About us

Tita Collective is an all-Filipina collective composed of award-winning playwrights, comedians, musicians, dancers, theatre makers and actors. We explore different mediums to tell the stories about the Filipin* diaspora. Through theatre, comedy, music, and movement, we aspire to tell stories that: thoughtfully honour and celebrate our roots and history, explore our identities as Filipinas, represent the narratives of the Philippine diaspora in an inclusive and respectful way, and nurtures and unites community through joy and laughter.

Love, from the Tita Collective

Tita Jokes is a musical comedy about our Filipina elders, our Titas (which means Auntie - now you know). A love letter to our mothers, sisters, Lolas, and friends, this sketch comedy show explores Filipina heartache and resiliency and how we cope through song.

As Filipinas, we grew up dancing, singing, acting, and making jokes with our families. A typical Famjam usually consists of gathering around the buffet table set up by your parents, exchanging stories filled with laughter and often tsismis (which means gossip - now you know), with the not-so-distant sound of relatives singing along to Tito’s acoustic rendition of “My Way”, and cousins joining the Titas in an impromptu line-dancing battle. The celebration of life shown through these heart-filled moments is what we as the Tita Collective wanted to honour through our show, Tita Jokes. By sharing these stories, we share our people’s affection for music, humour and storytelling. By sharing these stories, we share with our audience how our Titas and Titos show us their love.

Maraming Salamat po!

We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us throughout the years.

Special thanks to the Edmonton Fringe Festival team and our techs, Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks, Gina Puntil, Lana Michelle Hughes, Yelo’d, Philippine Arts Council, and the entire Fil-Can and Fringe community in Edmonton for welcoming and embracing us.

Thank you to our generous donors so far: Kathy Connor, Sheikan Bautista, Cecilia Santiago, Vicky To, Jocelyn Tsui, Rashida Shaw, Philip Peng, Pranab Kumar, Anonymous (x2)

This is dedicated to our families and our community.

Alia Rasul  (Writer, Performer)

Alia is a Canadian Comedy Award nominated writer/performer. She received rave reviews for her performances in Generally Hospital (2018) and Tita Jokes (2019), both smash hits at the Toronto Fringe in their respective years. Her solo debut “Moro Girl” was critically acclaimed and won Patron’s Pick at the 2022 Fringe Festival. She is a member of the award-winning Tita Collective, who won Patron’s Pick, Second City Outstanding New Comedy at the Fringe Festival this year, as well as Producer’s Pick and Best Newcomer at the Toronto and Montreal SketchFests respectively.  She understudied for 2 seasons of Second City’s Mainstage hit show, She The People. She is currently the managing artistic director of Bad Dog Theatre Company.

AP Bautista  (Writer, Performer)

AP is a Dora-nominated actor, comedian, and creator based in Toronto. She is a graduate of Randolph Academy’s College program and has a Masters degree from Wilfrid Laurier in Community Music. She has performed on stages all around Canada and the US. Select credits include: Tell Tell Harbour (Mirvish/Charlottetown Festival), Ma-Buhay! A New Musical (Rainbowstage), Grow (The Grand Theatre London), Peter Pan (Soulpepper/Bad Hats Theatre), Disenchanted 1st National tour (Starvox), and In the Heights (We Are Here Prod). She is also a regular singer of the national anthems for the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. She is currently the General Manager of Bad Dog Theatre Company. 

Belinda Corpuz  (Writer, Performer)

Belinda is a Dora and BroadwayWorld award-winning actor, singer, musician, composer, theatre creator, producer and educator based in Toronto, Treaty 13. Her EP, All I Am, has garnered national radio-play, including features on CBC Radio. Her voice has been featured on film soundtracks including Robert Eggers’ The Witch, and Netflix’s In the Tall Grass. She is a member of multi-award-winning group, Tita Collective. She was featured in ACTRA’s inaugural Asian Performer Showcase. As an actor she has worked with various companies including Soulpepper, Crows, Factory Theatre, Nightwood, Cahoots, Studio 180, fu-GEN, and the Toronto International Film Festival - Writers Studio. She is the Communications and Development Coordinator at Bad Dog Theatre. She is a graduate of the the University of Toronto-Faculty of Music (BMus in Performance - Jazz Voice) and the Soulpepper Academy. Selected Acting - Theatre: Ins Choi’s Son of a Preacherman (upcoming - Pacific Theatre/NAC), Mary Mary Mary Mary (Crows - Dora Nomination), Narnia (Bad Hats/Soulpepper/Crows - Dora Nomination), Steel Magnolias (Capitol Theatre), Ladies of the Canyon (Soulpepper), Alligator Pie (Soulpepper - 4 Dora Awards), Dear Rita (Tweed & Co - 2024 BroadwayWorld Award), Ms. Titaverse (Tita Collective), Ursa: A Folk Musical (Tweed & Co/Uncommon Folk Collective), As You Like It (Canadian Stage), Tita Jokes (Tita Collective), Kwento (Tita Collective/Theatre Direct), Lady Sunrise (Factory), Hilot Means Healer (Cahoots/bcurrent), Prairie Nurse (Factory/Thousand Islands Playhouse/CBC PlayMe Podcast); Film/TV: The God of Frogs (HighballTV), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (CBS), Lola’s Wake (Canadian Film Centre), Jezebel (Reel Asian International FF), Clown Killer (Toronto After Dark FF)

Ellie Posadas  (Writer, Performer)

Ellie is a Queer Filipinx-Canadian Actor, SInger, and Creator from Toronto. She is a graduate of Randolph Academy’s Triple Threat College Program. Ellie was featured in the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of ‘Scarborough’ as ‘Edna’, based on the award winning novel by Catherine Hernandez. She was a Vancouver Film Critics Circle nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2021 for her work in Scarborough. Ellie was also featured in the 34th TFF Official Selection film, 'Wexford Plaza' (CAAMfest, Slamdance). Other credits include: ‘The Morning After'. (2018 Toronto 'Inside OUT' Festival/ Los Angeles 2019 ‘OUT fest’)‘Baby Blue Canoe’ (Toronto After Dark FF), The Penelopiad (Hart House) Emily and EV (Nota Collective) SILENCED (HERstory Counts), It's (Kind Of) A Love Story (Tree of Life Theatre), Avenue Q (The LOT), Monsters By Nature (Kindling Collective). 

Maricris Rivera  (Writer, Performer)

Maricris is a Filipina-Canadian creator, performer, producer, composer and educator. She co-produced Short Dances and has collaborated with dance companies such as Aeris Körper, Rock Bottom Movement, and TOES FOR DANCE. As a composer, she works with baby music and development companies, such as Little Rebels and ConnectED Start. You can also find her playing at various local music shows around Toronto. Previous performance credits include: Tale of a Town (FIXT Point), A New World Being Born (Carlos Bulosan Theatre), The Renaissance Woman (BOSS Dance Company), Lily (In’Trinzik Dance Project). She is an alumna of Generator’s 2019-20 Artist Producer Training program.

Justine Cargo (Stage Manager/Lighting Designer)

Justine is one who wears many hats, both fashionably and creatively in Toronto. Some of her Theatre Production credits include: Dora award winning show, Tough Jews, A Whole New World: Musical Magic of Alan Menken, Angelwalk Theatre; Beauty and The Beast, Toronto Musical Concerts (3 seasons) and the Tita Collective (since 2019). Justine is known for her role in (My) Immortal - The Web series, and has studied improv in Toronto, Chicago and New York. She produces for both theatre and Film and can be found in Film and TV working in the Art Department on various commercials and shows. Some of her work includes, Property Master for Feature Film; Baby Fever, The Business INC Series Streaming on Viva, Food Styling for the brand; Ensemble, Production Designer for the current commercial airing of Rybelsus. She hopes to continue to expand and grow her craft into more film sets and theatres in the very near future.