I laid low for a few months in mushy snow and thought more about the amazing bright bird. This was a really sad part of my life. I really didn’t care what happened to me. I didn’t belong anywhere even if in my heart I felt a pull towards that amazing mysterious bird. Hours, days and weeks passed. I lay half asleep, half in a daze. And then, not sudden, but more gradual, my awakening happened. It was warm. It was the Spring sunshine that stirred me. I ruffled my feathers and was surprised to see that I had physically changed. My ugly hideous body no longer belonged to me. I was strong and long. I looked into the muddy water and saw my reflection. I was a glorious bird! Me! Ugly Ducking. A swan. Like that bird I saw on the cold dark night. I was a bright bird. I had transformed. I belonged to swans and they to me. I kept my name as a reminder of my hardship and how I also belong to humble beginnings and strong endings.

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Actor’s Biography: Anjela Magpantay

Anjela works freelance as an actor, director, clown, teacher and collaborator with various artists of different disciplines. She has worked internationally as a performer and collaborator in Hong Kong and across the UK. Recent credits include Walking at Night By Myself (A Wake of Vultures), The Wolves (Withaspoon Theatre and Pacific Theatre), Foreign Radical (Theatre Conspiracy), Mis Papás (Rice&Beans Theatre) and Harvey (Western Gold Theatre). Anjela is a Co-Founder of New(to)Town Collective and currently specializing as a Cultural Consultant in multilingual Filipinx plays. Anjela lives on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Simon Fraser University.