The Cultural Center of the Philippines, in partnership with its resident theater company Tanghalang Pilipino and the Writer’s Bloc Inc., hosts the Virgin Labfest, an annual theater festival dedicated to the staging of untried, untested and unstaged works, from June 27 to July 15 at various venues of the CCP.
The three-week festival promises to be a spectacular one, offering twelve new plays and four staged readings, and three revisited plays from last year’s festival all performed by outstanding thespians and directed by upcoming and established directors.
Taking Silip as its catchphrase, the festival offers a chance for writers to see their creative skills taken from page to stage. Now on its 14th year, the annual theater festival picked 12 new featured one-act works, out of more than 150 manuscripts submitted. Each expresses the complexity of human experience and create dialogues on social issues.
The new plays are divided into four sets. Set A includes: Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida, written by Dustin Celestino and directed by Roobak Valle; Mga Bata sa Selda 43, written by Rolin Migyuel Cadallo Obina and directed by Ian Segarra; and Ang Inyong mga Anak: Si Harold at Napoleon, written by Anthony Kim Vergara and directed by Ricardo Magno.
For Set B, audience can look forward to Bagyolanda, written by John Lapus and directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, Ang Mga Propesyunal, penned by Sari Saysay and directed by Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Rosas by playwright J. Dennis Teodosio, directed by Charles Yee, and Edgar Allan Hemingway by Carlo Vergara and directed by George de Jesus III.
Meanwhile, Set C is comprised of Labor Room by Ma. Cecilia “Maki” dela Rosa, directed by Jose Estrella and Issa Manalo Lopez, Ensayo by Juan Ekis and directed by Eric Villanueva dela Cruz, and Tulad ng Dati by JV Ibesate and directed by Olive Nieto.
Set D includes Amoy Pulbos ang mga Alabok sa Ilalim ng Riles ng Tren by playwright Lino Balmes and director Tess Jamias, Marawi Musicale by playwright Tyron Casumpang and director Ariel Yonzon, and River Lethe by playwright Allan Lopez and director Chris Martinez complete the list.
Three plays in the previous edition of the VLF will be remounted. These are: Birdcage written by Rick Patriarca and directed by Ian Segarra; Sincerity Biker’s Club by Adrian Ho and directed by Jenny Jamora; and Pilipinas kong Mahal with all the Overcoat by Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by Roobak Valle and Tuxqs Rutaquio.
The Staged Readings feature Without the Drama by playwright Jay Crisostomo, directed by Renate Bustamante; and Dolorosa by playwright Peter Zaragoza Mayshle, directed by Chic San Agustin.
The main play features will be staged at Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater), while the VLF Revisited will be performed at Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater), and the Staged Readings will be at Tanghalang Amado V. Hernandez.
The Virgin Labfest Writing Fellowship Program, a two-week mentorship program on the study and practice of dramatic writing for the stage, will also be held as part of the festival. The fellowship program aims to train young aspiring playwrights through a series of lectures, script critiquing, writing sessions and interactions with known playwrights, directors and selected actors.
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