On stage this June

The cast of “Man of La Mancha” | Photo by Krizhal Daryl Ordas of Indio Creatives

Halfway through the year and we’ve already witnessed a fair share of compelling stories take the stage. But what’s even more exciting for theater-goers—for longtime fans and new audiences alike—is that major commercial production companies and independent theater groups continue to put out shows featuring stories worth telling and spectacles that mustn’t be missed.

June is especially inspiring as it marks the annual Virgin Labfest, a festival of new, original Filipino work. Meanwhile, other major productions this month also urge us to reflect on our pursuit of dreams, and where we’re taking the theater industry today and moving forward.

Virgin Labfest XXI

Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation, Writer’s Bloc

Runs until June 28

Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, CCP Complex, Pasay City

The annual theater festival, now on its 21st edition, spotlights unstaged and untested new original plays, exploring identity, memory, and vulnerability with the overarching theme of “hubo’t hubad”—or raw and revealing narratives.

Aside from 12 one-act plays (grouped into four sets of three plays each), the festival also features staged readings, theater talks on creative and production processes, and a playwrights fair where audiences can hear from some of the industry’s prolific writers.

Man of La Mancha

Repertory Philippines

Runs until June 28

Repertory Eastwood Theater, Eastwood City Walk, Quezon City

The musical adaptation of the literary classic Don Quixote is given a fresh treatment in this Repertory Philippines production led by director Nelsito Gomez. Here, the stately Miguel de Cervantes (and the detainees/prisoners with him) face not the Spanish Inquisition, but a more contemporary institution akin to immigration enforcement—giving the staging a tinge of modern sensibility.

The powerful cast is led by Gawad Buhay best actor Nonie Buencamino, who brings to life the timeless story of the “mad” knight Don Quixote de la Mancha. As he pleads his case, he brings in his fellow detainees into the world of Don Quijote’s imaginings, where they eventually find their hearts and ideals transformed, too.

Yemaya

9Works Theatrical

Runs until July 5

Proscenium Theater, Proscenium at Rockwell, Makati City

Based on the play “Yemaya’s Belly” by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes, this Filipino translation staged by 9Works Theatrical turns to the mythic as it follows a young boy in search of a better life. “What starts as a wondering of ‘what if’ turns into an adventure of ‘what could be’ in this fantasy-ridden tale of perseverance, hope, and the restless pull of the tides,” 9Works Theatrical says in a release. The Filipino translation thus bridges and creates parallels with the original play, set in the Caribbean islands, and our own tropical archipelago.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!

Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA)

Runs until Aug. 16

PETA Theater Center, Quezon City

Direk Euge is back, and this time she’s taking on the stage. In the fourth installment of the “Babae sa Septic Tank” franchise, the Philippine theater industry becomes the subject as Eugene Domingo, as a fictionalized version of herself, gathers trusted friends from the industry to put together a modern revival of the classic Filipino play “Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas” by Aurelio Tolentino.

The play is set to be a comedic and satirical examination of theater as a medium and an industry. Expect jokes and jabs at industry names, trends such as the popularity of musicals, questions on ticket prices and demand, and ultimately, whether we truly are in another Golden Age of Philippine Theater or not.