Resume: [opera] [theater/film]

    Banaue is a pure Filipino born in Beijing, China. She credits her heritage to make her heir to a unique tradition that provides intensity to her craft as an actor. The high sense of cultural awareness in China, with its constant drilling in the importance of fundamentals and a history that goes back thousands of years, opened her senses to the ancient world of the arts. Enriching this is her claim to the Filipino culture—molded and shaped by years of colonialism, of cultural diversity, of political ruptures, and a resilience and steadfastness of spirit. It is this Filipino spirit that empowers her with the creativity that compels her to be immediate and unburdened as an actor.

    Banaue’s first stage performance was as a nine year old ballet dancer in Collezioné ’89, a recital with Philippine National Artist for Dance, Leonor Orosa-Goquingco’s “Ben-LorBallet”. She was introduced to the Asian performing arts of dance, song, and spoken word through the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s workshop production of Ramayana in 1992. That, at twelve years of age, was when Banaue decided she wants to live the life of a performance artist.

    Banaue went on to obtain a B.A. in Theater Arts under the tutelage of Professor Emeritus, Tony Mabesa, at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. There, she shone onstage in various Dulaang U.P. productions such as Othello (Desdemona), Ms. Julia (Kristin), Blood Wedding (Leonardo’s Wife), Top Girls (Pope Joan), among many others. [Please see resume for details].

    As a professional actress, Banaue has done plays in various languages—English, Filipino, Spanish, Japanese, and some Filipino dialects. She has performed in different countries including Germany, Japan, and the United States. Some of her films have been shown in international film festivals in New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Canada, and many more.

    Banaue continually works on her marriage to her art and has recently completed her MFA in Acting degree from the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.