Filipino American actor, musician, playwright, and educator Jeremy Rafal is bringing his self-penned, semi-autobiographical solo performance to 59E59 Theaters' East to Edinburgh Festival in July and to the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August for the first time!

HELP US BRING THIS PRODUCTION TO LIFE!

The Edinburgh Fringe is in Scotland is the largest arts festival in the world, and a true celebration of some of the best emerging and established performing arts in the world. Bringing THE BOY FROM BANTAY to the Edinburgh Fringe is an important milestone for the play, with thousands of producers and theatergoers in attendance from all over the world during the month-long festival.

As you might imagine, bringing a theatrical production overseas to Scotland is expensive, especially in the times we are living in. Every dollar of your donation will go towards defraying the costs of this production, including airfare, lodging, venue rental, artist fees, and more. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Your generous support will help us bring this important new Filipino American story to international audiences, when telling our diverse, intersectional stories is desperately needed, now more than ever. Supporting this ambitious project will also help Jeremy and his team be able to bring their best work to this festival featuring some of the most daring new theater world wide. Be a part of it!

Can't contribute now? We get it, times are tough. You can still help us by spreading the word and sharing our GiveButter link: https://givebutter.com/boy-from-bantay

TICKETS TO THE EAST TO EDINBURGH FESTIVAL IN NYC

Live in or near NYC? Come support Jeremy's showing of THE BOY FROM BANTAY at the East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 Theaters, Tuesday, July 22 through Thursday, July 24, 2025!

Tickets go on sale to 59E59 Members Tuesday, April 8 at 12:00PM. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, April 15 at 12:00PM.

TICKETS TO THE BOY FROM BANTAY AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE IN SCOTLAND

Will you be in Scotland for the Fringe, you lucky duck? We can't wait to see you at our performances at theSpace UK, August 1-16, 2025!

A NOTE FROM JEREMY

This show follows my journey as an artist. Watching cartoons was a huge part of my childhood and that has led me to become a concert pianist. Along the way, you’ll meet some quirky characters like my family, piano teachers, friends, and some interesting ones in between. There will be scenes and monologues, as well as images, videos, and live piano music!

This story may be unique to me, but there is something for everybody in this show. If you were once a kid, you’ll relate to this show. If you had struggles growing up, there’s something for you in this show. If you like music, nostalgia, comedy, or anything else in between, you will love this show. You can learn more about the show at www.theboyfrombantay.com.

We hope you'll join us in bringing my story to audiences both in NYC and all over the world at the Edinburgh Fringe. Maraming salamat in advance for your support!

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jeremy Rafal was born in the Philippines, raised in Hawaii, and now a New York City based multi-hyphenate artist as an actor, musician, writer, director, and educator. He was last seen in HEART STRINGS (The Atlantic Theater), MAPLE & VINE (Constellation Stage and Screen), MACHINAL (The Mechanicals), THE KING & I (Interlakes Theatre), RICHARD III and KING JOHN (American Theatre of Actors). He is excited to finally bring The Boy from Bantay to Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025 after its premiere at FringeNYC. TV credits include "FBI", "Power Book III", "I’d Kill for You", among others. He has also appeared in films and several commercials. As a writer, his play WHERE VOICES LINGER was a 3rd runner up in Kingsman Quarterly’s Holiday Playwright Contest and his short film Exit 15 has won several accolades at film festivals including Best Dramatic Short, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and an Audience Award. Besides being an actor-musician, Jeremy is also into linguistics, jump roping, and CrossFit as a certified CF-L1 trainer. http://acting.jeremyrafal.com/ | IG: @thatonepinoyguy

ABOUT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest performance arts festival. For three weeks in August, the city of Edinburgh welcomes an explosion of creative energy from around the globe. Artists and performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city, presenting shows for every taste. Venues can be anywhere, from existing theatres and concert halls to repurposed spaces like bars, parks, buses and shipping containers. The Fringe street events bring color, excitement and vibrancy to outdoor areas, free of charge.

From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival spans every genre of live performance, including theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events. www.edfringe.com

ABOUT LEVIATHAN LAB

Founded in 2009, Leviathan Lab is an award-winning not-for-profit creative studio whose mission is the advancement of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) performing artists and their work. Through the speaking of AANHPI artists’ words, and the presentation of AANHPI bodies, presence, and gestures on stage and film, Leviathan works to open spaces that promote social justice, bridge communities, and assert the power of art to change the world. We function as a lab where early-career and established AANHPI artists can be courageous, experiment, and thrive as they create works that captivate the audiences we serve. www.leviathanlab.org

ABOUT 59E59 THEATERS

59E59 Theaters was established by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation in 2004 to grant professional space and expertise to non-profit theater companies premiering their work in New York City. Under the leadership of Val Day, Artistic Director, and Brian Beirne, Managing Director, 59E59 Theaters presents a year-round curated program of Off Broadway plays and musicals that are nurtured and supported by providing performance spaces and equipment as well as production, ticketing, FOH, marketing, and press support. As of January 2025, these theater companies receive 80% or more of the ticket revenue and pay no weekly rent to 59E59. www.59e59.org

THE BOY FROM BANTAY is a fiscally-sponsored project of Leviathan Lab, a nonprofit creative studio for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander theatre and film artists. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

The Boy from Bantay

Bring THE BOY FROM BANTAY to The Edinburgh Fringe!

Team Members