NEWS

April 15, 2010

On May 10, Leila will perform with the cast of Un Américain à Paris, Mary Poppins, The Belle of New York, Sweet Charity, Stramania, Zorro, des invités, Enzo Enzo, les interprètes du Roi Lion, les Cinq de Coeur.

When: May 10, 2010, 8:30 PM
Where: le Theatre Comedia (4 Boulevard de Strasbourg
75010 Paris)
Call for Tickets: 0142383460

Ticket prices : 30 euros (orchestra) 25 euros (boxes) 15 euros (balcony). 10 euros from each ticket goes to l’Association Care. Tickets go on sale 15 April.

For more info on CARE: http://www.carefrance.org/

Diva, Regard en Coulisse, le Théâtre Comédia, France Musique et l’association Care présentent

Le lundi 10 mai 2010 à 20h30 au Théâtre Comédia

La Grande Fête du Théâtre Musical
Cent artistes sur la scène du Théâtre Comédia, chanteurs, danseurs, musiciens, deux heures de spectacle, une soirée menée tambour battant, un casting de rêve pour évoquer les grandes comédies musicales, Miss Saigon, Un Américain à Paris, Mary Poppins, The Belle of New York, Sweet Charity, Stramania, Zorro, des invités, Enzo Enzo, les interprètes du Roi Lion, les Cinq de Coeur, des spectacles à l’affiche, des découvertes, des surpises….

Enregistrée et rediffusée par France Musique, qui lui consacre également une émission spéciale le dimanche 9 mai à midi dans 42e Rue de Laurent Valière.

Prix des places : 30 euros (orchestre) 25 euros (corbeille) 15 euros (balcon). Pour chaque billet vendu 10 euros seront reversés à l’Association Care. Les places seront en vente au Théâtre Comédia à partir du 15 avril.

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February 2, 2010

Leila is happy to announce her new students Naomi Heran, Karine Serafin and Alaina Minichielli!

Watch Karine Serafin in “Cinq de Coeur” at Theatre Ranelagh.

December 8, 2009

Leila is happy to announce her new students Sophia Groff, Elias Groff, Lola, Joseph Matthews and Katie Smith!

October 19,2009

Leila begins giving lessons in Paris.

Please contact us for more information.

E-mail: leila_florentino@yahoo.com

Tel: 06.14.64.72.49

August 1, 2009

Leila arrives in Paris with her husband, Christian Aubert and their daughter, Tess.

Leila will start giving voice lessons in Paris soon.

March 3009

Watch G Hannelius as “Amy” on Leo Little’s Big Show on Disney!

February 2009

Mishael Edu just got the part of Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde!

Kellyn and Andrew are cast in Jekyll and Hyde!

Catch G Hannelius on Surviving Suburbia (ABC) this Spring!

We saw Julia Rossi in “How to Eat Like a Kid” at Stars Theater in North Hollywood. Congratulations!

Julia Rossi was recently cast as the “Baroness” in “Do Re Mi to the Sound of Music” which will be playing at Pinnochio’s Playhouse (Hollywood Fight Club) on Feb. 28, March 1, 7 and 8!

November 6, 2007

Classes will be held at
Debbie Reynolds Studio starting November 11.

November 3, 2007

We’re happy to announce that Sophie Barr (6 years old) and Clarissa Dvorchak (6 years old) joined the class today!

October 20, 2007

October 20 class started today with students:

Ysabelle Arambulo – 6 years old
Tess Aubert – 7 years old
Gavrielle Brunoe – 7 years old
Kathryn Hasty – 11 years old
Reagan Regensburger – 6 years old

We look forward to Sophie Barr and Allie Dvorchak joining us in November!

Wednesday September 26, 2007Leila Florentino’s father, Alberto Florentino, will receive tonight from Philippine President Arroyo and the NY Consul General office the Presidential Achievement of Merit medallion and a Tribute from the Philippine Consul General for his work since 1953.Alberto Florentino’s response:FAMILY

I met Eva when she came to my short-story class under NVM Gonzalez. After the class, I invited her to a poetry reading at David Cortez Medalla’s “bistro” (L’Cave d’Angely) on MHdelPilar St. where David introduced us to his audience of socialites which included Gemma Cruz, Diana Recto, Diana Jean Lopez, the Cynthia Sun sisters, Marietta Enriquez, and other fans of the 14 year-old prodigy/genius?

But it was Eva who caught my interest. I started chasing her — until she caught ME.

Pretty soon, on Aug. 17, 1957, we “eloped” to Sta. Rosa, N. Ecija, on Luzon Is. In two years we had our first-born daughter who was discovered by Fides Santos Cuyugan and Maestro F. Padilla de Leon and became one of the maestro’s singers at Himig ng Lahi and one of Rey Paguio’s UP Concert Chorus singers. My second daughter finished fine arts at UP Diliman and later shifted to pop-music composition and guitar-playing. My third daughter studied at Imelda’s high school for the arts on Mt. Makiling/Los Banos where my daughter and her friends met Imelda’s new friends like Nureyev. My daughter auditioned for Miss Saigon in Manhattan and got the lead role for 2 years of 500 performances. My 4th daughter wrote about Michaelangelo Antonioni and a paper on quantum physics and later became the 4th singer in the family.

My first-born and my Miss Saigon girl got married and gave me my first 2 granddaughters who wrote a chapbook of stories and poems at age 7 and 9, studied cello and violin, respectively, and took up painting and drawing. My 3rd daughter got married to her French acting teacher and on the last day had a wedding on a bare stage with New York Mayor Dinkins officiating. She has been in Los Angeles (Hollywood) until this day and her lone daughter at 7 studies in a French school, takes up piano and acting lessons in a theater school for young talents. She joined her mother on MySpace and YouTube and gave up ballet for gymnastics.

My first granddaughter got a 4-yr scholarship at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York State.

WRITING

In 1948 I saw my name in print; won a student literary contest (prize: P15); I published my first poem.

In 1954, at 21, I won first prize in a first postwar literary contest and later self-published my first book of 5 Palanca and 2 Arena Theater prize plays.

In 1960 I was one of Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award in Manila with Ninoy Aquino, Jr and 8 other young men.

My first play was the country’s first on Phil. TV. It was performed at the FEU auditorium with Nick Agudo as director and had Belle Gonzalez (“No Othere Love”), Vic Silayan, and Jose Avellana in the cast. When I tried to collect my royalties (P20 for 2 nights) I was called “a patay-gutom” (untranslatable). I gave up royalties for the next 55 years.

In 1962 I met JoseGarciaVilla in Manila and with Lyd Arguilla (of PAG) published his Doveglion Book of Phil. Poetry in Eng. I published the first 3 titles of my Peso Books (Poems 55 and 2 other titles by Villa, then 7 more titles, and later up to 75 other books by Filipino writers. Six of my authors would win the National Artist awards for Literature.

In 1967 I was script supervisor of Cecile Guidote’s and Lupita (now) Kashiwahara’s Balintataw (I) (weekly TV drama anthology) which won trophies for 5 years and a Hall of Fame trophy, but would soon go off the air.

After 1972 I struck out on my own and joined Jimmy Navarro at ABS-CBN and made 9 other TV drama anthologies.

IMMIGRANT

When Ninoy Aquino died on the MIA tarmac, I was visiting my 2 daughters in the US but my wife in Manila panicked and said, “Stay where you are”. I worked for Macy’s New York main store until I resigned and retired after 10 years. The rest of my family joined me in New York. Now, all are living between PortlandOR and Los AngelesCA.

RETIREMENT

Eva and I retired and retreated to a senior home near Times Square. For the first time we are joining the whole family in the Philippines for our 50th-yr wedding anniversary. After lecturing at Columbia, Syracuse, Cornell, and Queens College, I continued my romance with the Computer Age and WWWebsites and Blogsites with an iMac which I bought after a brief stint with NYU.

I have turned from drama and theater in Manila to short fiction and one-act plays and have published on web e-zines and my own online publishing.

I am about to receive from Pres. Gloria A. Arroyo and the NY Consul General office the Presidential Achievement of Merit medallion and a Tribute from the PhilConGen office for my work since 1953.

I am looking forward to the new technology of Jason Epstein and Co. for a Book on Demand/ Espresso Book Machine, which will manufacture a new ATM-sized miracle digital printer from 1 to 300 cps. for only $3 to be stationed in 16,000 NYC libraries and 25,000 bookstores, but still in a beta-testing stage. Now I can continue my publishing in my old age. This is the technology I was waiting for in 1962 when I first printed my 100 books and sold them at one Philippine peso (or the equiv. of two red pennies or a British “tuppence”).

QUOTABLE QUOTES FROM ME

George Burns was proven right when he said, “I used to love women, but now I can’t, for thje life of me, remember WHY!”

Anon. “I can’t get out of this alive.”