Orphan Stars Shine At Bigfoot

Nov. 5, 2008 - PRLog -- The world of music, dancing and in particular, theater, can be so important in the spiritual, emotional and intellectual development of a child.  She can carry the ideas and skills acquired from her theatrical performance into the classroom, and from there, onto the stage of real life. For special needs children or for those children who call an orphanage home, these gifts are even more critical.

On October 25, 2008, the young residents of The Children’s Haven, an orphanage located in Cordova, débuted their theatrical talents in a play titled “Noah’s Ark,” as part of the Shining Stars program of the Bigfoot Asia-Pacific Foundation.

Founded in 2002, the Bigfoot Asia-Pacific Foundation’s mission encompasses educational, socio-economic and humanitarian outreach projects in and around the province of Cebu. Having parent company Bigfoot Entertainment behind such an organization makes the facilitation of this kind of endeavor very feasible.  Says Kacy Andrews, Bigfoot CEO and board member of the Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation, “Developing the children’s interests and skills in the performing arts empowers them and allows them to believe in their own abilities.” She adds, “We are happy to give our performing arts mentors, as well as our other company volunteers, the chance to share what they know with these wonderful kids.”

Fiona Cross, an employee of Bigfoot Entertainment, was the writer and director of the play, and also served as acting coach for the children in the show. When asked about her inspiration for the play, Ms. Cross said, “I wanted to produce a show that had themes which were relevant to their lives.  I chose the biblical story of Noah’s Ark because of its messages of hope, survival, and re-birth.”  Ms. Cross pointed out that the story and overall effort was motivated by the tragic death of one of the orphans, a young girl named Jacqueline.  “The memory of Jacqueline was on the minds of all who were involved.  I can’t tell you how proud I am to see the challenges that these children have overcome throughout the process.  Just as any family should, these kids have come together to build their own ark and have survived the storm by standing by each other. This is the most amazing achievement.”  

Staging this performance was three months in the making. Twice a month, Bigfoot volunteers accompanied the children to the Bigfoot facilities on Mactan Island where the volunteers would teach the children singing, dancing and acting.  The well-staged show, complete with costumes, make-up and set props, occurred in front of a substantial group of the Bigfoot Film and school community.  At the end of their performance, Bigfoot CEO Kacy Andrews encouraged the children to continue with their creative efforts, and presented some of the performers with awards.  

Ligaya Maquiling, one of the social workers from the orphanage, remarked that “these kind of activities really help with the social development of the children.  Our kids are typically shy and aloof.  This experience with Bigfoot genuinely helps these children to learn to trust others, and to build socialization skills.”

Early in December, Bigfoot’s foundation plans on staging a Christmas carol performance and fundraising event that would directly benefit the children at the orphanage.

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About Bigfoot Entertainment

Bigfoot Entertainment is an innovative entertainment company, which provides quality content, products, services and training for the global marketplace. Founded in 2002, the company continues to finance and produce feature films, television series and reality shows that are distributed throughout the world, many of which receive recognition and awards at film festivals. With primary production facilities in Cebu, Philippines and a presence in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, Bigfoot is positioned to be a viable competitor in the international entertainment industry.


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