From Chorus Line to Director's Chair: Karla Puno Garcia's Filipino Homecoming

Full-circle moments are incredibly rare, and Emmy Award-winning director, choreographer, performer, director, and educator Karla Puno Garcia is in the midst of one as she takes on the director's chair for the Manila staging of A Chorus Line. Not only is she returning to her roots as a chorus member, but the Filipino-American from Broadway is also coming home to the country she grew up visiting every other year with her family.

"It's very special. I grew up coming to the Philippines; my family would take me back every two years. I've only begun in the past few years working on a professional level here. To have this opportunity to mount a production of all Filipinos, about a subject matter that I know so well—that I've lived my life on Broadway being a chorus member—that is just unmatched, how special that is," she shared during a press lunch at Ayala Tower One last November 6.

A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. It revolutionized Broadway by stripping away the glamour to follow 17 hopeful dancers vying for eight coveted spots in a chorus line, revealing their raw personal stories in the process.

The original production ran for more than 6,000 performances, becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history until it was surpassed by Cats in 1997. It went on to win several Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Choreography; the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, among others. Meanwhile, the 1976 West End production bagged Best New Musical at the Laurence Olivier Award. A Chorus Line went on tours in North America and the U.S. in the '70s and '90s, then was revived on Broadway in 2006 and on the West End in 2013.

'A Chorus Line' Director and Choreographer, Karla Garcia Puno

This highly anticipated show is scheduled to run from March 12 to 29, 2026, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. It is produced by Theatre Group Asia (TGA), which also brought us the sold-out Into the Woods.

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Karla Puno Garcia's Connection to A Chorus Line

While Garcia lived most of her life as an artist, which is basically what A Chorus Line is all about, she admits that she "really didn't connect" with the musical when she was younger. "To me, it felt more like a time capsule, like very traditional, even though it was the Hamilton of its time."

She has more affinity for the movie, which came out in 1985, with Michael Douglas and Terrence Mann. "That was more accessible to me because it was on film. It has one of my favorite dance moments when the character Bebe [Michelle Johnston] is asked to come forward to demonstrate a dance. I saw myself in that scene because I was very shy, but then when I dance, you can't stop me."

Garcia was also able to catch the 2006 revival, "and it brought new life to it," she said. At that moment, she finally saw that it was a reflection of what she does for a living. "After having lived 20 years as an ensemble member, those stories are timeless. It's about resilience and coming from different places to dance together. It has much more weight now."

Garcia, raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, started dancing at a young age, training in both studio and traditional Filipino folk dance. At the age of 12, she joined the professional production of Debbie Allen’s Brothers of the Knight. Garcia earned her BFA in Dance from NYU Tisch, and eventually landed performing credits in Hamilton (as its first Filipino cast member and dance captain), West Side Story, and Wicked. She made history in 2023 as the first woman of color to choreograph the Tony Awards, earning an Emmy for her work.

The opportunity to direct the Manila production came swiftly and unexpectedly. Garcia was on her way to Japan to choreograph Tick, Tick... Boom!!, when Clint Ramos (TGA’s Overall Artistic and Creative Director) called her and asked if she wanted to direct and choreograph A Chorus Line. "Just like that. And I said, 'Yes, absolutely'," she recalled.

Karla Garcia Puno with Associate Choreographer JM Cabling at the NYC production casting call and workshop

Garcia as Director and Choreographer

True to form, A Chorus Line's audition process drew nearly 300 performers from the Philippines and abroad, with the search beginning in New York City, where Garcia personally conducted the casting call. This continued with auditions all over the country, with castings held at various Ayala Malls and Seda Hotels across regions.

"I got all the videos, and I'm able to see all the audition videos from Manila and Cebu, and everywhere that they went. There are so many people in the States who we were also considering. It’s like putting all the puzzle pieces together. Now, I'm so happy that I can be here and see everyone in the flesh and really make these final decisions with a lot of information," Garcia shared, finally getting the chance to join the callbacks now that she's in Manila.

The director-choreographer detailed the specific qualities she seeks in her ensemble. The performers must be a "triple threat (singing, acting, dancing)" with a "fiery commitment to the material." She stressed that the show is essentially a celebration of the ensemble, noting that chorus members "are the backbone of musicals."

Most importantly, she prioritizes the performer's sense of self and cultural identity. She wants the cast to "embrace who they are." She explained: "It's not about conforming because the moment that I let that go, I think that I felt very powerful."

It cannot be denied that Filipino theater has always been in the big leagues, more so, its world-class talents. "Filipinos are the best singers, and they are great dancers. We are one of the most talented people," Garcia said. More importantly, she is "always in awe of the work ethic of Filipinos," an important element for this kind of material.

A Chorus Line as a Homecoming

For Garcia, directing A Chorus Line in Manila is not just about her as a Filipino in the diaspora taking space in Philippine theater, but rather it's a profound emotional reunion. "I can confidently say it feels like family. I feel like I'm creating a show with my cousins," she quips.

And this sense of belongingness could not be more apt to convey the show's universal truth: "I think it's discovering who you are, like it's really just learning what your identity is to yourself and to others, and it's really a theme of reflection, is the bottom line."

A Chorus Line runs from March 12 to 29, 2026, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati. Tickets are available through Ticketworld, with prices ranging from P900 to P5,500.