About Bindlestiff Studio & Bindlestiff Studio Archives

Originally opened in 1989, Bindlestiff Studio established itself, in 1997, as the only permanent, community-based performing arts venue in the nation dedicated to showcasing emerging Filipino American and Pilipino artists.

Bindlestiff Studio provides the often under-served Filipino American community access to diverse offerings in theatrical productions, music and film festivals, workshops in directing, production, acting, stand-up comedy, and writing, as well as a children and youth theater program.



BINDLESTIFF STUDIO MISSION
Bindlestiff Studio cultivates artists who reflect and celebrate the diverse values, traditions, and histories of Pilipino and Filipino American cultures through bold artistic expression and community engagement.


BINDLESTIFF STUDIO ARCHIVES MISSION
The purpose of the Bindlestiff Studio Archives (established in 2010) is to collect, document, preserve, and make accessible information and materials of past Bindlestiff Studio productions and events for educational resources and entertainment purposes for artists and community members. The current focus is creating a master list of all Bindlestiff Studio performances and events from its inception in 1989 to Present.


OUR VALUES

* FAMILY
* COMMUNITY
* KNOWLEDGE SHARING
* RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER
* ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
* PERSEVERANCE OUR HISTORY


Bindlestiff Studio was founded in 1989 and for many years flourished as an experimental theater space. In 1997, Allan Manalo, artistic director for the Filipino theater company Tongue in A Mood, became Bindlestiff's managing and artistic director. He transformed the theater into the cultural epicenter for Filipino-American performing arts in the Bay Area that exists today. In 2003, Bindlestiff lost its theater to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) which acquired its building for a low-cost housing project. In reaction to public outcry for the theater's preservation, SFRA committed to building the shell of a new 99-seat, black box theater for Bindlestiff in the basement of the newly rebuilt housing complex.



WHAT'S A BINDLESTIFF?
bin·dle·stiff A hobo, especially one who carries a bedroll. Bindlestiff Studio's logo of two interlocking rings was a symbol used by Great Depression era tramps traveling the country seeking food and work. The rings let other bindlestiffs know where food and shelter could be found and signified to never give up hope.