest, written by Nicholas Pilapil and directed by Fran de Leon, will open on August 31 and run through September 29 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. Two $10 previews take place on August 29 and August 30.

Strong, glamorous family matriarch Maggie (Rinabeth Apostol) is celebrating a milestone birthday, and the de Dios family has gathered to celebrate in true FilAm style: Maggie’s longtime husband Ferdie (Reggie Lee); their eldest daughter, a former teen mom and the black sheep of the family, Connie (Ellen D. Williams) and her aspiring chef son, Tanner (Ryan Nebreja); and youngest daughter, Fritzie (Josette Canilao), a successful real estate agent, with her Jewish fiancé, Nate (Josh Odsess-Rubin). Add to the mix Maggie’s fabulously over-the-top sister, Babette (Jason Rogel), and get ready for a warm, loving, hilarious — and explosive — family reunion.

“Each of the characters has to navigate balancing their lives with love and duty to family,” says Pilapil. “Like most immigrants, Filipinos come to this country looking for a better life — but sometimes they have other, unspoken reasons. It’s not part of our culture to talk openly about things. I wanted to paint a picture of what life could be like if a family threw everything on the table, no holds barred.”

“Nicholas is writing about the Filipino American experience, but the underlying relationships parallel the experience of most immigrant families,” says Artists at Play producing artistic leader Stefanie Lau. “It’s about following the American Dream, and what some parents may have sacrificed to achieve that for their kids. It’s about the complexities of family and the joy that comes along with the hurt. Many audience members, regardless of their background, might recognize their own families on the stage.”

God Will Do the Rest was developed and workshopped at The Geffen Playhouse. It was a finalist for a 2023 New Harmony Project residency, and a Dramatists Guild Foundation semi-finalist for a nationwide virtual fellowship.

The creative team for God Will do The Rest includes scenic designer Leah Ramillano; lighting designer Omar Madkour; sound designer Jesse Mandapat; costume designers Janel “JJ” Javier and C. Yuri Son; props designer Rye Mandel; and dramaturg Andy Knight. Katherine Chou is associate director. The stage manager is Brandon Cheng. God Will Do the Rest is produced by Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company.

Artists at Play is a Los Angeles-based theater-producing collective dedicated to programming that explores the Asian American experience. Since 2011, AAP has produced theater that demonstrates the humanity and complexity of their diverse communities. They provide a platform for meaningful representation through employment opportunities, inclusive programming, advocacy and administrative and artistic resources.

The Latino Theater Company is dedicated to providing a world-class arts center for those pursuing artistic excellence; a laboratory where both tradition and innovation are honored and honed; and a place where the convergence of people, cultures and ideas contribute to the future. Now in its 39th year, LTC has operated The Los Angeles Theatre Center, a landmark building in Downtown’s Historic Core, since 2006.

God Will do The Rest opens on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m., with performances thereafter taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through September 29. Two preview performances take place on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $10–$38, except opening night which is $75 and includes a post-performance reception.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $8 with box office validation at Los Angeles Garage Associate Parking structure, 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (between 5th and 6th Streets, just behind the theater).

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (213) 489-0994 or go to www.latinotheaterco.org.

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