Fly Shaun To The USA for WCOPA 2017

Bring Shaun To The USA for the “Olympics of Performing Arts”

Last December 15, 2016, I made it thru the 2nd round of WCOPA Team Philippines auditions for Acting screened by the National Director for WCOPA 2017 TEAM Philippines himself. WCOPA (World Championships of Performing Arts) is dubbed as the “Olympics of Performing Arts” and it is going to be held in Long Beach, California in June 2017.

What I am most after in this event though is the trainings. We will experience bootcamp-type workshops with mentors who will help us with our craft. Personally, it is going to be the biggest opportunity that I have encountered.

My name is Shaun Pilapil, short for Ma Lourdes Asuncion Pilapil. Nicknamed after the musician Shaun Cassidy, I love music, although I grew up aspiring to be an actor.

I was 11-12 years old when I first got my calling to Theatre Arts. It was during a summer workshop when I realized I loved portraying characters.

I was so happy to be on stage recreating stories, but there were very scarce opportunities for theater in my town. I applied for a theater course in my dream college but my parents could not afford to send me to Manila.

My theater life became hungry until I got lucky to train under a university theater group, Dulaang Atenista. It was there when I started to act and design, where I had the opportunity to get really serious about theater.

I felt like I could not be stopped and so I flew to Bacolod City, where I enrolled myself in a month-long intensive Acting workshop and Makeup Workshop for Theatre and Film.

I flew back home in Cagayan de Oro more fuelled and energized. So, I continued doing theater acting. With so much inspiration in me, I started sharing what I learned with my old and new friends in the theater community.

In 2016, I flew to Davao City also and volunteered to be in the translated version of TVM in partnership with the women rights organization Gabriela.

Currently, I do a lot of community theater and a few short films in Cagayan de Oro. My recent projects were monologues to educate people about HIV Awareness, campaigns Against Violence Against Women and Children and local productions that highlight local artists.

In fact, I was in the middle of two theater productions when I saw the poster for the first round of WCOPA Cagayan de Oro Auditions. I felt magnetized and so I audition even if I didn't plan to.

Fast forward.

I got in TEAM PHILIPPINES!

Will you help me further my knowledge in acting thru the WCOPA 2017, please?