The Romance of Magno Rubio, set in California, tells the story of an illiterate Filipino farm laborer who falls in love through an ad and pays a co-worker to pen his love letters to the woman. Director-designer Loy Arcenas helms the play for Laguna. The cast includes Art Acuña, Ron Domingo, Jojo Gonzalez and Ramon de Ocampo — who appeared in the original Ma-Yi Theatre staging in New York last October. Orville Mendoza joins the cast for the California run. The Ma-Yi production received eight Obie Awards.

The design team includes Loy Arcenas (scenic), James Vermeulen (lighting), Myunghee Cho (costume) and Fabian Obispo (sound) — who also provides original music.

Arcenas, known as the designer for such shows as A Man of No Importance, Once on This Island and High Society, has also directed Flipzoids, Middle Finger, Watcher and Swoony Planet for Ma-Yi Theatre. He also garnered an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Set Design.

For tickets to The Romance Of Magno Rubio at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach, CA, call (949) 497-2787. For information visit www.LagunaPlayhouse.com.