Multi-awarded Dennis Gupa has been recognized by the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT), Boca del Lupo and RBC Foundation’s 2023 Successor, Leadership and Mentorship (SLaM) Program, Performance Studies International (PSi), and Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre. Dennis is mentioned in the Cultural Centre of the Philippines’ Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts for his contribution to the contemporary theatrical heritage of the Philippines.

Dennis Gupa

Bridging theatre, culture, and ecological conservation

by Oscar Pantaleon Jr.

Dennis Gupa arrived for dinner right on time, a characteristic that perfectly reflects his disciplined nature. It has been three months since we last met, as he was away conducting research in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. His focus during this trip was theatre and eco-critical conservation, two fields that define his career and passions.

Although I was eager to hear more about his latest work, the joy of reconnecting after such a long time led our conversation in multiple directions. What began as a discussion of his research soon expanded into topics like physics, music, arts, and sociology. Through it all, Dennis’s dedication to making a difference through creative and intellectual work was unmistakable. By the end of the evening, he took home my interview questions, and it feels as if this article could have been penned by him.

I met Dennis a few months after he moved to Winnipeg in the fall of 2021. Since then, he has found immense joy in what he calls an “intersection of cultures.” The meeting of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers at the Forks is, for him, a symbol of the city’s cultural confluence. “It’s a beautiful and powerful image of time,” Dennis shared, describing how Winnipeg blends its past with the present in a way that elevates his spirit.

For Dennis, Winnipeg’s cosmopolitan nature, where languages, histories, and cultures coexist, serves as the perfect backdrop for his artistic work. Being a faculty member of the Theatre and Film Department of the University of Winnipeg (UW), where he enjoys the dynamic interactions with his students and colleagues, he finds inspiration in the city’s art spaces, such as the Winnipeg Art Gallery, which houses an impressive collection of Inuit art, and the Theatre District, which speaks to the city’s longstanding love for performance art.

Dennis has immersed himself in the cultural, political, and social scene of Winnipeg, particularly within the Filipino community even before relocating here. As early as 2018, he has already established connections with community leaders and organizations like Aksyon ng Ating Kabataan (ANAK), a Filipino Canadian youth group that supported him in producing his doctoral projects. He is also a board member of the Caring for our Environment - Manitoba (CEM) Inc. Through these connections, he has conducted theatre workshops and lectures on climate change and applied theatre. He believes that these experiences have helped him connect with Filipino migrants, highlighting the role that theatre can play in shaping diasporic narratives.

While Dennis has rooted himself in Winnipeg, his work and research continue to take him around the world. Over the summer, he travelled to Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom to present his research, with the immense support of UW and his home department, Theatre and Film. Last year, he was in Africa engaging with international theatre scholars and artists who opened doors to create possible partnerships connecting Canada, the Philippines, and Africa.

These international engagements have allowed Dennis to forge connections with artists and theatre groups across continents, contributing to his dream of fostering global collaborations in ecological performance. Dennis hopes that he will soon be able to offer his students a summer course that includes immersive experiences working with theatre companies in Asia, Africa, and Europe – an ambitious vision that demonstrates his commitment to bridging cultures through art.

Dennis’s upcoming talk at UW’s Centre for Research in Cultural Studies (CRiCS) offers a glimpse into the innovative scope of his research. Entitled What Does This All Have to Do with Coconuts & Rice? (and Typhoons and Climate Change),” the talk will explore the intersections between theatre, climate change, and cultural narratives in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Canada. As part of this interdisciplinary research hub, Dennis will be presenting his work to colleagues across various disciplines, fostering academic dialogue around urgent global issues.

Looking ahead, Dennis envisions a future where Filipinos in Manitoba become a “critical mass of diasporic communities” that actively confront their settler-colonial entanglements. He imagines a collective formed by a community-university relationship that goes beyond individual success stories, contributing to global progress in ways that transcend traditional notions of remittances and service work.

For Dennis Gupa, theatre is not just a form of artistic expression; it is a means to effect change. Whether through ecological conservation or the cultural empowerment of marginalized communities, Dennis’s work continues to challenge the boundaries of performance, culture, and activism, making him a vital voice in the global theatre landscape.

Photos provided by Dennis Gupa.

A theatre director, performance maker and researcher, applied-theatre practitioner and an educator, Dennis Gupa holds an MFA in Theatre (Directing) from the University of British Columbia, an MA in Theatre Arts from the University of the Philippines and he completed his PhD in Applied Theatre at the University of Victoria as a Vanier scholar. As an eco-performance researcher, he divides his time between Southeast Asia and Canada.	Dennis Gupa has directed and devised performances in Southeast Asia and North America. His recent theatre and eco-conservation research in the Philippines and neighbouring countries was under the auspices of the University of Winnipeg and its Theatre and Film Department, where he is an assistant professor.
Dennis Gupa delivered the paper, “Women, Ritual, and Power: Performative Preservation of Autonomous Leadership in the Ritualization of Prusisyon,” at the Southeast Asian Ministers Of Education Organization Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts 2024 Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, last June.	In 2022, the author attended the world premiere of “Alunsina’s Love”, a play directed by Dennis Gupa that weaves historical elements of Filipino migration in Winnipeg featuring UW BA Honours acting students Eve Ross Moore, Liam Dutiaume, Madison Chevrefils, Nicolas Firth, and Woo Jun Lim, with set & lighting design by Adam Parboosingh and costume design by Kate George. Photo by Amber Leblanc-Peitsch