2024

San Francisco State University. May 2024
The Creative Writing Department and Theatre Arts Department present GREENHOUSE 2024
”The annual Greenhouse Reading Series festival of staged plays by M.A./M.F.A. Playwriting candidates in the Creative Writing Program. There will be five readings across the week in The Lab theater located in the Creative Arts Building. Memories by Ben Zingos, Directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza”

The Rainin Foundation. April 24, 2024
2024 Rainin Arts Fellows.
”The 2024 Rainin Arts Fellows were chosen by four Bay Area jurors: TNT Traysikel (Public Space), Antoine Hunter, Purple Fire Crow (Dance), Adrian Burrell (Film) and Ayodele “WordSlanger” Nzinga (Theater). This year’s selection process placed greater emphasis on the Foundation’s artist-centered approach by recognizing a group of visionaries who received multiple nominations from Bay Area artists and cultural leaders in the Fellowship’s previous years”

48hills. April 19, 2024
Revisiting the violent time when drag was illegal in ‘The Pride of Lions’ by Charles Lewis III.
”There are some strong visuals—particularly the way director Ely “Sonny” Orquiza stages everyone forced to change out of their performance dresses into prison blues—and acknowledging the casual racism of the time works in the play’s favor. Still, Orquiza and his collaborators’ greatest accomplishment is doing so much with the limited physical space of the Theatre Rhino basement.”

Stage and Cinema. April 11, 2024
“A MAJESTY OF DRAG QUEENS BECOMES A PRIDE OF LIONS” by Chuck Louden.
"The real stars of the show are the female impersonators, whose grit and determination bond them. Director Ely Sonny Orquiza gets big performances from all his actors despite the small space.”

Theatrius. April 8, 2024
“PRIDE OF LIONS” ROARS OVER TRANSGENDER HISTORY—AT RHINO by Eli N.T.
“The Pride of Lions” takes a snippet of LGBTQ history and gives it an attention-grabbing update.”

San Francisco Chronicle. April 5, 2024
Rhino’s ‘Pride of Lions’ dramatizes century-old arrest for ‘female impersonation’ by Lily Janiak
”The show, which is directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza, dramatizes the true story of the Broadway opening of Mae West’s “Pleasure Man,” at which police arrested the whole cast — 56 performers — on indecency charges, including that of “female impersonation.”

Broadway World San Francisco. April 1, 2024
Review: THE PRIDE OF LIONS at Theatre Rhino by Steve Murray
”The Pride of Lions is a story of taking action against oppression and standing up to ignorance. That it’s set in 1928 makes it even more prescient to today’s movement. It opens with a man-on-man sex scene, beautifully staged behind a sheer curtain with careful lighting – a revolutionary and highly illegal act in 1928.”

Theatre Eddys. March 31, 2024
The Pride of Lions by Eddie Reynolds.
”Certainly Ely Sonny Orquiza has done all that is possible as director to make the space work… and the huge effort to bring this newly scripted story to the stage is highly admirable.”

Bay Area Reporter. March 19, 2024
Playwright Roger Q. Mason on their 'Pride of Lions' by Jim Gladstone.
”The premiere production of "The Pride of Lions," directed by talented Rhino regular Ely Sonny Orquiza.”

Broadway World. March 12, 2024
Theatre Rhinoceros Presents the World Premiere of THE PRIDE OF LIONS by A. A. Cristi
”The Pride of Lions is directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza, stars seven Bay Area actors, and is supported by a creative team of both local and Southern California design talent.”

Broadway World. February 2, 2024
THE PRIDE OF LIONS Comes to Theatre Rhinoceros Next Month by Steph Wild.
”The World Premiere of The Pride of Lions by acclaimed Black Filipinx playwright and Kilroys List honoree Roger Q. Mason (Lavender Men with Skylight Theatre), directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza (Driven with Theatre Rhinoceros), March 28-April 21 at Theatre Rhinoceros”

The Daily Californian. January 25, 2024
Stagebridge’s ‘The Laramie Project’ grips, astounds Berkeley’s Hillside Club by Lindsay Muangman.
”SStagebridge’s rendition of “The Laramie Project” [directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza] stuck true to the show’s profound exploration of how society changes in the face of tragedy. The resonance of its message goes beyond the confines of the stage, urging us all to be in pursuit of a more empathetic and compassionate society.”

Playbill. January 16, 2024
Roger Q. Mason'’s The Pride of Lions and The Duat to Make World Premiers by Andrew Gans.
”San Francisco's Theatre Rhinoceros will stage The Pride of Lions March 28–April 21. Directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza, the world premiere is set in 1928 as five female impersonators are imprisoned for indecency after performing in Mae West’s The Pleasure Man.”

Broadway World. January 9, 2024
Playwright Roger Q. Mason Unveils Upcoming Productions In San Francisco, Chicago, And Philadelphia by Chloe Rabinowitz.
"The Pride of Lions World Premiere presented by Theatre Rhinoceros - San Francisco, CA Directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza March 28 – April 21, 2024. In 1928, five female impersonators were imprisoned for indecency after performing in Mae West's The Pleasure Man. This is what happened on their first night in jail.”

2023

Bay Area Plays. November 10, 2023
SFBATCO’s New Roots Festival celebrates community through art by David John Chavez.
"Ely Sonny Orquiza is directing “Shidaiqu – A Partly-Historical Musical” for SFBATCO’s New Roots Festival, taking place in San Francisco Nov. 10 – 12.”

UC Berkeley; Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. July 2023
Alumni Notes: Summer 2023.
”Our alumni have gone on to prestigious graduate programs as well as successful careers as actors, dancers, scholars, journalists, directors, producers, playwrights, designers, and more.”

San Francisco Chronicle. June 9, 2023
LGBTQ+ Pride 2023 events from S.F. Bay Area arts organizations by Anne Schranger.
”The horror play by playwright Nina Ki is set in the alcohol- and lust-fueled world of the Los Angeles queer scene, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza, and performed by Sarah Catherine Chan, Zolboo Namkhaidorj, Raye Narra, Helene Park, Dom Refuerzo and Amethyst Zhang.”

Inquirer USA. May 31, 2023
Fil-Am ‘cowgirl fights for justice’ at NY playfest by Walter Ang.
”In the play co-directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza and Kayla May Paz Suarez, the title character is a “Filipinx-American cowgirl truth-teller, detective poet” who recounts, in rhyming verse, four vignettes dealing with anti-miscegenation, fraud, misogyny and public rudeness and privilege.”

Broadway World San Francisco. May 30, 2023
GUMIHO: A Free Staged Reading Announced At Theatre Rhinoceros, June 13 by A.A. Cristi
”GUMIHO: A Free Staged Reading is directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza, assistant directed by Crystal Liu, facilitated by Theatre Rhinoceros' Theatre Bay Area Arts Leadership Resident Tanika Baptiste, and performed by a cast of Bay Area actors at Theatre Rhinoceros, the longest-running LGBTQ+ theatre in the world.”

American Theatre Magazine. May 2, 2023
PlayGround Announces 2023 Festival of New Works Lineup by American Theatre Editors.
”The main lineup of the Festival of New Works includes new works by Christian Wilburn and Lauren Gorski. Wilburn’s Starlight (May 20-21) follows Sasha, whose rare autoimmune disorder has forced her to live much of her life in books when she stumbles upon one that brings her dreams to life. Ely Sonny Orquiza will direct.”

Broadway World San Francisco. April 15, 2023
PlayGround to Celebrate New Playwrights at The 27th Annual PLAYGROUND FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS in May by Blaire Ingenthron.
”This year's festival features more than a dozen new short and full-length plays, from developmental staged readings to premiere presentations, including premieres of Christian Wilburn's STARLIGHT directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza".”

Inquirer USA. March 24, 2023
SF Yerba Buena Center for the Arts honors Fil-Am artists and leaders by Walter Ang.
“This year’s YBCA 100 honorees include poet and publisher Aileen Cassinetto, community organizer Lolita Kintanar, theater director Ely Orquiza, choreographer Alleluia Panis, DJ Guerrilla Pump, journalist and musician Rocky Rivera, visual artist O.M. France Viana and visual artist Jenifer K. Wofford. The list also includes the South of Market Community Action Network and SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Heritage District’s Kapwa Gardens.”

Inquirer USA. March 13, 2023
Fil-Am’s play ‘Sticky Rice’ explores gay dating, attraction, self-worth by Walter Ang.
“[Boni B. Alvarez’s] play “Sticky Rice,” wherein a group of gay, Asian friends living in San Francisco splinters apart when one of them brings his new boyfriend into the fold,  will have a one-night-only staged reading at Theatre Rhinoceros helmed by Fil-Am director Ely Orquiza.”

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. March 8, 2023
Ely Sonny Orquiza has been nominated as one of 2023 YBCA 100 Honorees.

Broadway World SF. March 6, 2023
Theatre Rhinoceros Presents STICKY RICE: A Free Staged Reading by Steph Wild.
“Sticky Rice: A Free Staged Reading is directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza and performed by a cast of Bay Area actors at Theatre Rhinoceros, the longest-running LGBTQ+ theatre in the world.”

Inquirer USA. February 23, 2023
Fil-Am artists prep musical premiering at Kennedy Center in D.C by Walter Ang.
“Filipino American theater artists are hard at work creating the world premiere of a musical at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Musician Justin Huertas has composed the music and written the lyrics. Justine Moral stars as Fovea and Regina Aquino portrays Fovea’s mother and grandmother. Sally Imbriano is the understudy for all three characters. Kelly Colburn is assistant director, Ely Orquiza is dramaturg. Arnel Sancianco handles scenic design.”

Playbill. February 15, 2023
The Mortification of Fovea Munson Announces Full Kennedy Center Company by Margaret Hall.
“The Mortification of Fovea Munson, a new musical based on Mary Winn Heider's celebrated novel, has announced the full cast and creative team for its Kennedy Center world premiere in Washington, D.C.”

Broadway World Washington DC. February 14, 2023
Cast and Creative Team Announced For THE MORTIFICATION OF FOVEA MUNSON at the Kennedy Center by Stephi Wild.
“The full creative team includes Dramaturgy by Ely Sonny Orquiza, Scenic Design by Arnel Sancianco, Costume Design by Erik Teague, Lighting Design by Lee Fiskness, Sound Design by Cresent Haynes, Puppet Coach by Matt Reckeweg, Props by Jason Dearing, and Casting by Jorge Acevedo. Julia Singer is the Production Stage Manager, Genevieve Dornemann is the Assistant Stage Manager, and Acadia Berrengos and Kelly Colburn are the Assistant Directors.”

48Hills. January 4, 2023
2022’s highlights on stage, in a year of navigating theater’s return by Charles Lewis III.
“The 2020 lockdowns coincided with the murder of George Floyd, leading to a racial reckoning for these primarily-white institutions. We got WeeSeeYouWAT and Ely Orquiza’s “Living Document.” Theatres promised to do better. Two years later, improvements are few and far between.”

2022

KPOO 89.5FM San Francisco. December 12, 2022.
Performing Arts and Science Interview with DJ Marilynn.
“live and on-air interviews with: Michelle Leonard-Bell, Career Resource Fair at City College of San Francisco Mission Center; Ely Sonny Orquiza, “Porcelain” at Theatre Rhinoceros; Margo Hall & Darryl V. Jones, “Halie! The Mahalia Jackson Musical” at the Magic Theatre”

Broadway World SF. December 5, 2022.
Theatre Rhinoceros Presents PORCELAIN: A Free Staged Reading by Stephi Wild.
“In the core of this provocative, bold drama is a question of identity, belonging and otherness, as well as an exploration of love and connection," says Ely Sonny Orquiza, the multidisciplinary director of the reading. "What I love most about Porcelain is Yew's genius blend of poetry, imagery, and cultures that has forced me to continually reflect about the progress of the queer movement - or lack thereof- in respect to the Asian community. I'm particularly curious how the Bay Area will receive this piece, especially being in the heart of the Castro Neighborhood.”

Potrero View. October 2022.
As the Pandemic Wanes, Live Theaters Create New Scenes by Diva Harsoor.
“For the virtual Fringe Festival Analog offered a collaboration with Ely Sonny Orquiza of The Chikahan Company and Julius Rea of the Forum Collective “about what breaking the white supremacist structures in theater looks like in real time,” said Stebbins.”

San Francisco Opera. September-October 2022.
Centennial season featuring the production of EUGENE ONEGIN by Tchaikovsky.
“His pride will cost him everything. She loved him at first sight. But Onegin, an aristocrat obsessed with appearances, could never be happy with a country girl like Tatyana. Or so he thought… Ely (Sonny) Orquiza appears onstage as Guillot in his San Francisco Opera debut.”

PlayGround Press Release. September 2022.
2022 Innovators Showcase by Playground SF.
“PlayGround has announced the programming lineup for the 4th annual INNOVATORS SHOWCASE, featuring new works by the 2022 Innovator Incubator Cohort: Analog Theatre, The Chikahan Company, City Street Artists, Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project, Latinx Mafia, Native Writers’ Theater, Oakland Public Theater, Poltergeist Theatre Project, and Theatre Cultura.“

Broadway World, August 15, 2022.
PlayGround Announces 29th Season Of New Plays & Playwrights by A. A. Christi
“The season includes an extensive array of new play programming at the company's San Francisco theatre, Potrero Stage. Festival of New Works (May 8-28, 2023), featuring the premieres of Lauren Gorski's The Bramford and Christian Wilburn's Starlight [to be directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza].”

Broadway World, July 25, 2022.
Ed Harris to Take Part in Magic Theatre's 2022 Gala in August by Chloe Rabinowitz
“The Gala itself and the dinner tables will be filled with some of their amazing Resident Artists,..Join them and spend the Gala drinking, eating, and talking with Resident Artist about art and their communities, including Playwright-In-Residence Star Finch; Resident Curator Juan Amador, Campo Santo's Britney Frazier, Brian Rivera, Christopher Sauceda, Ashely Smiley, Jasmine Milan Williams; directors Doctora Karina Gutierrez and Catherine Castellanos; creator of The Living Document of BIPOC Experiences Ely Orquiza, musician Ahkeel Mestayer, filmmaker Maria Judice; and introducing their new and awe-inspiring Resident Company- Saint John Coltrane Church, led by Archbishop King, Mother Marina King, and Sister Wanika Stephens!”

University of Buffalo: Arts Management Program, May-June 2022
Arts, Culture, and Equity in the Age of COVID
“[University of Buffalo scholars] visited arts initiatives and artist initiated projects on both sides of the Bay that reflect the Bay Area’s vibrant answers to demands for equity and social justice. Students conversed with policymakers, artists, cultural workers, and administrators to get a sense of the Bay Area’s art and culture as it reemerges from the pandemic in the age of racial reckoning.“ A conversation with Ely Sonny Orquiza, co-Artistic Director of The Chikahan Company.

Broadway World, April 14, 2022.
PlayGround Announces Lineup For 26th Annual PlayGround Festival Of New Works At Potrero Stage & Simulcast by A. A. Christi
“A Cow Named Bo by Eteya Trinidad, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza. Nanay by Molly Olis Krost, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza (May 27)“

Mention on 48hills, February 15, 2022.
Review: Men are pig(food) in ‘The Kind Ones’ by Charles Lewis III
”In the aftermath of We See You WATand Ely Sonny Orquiza’s infamous “Living Document” (in which The Magic gets some unflattering mentions), San José’s plans seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.”

2021

USA Inquirer, November 17, 2021.
New Fil-Am theater group mounts health care horror drama by Walter Ang
”The cofounders had been meaning to set up shop for a while now. The pandemic catalyzed their intentions. “We acknowledge the increasingly complex work dynamics and the cultural changes happening in the theater especially in the last year,” says Ely Orquiza.”

San Francisco Chronicle, Datebook, November 15, 2021.
8 Bay Area arts and entertainment events to check out this week, Nov. 15-21 by Lily Janiak
”There’s a new Filipino American theater company in S.F., and here’s its first show… Chikahan, which was established in March, is led by three artistic directors: Ely Sonny Orquiza, Krystle Piamonte and Alan S. Quismorio. “The Act of Care” is presented as part of PlayGround’s Innovators Showcase”

San Francisco Chronicle, Datebook, November 2021.
Chikahan Company’s ‘The Act of Care’ at Potrero Stage by Lily Janiak
”Even in a theatrical era defined by loss and work-arounds, new companies are still being born. And one of the most recent newcomers, the Filipino American outfit Chikahan Company, is entering Bay Area theater with a play that both speaks acutely to our present moment and opens wide into the wilds of myth.”

Filipino Theater Artists in America, October 28, 2021.
A project that collects stories and narratives of theatre artists from the Philippines or of Filipino descent, who currently reside in the United States.
"Being Filipinx has provided me a gift of a global perspective. It has consistently reminded me of the importance of seeking guidance from our elders and ancestors, and honoring the body, mind, and spirit as a vessel for truth telling and radical imagination.”

San Francisco Chronicle, October 21, 2021.
2020 was supposed to be theater’s reckoning. 2021 suggests reasons for cautious optimism by Lily Janiak
”The document “shook a lot of people,” Orquiza recalled. “It made them wake up to say, ‘There’s a racial equity issue in Bay Area theater, and we need to acknowledge it and try to be better moving forward.’ I loved that reaction.”

Broadway World, October 13, 2021.
American Conservatory Theater Will Present In-Person Reading of Shakespeare's CYMBELINE by Steph Wild
ACT announced that William Shakespeare's Cymbeline will be the next production for A.C.T. Out Loud, a series of play readings featuring enduring works by some of the greatest minds of generations past. The creative team for Cymbeline includes Ely Sonny Orquiza (Assistant Director).

San Francisco Chronicle, October 12, 2021.
Bay Area theater artists who called out discrimination find that as some doors close, others open by Lily Janiak
“I had this huge concern that after ‘The Living Document’ was created … that I would be creating tensions with theater companies,” he recalled. And at first, he heard nothing from potential employers. “That was something I was very, very aware of,” he said.

SF Weekly, August 26, 2021.
Exit, Pursued by COVID-19 by Charles Lewis III
"Orquiza’s “Living Document of BIPoC Experiences in Bay Area Theater Companies” soon contained hundreds of anecdotes naming (or alluding to) racially-charged incidents by local theater artists and companies of all stripes — including nearly all of the companies interviewed for this article.”

Bay Area Plays, July 8, 2021.
New San Francisco theatre company ‘Chikahan’ aims to tell authentic Filipinx story by David John Chavez
"The Filipino imagination is so wild, wonderful & beautiful. The Chikahan Company will have the opportunity to dive deep into that, bring that into the world and birth those ideas for the American theatre.”

KQED, June 18, 2021.
A Year Later, Bay Area Theater Companies Reckon with BIPOC Demands by Nicole Gluckstern
“I think the Living Document urged us as artists and as a community to be more sensitive and respectful and careful towards one another, especially in association with BIPOC artists,” reflects Orquiza. “Finding all the nuances within and affirming our identities and practices and policies—I think that sets us up for success.”

Broadway World, June 6, 2021.
Leviathan Lab Announces Directors and Casting For 2021 Barbour Playwrights Award Reading Series by Steph Wild
Leviathan Lab, in collaboration with The Episcopal Actors' Guild, is proud to present the fourteenth year of the Barbour Playwrights Award Reading Series, featuring three evenings of readings of new plays by Asian American Pacific Islander playwrights. Ely Sonny Orquiza acts.

American Theater Magazine, May 21, 2021.
Playground Announces Young Playwrights Project Finalists by American Theater Magazine.
The four plays will stream online May 28 as part of the second annual PlayGround Zoom Fest. The first reading will be Late by Sky Krueger. Ely Sonny Orquiza will direct the reading.

The Young-Howze Theater Journal, April 2021.
From Number to Name Convicts Each and Everyone of Us by The Young-Howze Theater Journal.
”The cast wielded their personal lives like a scalpel cutting through the calluses of our hearts. This is why I have to give a huge shout out to our cast of performers/dramatists: Kirn Kim, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Sergio Mauritz Ang, Van Huynh, M.J. Kang, Maria Kanaka Luna, Billy Taing, Eric J. Cheng, Irv Relova, Meena Ramamurthy, Steven Liang.”

American Theatre Magazine, April 7, 2021.
Asians Under Attack: A Theatermaker’s Round Table by Kelundra Smith
7 Asian American theatre leaders, including Ely Sonny Orquiza, reflect on the rise in both hate crimes and open racism, how they’ve responded, and the support they would like to see.

Playground Newsletter, February - March, 2021.
The Innovator Incubator Welcomes Its 2021 Companies by PlayGround SF.
Founder and Co-Artistic Director Ely Sonny Orquiza’s The Chikahan Company a San Francisco based theater and performing arts company, has been selected to be part of Playground’s incubator innovator program, providing a $50,000 fiscal sponsorship for the 2021 season.

2020 and Earlier

A timeline of the moments that defined theater in 2020 — in the Bay Area and beyond by Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle.
”When Ely Sonny Orquiza published a Google Doc seeking honest accounts from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) theater artists about what kind of “white nonsense” they’d suffered at local companies, he was immediately flooded with contributions describing an industry riven by overt and covert racism, racist microaggressions, cultural incompetency and white-centric thinking.”

Curtain Calls: Theatre Rhinoceros to present ‘Debut of Georgia’ by Sally Hogarty, East Bay Times.
[Joined] together in Boni Alvarez’s “The Debut of Georgia.” Charlotte Christien plays Georgia with Melvign Badiola as Atkins. Directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza for Theatre Rhinoceros.

Theater Rhinoceros Presents THE DEBUT OF GEORGIA by Broadway World West News Desk.
Theatre Rhinoceros presents a FREE Zoom presentation: THE DEBUT OF GEORGIA by Boni Alvarez, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza on October 13, 2020 at 7pm for free.

People of color in Bay Area theater demand bold steps toward racial justice in online documents by Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle.
”Ely Sonny Orquiza, a San Francisco director, actor and teaching artist, created “The Living Document of BIPOC (Black, Indigenious and people of color) Experiences in Bay Area Theater.”

A critic responds to criticism: on being mentioned in the ‘Living Document’ by Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle.
”Ely Sonny Orquiza, the document’s creator, says he believes there’s truth in each contribution.”

John Legend’s Guest Host Monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC.
Ely Sonny Orquiza appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Grammy and Academy-Award winning singer-songwriter John Legend crashes his virtual date to set the mood.

Margo Hall, Ely Sonny Orquiza And Donna Washington Lead Stagebridge Performing Classes in BroadwayWorld News Desk.
”Ely Sonny Orquiza returns to Stagebridge with a Monologue course as well as more courses teaching older adults about the basics of digital conferencing.” Aug. 17, 2020.

The Role of Arts and Artists in Crisis in News in Context Podcast with Gina Baleria
In Part 1 of this interview, we explore the role of arts during crises, as well as how arts and artists are viewed in U.S. mainstream society. Guest panelists: Beatrice Thomas, Nicky Martinez, Ely Sonny Orquiza, and Brad Erickson.

Rethinking theater: Equity, access and support in Palo Alto Weekly by Karla Kane.
July Co-EXIST offerings include a July 17 reading of "GRIT" by Nick Malakhow, a July 18 panel discussion by queer artists of color (including Malakhow, J. Adán Ruiz, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Doy Charnsupharindr and Pear Theatre Artistic Director Sinjin Jones).

For BIPOC Bay Area Theater, A ‘Living Document’ Provides Catharsis, Calls to Action by Nicole Gluckstern, KQED Arts News.
Orquiza is proud to have brought the issues detailed in the document to the forefront. “I am hopeful that this document will inspire a movement here in the Bay Area,” he affirms. “To create an active change and accountability, and to address the inequity within their organizations.”

Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies Weekly by TDPS at UC Berkeley.
“Co-founded by TDPS students, ARC Repertory Theatre is an Asian/American theatre company at UC Berkeley dedicated to expressing ideas, exploring intersectional identities, and telling multicultural stories. The group is advised by TDPS alum Ely Sonny Orquiza, a multidisciplinary actor, director, and teaching artist.”

Theatrical Explorations by Christina Schreil, Art U News for the Academy of Arts University.
”Orquiza said it was an enriching experience to direct the students and see them put into practice what they were learning in the classroom… They were able to take artistic risks in a low-stakes production setting, examine the text closely with an ensemble, and take agency in creating an authentic character.”

The Yay w Norman Gee & Reg Clay with the local Yay Podcast.
”On the first episode of the Yay for the year 2020, I welcome Ely Sonny Orquiza, actor and director, who's last show was Driven, a Theatre Rhinoceros piece he directed. His next show will be Gloria, at ACT's Strand Theatre.”

'Driven’ — a close-quarters look at Filipino American life by Wilfred Galila.
”Not a lot of suspension of disbelief is needed for you to be drawn in by the characters and the story, which is a testament to the play’s strength and the level of acting by an ensemble cast with the right chemistry and intensity.”

Theatre Rhino recently presented the world premiere of a new drama by Boni Alvarez by George Heymont
”It’s our story, after all: a story of love, of triumph, and of representation.”

Powerful play “Driven” delights in The Castro by Lauren Sheehan-Clark.
”All in all, Alvarez’s play is charming, engaging and full of heart, giving sufficient weight to heavy topics without overwhelming its audience. It’s a testament to the powerful sincerity of queer and diverse theater, and one can only hope that the rest of the Bay Area theater scene can rise to that level.”

Boni Alvarez Makes Father & Gay’s Son Journey Memorable by Patricia L. Morin.
”Director Ely Sonny Orquiza fills the small art gallery with intensity, action, and movement, drawing us artfully into a father-son dilemma. We feel like guests at a private showing of the Filipino family’s home movies.”

Alumni Connections: University of California, Berkeley Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Ely Sonny Orquiza appeared in Cal alumni newsletter’s July notes in 2019.

Father-and-son tension in Boni Alavarez’ new play by Walter Ang.
”Filipino American playwright Boni Alvarez’s new play “Driven,” to be helmed by director Ely Orquiza, will have its world premiere in a limited three-week engagement by Theatre Rhinoceros in this city.”

Theatre Rhino charges ahead with new season by Jim Gladstone.
"There's a huge community out there looking to see narratives about themselves, to hear stories that represent them as something other than caricatures," says director Ely Orquiza, discussing "Driven," the play he's currently rehearsing for its October 31 debut.

2 Fil-Am directors helm shows for San Francisco’s Theater Rhinoceros by Walter Ang.
”Filipino American theater directors Alan Quismorio and Ely Sonny Orquiza will helm back-to-back productions for Theatre Rhinoceros’ Pop-Up Theater series.”

Announcing the Cast of Lucy Thurber’s TRANSFERS at Crowded Fire by Broadway World West News Desk.
January 9, 2019

Play inspired by labor leader Larry Itliong premieres in SF by Walter Ang. Inquirer.
September 22, 2017.

Photo essay: What it looks like to be a student at UC Berkeley by Mikaela Rafael.
A photo essay featuring Ely Sonny Orquiza in the wings of Zellerbach Hall.

Moving From Your Place with Joe Goode by Elizabeth Costello.
November 18, 2016.

Student Veterans stories take center stage in choreographer Joe Goode’s new piece “ReEntry: The Process of Resilience” by TDPS Department, UC Berkeley.
November 2016.

UC Berkeley presents award-winning choreographer Joe Goode’s ReEntry: Process of Resilience by Broadway World News Desk. November 2016.
The cast of eight TDPS students (non-veterans) tasked with bringing these stories to life includes: Joe Ayers, Linda Girón, Hesed Kim, Logan Moody, Marie Morley, Ely Orquiza, Alex Parkin, and Baela Tinsley.

Activism plays role in student-run production of Bertolt Brecht’s play by Sophia Weltman, The Daily Californian. March 2014.
The message of the third play was not as clear-cut. “The Elephant Calf” (1924-26), a fantastical play within a play, critiques the law and the theater through the trial of an elephant calf (Alyssa So) who is accused of murdering his own mother (Ely Orquiza). While a bit ridiculous, the play reveals the commercialization of the arts as well as the justice system’s ability to draw desired conclusions by manipulating lives and twisting the truth. These central themes, like those of the two earlier plays, address eternal social and political issues.