VLFXX: Hinog presents new narratives ripe for the picking this June 11 to 29

Celebrating two decades of nurturing emerging and established playwrights, directors, actors, and designers, the Virgin Labfest (VLF) continues to foster its garden of brave narratives with 12 new scripts ripe for the picking. The country’s theater festival of untried, untested, and unstaged one-act plays returns from June 11 to June 29, 2025, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).

NEW SCRIPTS, NEW CONVERSATIONS

Featuring 12 new scripts by 8 virgin male and female playwrights and 4 returning playwrights in its milestone year, VLFXX: HINOG blooms into a passionate community of unheard voices and untold stories, bringing people closer through truthful and compelling storytelling.

A group of friends makes the most of their summer vacation with a mystery game in YOJ’s TBT: TAKBO, BATANG TONDO. Albin, the policeman in their little world, is baffled when the real “suspect” isn’t punished.

Liane Carlo Suelan’s ANG BATA KAG ANG ILAGA is set in St. Jerome’s Home for Children. One of the orphans, Isaac, misses his chance to take a baby rat in when it goes missing.

POLAR COORDINATES by Ade Valenzona centers on Igo’s frustration toward polar coordinates. With the looming dilemma of repeating the 10th grade, he prepares for the final exams amid a family conflict.

Former con artist Mariah repents by joining the annual Lenten Exhibit in Eljay Castro Deldoc’s MINATING NI MARIAH ANG MANTO NG MOMMY NI MAMA MARY. However, things turn when Mariah is accused of stealing the antique veil of St. Mary Magdalene.

Ivan Villacorta Gentolizo’s UNANG ARAW has four strangers accomplishing a job for the mayor. As they drive into a remote forest in Mindanao, clashing political ideals and hidden motives are revealed.

Senator Zaragoza, author of a landmark bill, is accused of money laundering during the senate hearing in Siege Malvar’s PRESIDENTIAL SUITE #2.

In Chris Joseph Junio’s MGA MAGINDARA SA SIYUDAD, entertainers Maureen and Maylene struggle to keep their shows afloat on their makeshift stage of plywood, bamboo, and iron scraps.

ANG PROBLEMA SA TROLLEY by Imuthis (Harvey Rebaya Sallador) unveils on Pandacan’s rails. An attempt to jump into the river comes with a damning secret, leaving the trolley driver and passenger wondering what to push next.

Ex-spouses Boyet and Raquel face the tragedy of nostalgia and letting go in Rolin Migyuel Obina’s THE LATE MR. REAL. Separated by COVID-19 isolation rooms, the two discuss the future of their only child, Carl.

ANNIVERSARY, written by Nelsito Gomez, follows Rob to the cemetery on his wife’s death anniversary. An older woman approaches him, sparking a conversation on regrets, grief, and deep-seated beliefs.

Jobert Grey Landeza’s MOMMY G introduces a new family member on her 65th birthday, testing her bond with her children.

A daughter finally pursues her dreams in Ryan Machado’s DON’T MEOW FOR ME, CATRIONA. While waiting for the bus with her mother, she reflects on the complex familial love that binds and breaks families.

VLFXX: HINOG will also revisit three (3) plays from last year’s edition, retelling diverse narratives that have graced the festival.

Jhudiel Clare Sosa’s IDENTITE navigates the complicated relationship between a traditional mother and her now liberated daughter.

In Joshua Lim So’s PAGKAPIT SA HANGIN, a patient’s relative catches the scheme of a doctor and his nurses. This play narrates the tough decisions made in public hospitals during the COVID-19 delta wave in 2021.

Religion and sexuality intersect in Elise Santos’ SA BABAENG LAHAT as it centers on the lives of three girls in a Catholic school.

BEHIND THE CURTAINS OF THE VLF STAGE

Apart from celebrating budding and veteran playwrights, VLFXX: HINOG prides itself on planting seeds of wisdom through its educational components: Staged Readings, Theater Talks, Playwrights’ Fair, Dramaturgy Fellowship Exhibit, and Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase.

Staged Readings presents stripped-down reading performances of selected script submissions from VLFXX: HINOG. In this edition, Andy Abellar’s WALA GINAKAMATISAN ANG ITLOG, PATAY NA SI RIZAL by Matt Ordoñez, M.E. Mejaro’s ISANG MALAKING TIPAK NG BATO SA GITNA NG ILOG, and Rex Sandro Nepomuceno’s GANIMIDE take the VLF stage.

The forum series, Theater Talks, highlights the creative and production processes behind performances. Meanwhile, Playwrights’ Fair will host conversations with renowned playwrights, as curated by veteran writer and VLF founder Rody Vera.

Delve into the science of VLFXX: HINOG’s theater-making under the mentorship of Jonas Gabriel Garcia with the Dramaturgy Fellowship Exhibit. The VLF Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase, on the other hand, is the culmination of a two-week mentorship program under the guidance of award-winning playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas. CCP Vice President and Artistic Director Dennis Marasigan will direct.

Presenting new tales of diversity and challenging perspectives, VLFXX: HINOG shows are scheduled at 2 p.m. matinee and 8 p.m. gala, while the educational components are at 5 p.m.

For more information on the festival schedule and ticket prices, visit the official social media accounts of VLF, CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino, and Writers’ Bloc on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Virgin Labfest 2025 deadline of submission on February 29

After every Virgin Labfest, budding playwrights are itching to write their own one act plays hoping that their work will be among the 12 selected to be staged two editions later.

But playwrights can also be expert procrastinators who let more than 6 months pass by without writing anything and now need a fast approaching deadline to begin their opus.

So here it is, the reminder that there is barely a month left before the submission deadline.

CALL FOR SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES FOR VLF 2025 OPEN

PINOY playwrights can now send in their unpublished and unstaged written works for submission to Virgin Labfest 2025.

For its 20th edition, the theater festival of untried, unstaged, and untested one-act plays opens its stage for entries.

The deadline for submission is on February 29, 2024, at 11:59 PM. Submissions may be sent online in .doc or .pdf format only to thewritersblocinc@gmail.com.

The call for script submissions is open to all Filipino citizens only. The festival is open to various themes and genres.

Interested playwrights must submit their manuscripts with a maximum running time of 40 minutes, about 25-35 pages long.

Submitted works MUST NOT have previously been published in book form, staged commercially for more than two (2) performances (staged readings, one-time workshop productions are allowed); and awarded any literary or drama prize in major competitions on or before the closing day of the Virgin Labfest 2024, on June 30, 2024.

Works may be in Filipino, English, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, or Ilocano. (Cebuano, Hiligaynon or Ilocano works must have accompanying Filipino translations). Entries in other Filipino languages/dialects will also be considered based on the availability and capability of performers.

Twelve (12) new one-act plays will be selected to be produced and staged in June 2025. The playwrights of the chosen scripts must be willing to undergo a script development process for their works with the creative team of the festival.

The chosen plays will be formally announced at the end of the VLF 19 in June 2024.

The Virgin Labfest is a partnership project of The Writer’s Bloc, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation, Inc., and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph), and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and check out the hashtags for more updates.

#CulturalCenterofthePhilippines

#culturalcenterph

#TheVirginLabfest

#TanghalangPilipino

#TheWritersBloc

#VLF19

#VLF2025

More sets and final thoughts on VLF 15

In a surprising turn of events, I was able to watch two more sets (Sets B and C) in this year's Virgin Labfest 15. My overall total of three sets this year is a vast improvement over the last few years combined despite being at the Cultural Center of the Philippines most of the time. Here are a few thoughts about the plays that I was able to catch and also about the VLF 15 in general.

Layeta Bucoy's The Unreachable Star tells about the homecoming of Ali (Lorrie Figueroa), an engineering student at UP who is basically the hope of the family to get them out of poverty. But instead of a triumphant return, it was a defeated and dejected Ali who came back being recently diagnosed with a mental illness. The strong and convincing performances of Tex Ordoñez-de Leon and Jonathan Tadoian (who replaced Raffy Tejada midway through the festival's run) as Ali's eccentric parents were miles apart from the best effort of the relatively new to the scene Figueroa. Ali's older flamboyant gay brother, played by Reynald Santos, tried my patience with over the top lines that were supposed to lighten up the otherwise dreary material.

In U Z Elisorio's Anak Ka Ng, Connie and her daughter Pina engage in a scathing exchange as both come to terms with a death in the family. The superb performances by Skyzx Labastilla and Krystle Valentino as the mother and daughter at odds carried this play, unfortunately exposing Figueroa's weakness a lot more. I didn't know what was the purpose of Rafael Tibayan's Niko, since he didn't serve anything to move plot or flesh out characterization. Just like in the previous play, this one ended in a kind of an ambiguous stalemate with the two characters ending up in laughter as the lights dimmed.

Undeniably, this year's crowd pleaser and most talked about play this year was definitely Wanted: Male Boarders by Rick Patriarca. With unapologetic, very gay, and camp stage direction complete with nudity, song and dance numbers, breaking the fourth wall, and most of all, Lance Rebolando's acrobatics as Melody, this play enthralled the audience. It doesn't matter that the actual material wasn't groundbreaking at all once you dig on it. But this is what draws the crowd in. Thankfully, it did bring genuine laughs.

Performances for Anthony Kim Vergara's A Family Reunion were spot on. The typical Filipino family dynamics like the squabbles between the siblings Roch (Chrome Cosio) and Hershey (Lesley Lina) and how everyone dotes on the youngest one, Nick (Joshua Martin Tayco), felt all too familiar. As the tension builds, compounded further by the revelation of Nick's Japanese/Filipina fiancee, one couldn't help but wonder how on earth could this supposed to be happy, family dinner end up well. It turned out that the father (Gie Onida) has a revelation of his own. It stopped the squabbling siblings to their senses but for everything to get all rosy all of a sudden felt too hasty for me. This was the play where an ambiguous, kind of stalemate ending with everyone still processing the dad's shocking revelation would've served better.

A totally diifferent take on ex-lovers wondering where they've gone wrong was the appeal of Dingdong Novenario's The Bride and the Bachelor. Starring the always charming Via Antonio as the Bride and Alex Medina in his theater stage debut as the Bachelor, this intimate piece had some parallel universe, astral projection phenomenon, or whatever you may call it, element in it. Basically, the Bride (wearing her wedding gown) somehow magically enters the Bachelor's pad exactly at the same time when her wedding takes place. And the two have a conversation on what happened between them and how they ended up where they are right now. Nothing earth shattering but the unusual element did give this an unusual and fresh approach to an unotherwise often tackled theme.

Surrogare by J. Dennis Teodisio featured gay lovers Adam (Roeder Camañag) and Eve (Paul Jake Paule) celebrating their 7th anniversary. What was supposed to be a romantic dinner between the two was turned upside down when Adam brought along Ana (Karen Romualdez) much to Eve's dismay. After lengthy arguments between the two lovers, they eventually agree to Adam's plan all along which was actually way too telegraphed. This play featured yet another flamboyant gay character who provided most of the humor through his one liners, mostly laced with innuendo and delivered over the top. It actually made me question on how Adam managed to stay in a relationship with him for seven years.

This also made me wonder if Eve and the other gay characters like Reynald Santos' kuya in Unreachable were written like this or turning them into flamboyant characters were a directorial decision to spice things up. It is unsettling to know that if either was the case, then gay characters have been boxed once again as the loud, comic relief.

Returning next year for the Revisited Set are Wanted: Male Boarders, Anak Ka Ng, and Herlyn Alegre's Fangirl, which is not a surprising decision. Even though I failed to see Fangirl, I've heard much praise about it. Not yet sure if VLF 16 will be at the new blackbox theater that is scheduled to be inaugurated later this year. But what is sure is that next edition will be a bit earlier with the run happening in June. It remains to be seen if I'll be able to defy all odds and catch more sets and plays next year.

Virgin Labfest 15 Set D: Deadly games, prices to pay, and big revelations

A jam-packed schedule, unpredictable weather, and upcoming birthday celebrations team up every time whenever it is Virgin Labfest season making it difficult for me to see the untried, untested, and unstaged one act plays lined up for some years now. For the festival's 15th edition, dubbed as Titibok-tibok, I was able to watch Set D so far and I hope that I'd still be able to see another set or two before VLF 15 wraps up next weekend.

Set D started with Nicolas Pichay's Larong Demonyo directed by Jose Estrella. The play is about General Videla (Leo Rialp), a retired general living at a remote island. who wants to return to the spotlight with the ultimate goal of the Presidency. Aiding him with this comeback is Efren (Johnny Maglinao), a young editor tasked to aid the general with his memoirs. But Efren is not who he seems as he is actually out for revenge for the general's past during the Martial Law years. What ensues is a chess game/power play between the two with deadly stakes.

While the chess pieces are clearly defined as either black or white, these two characters are neither as both are in  various shades of gray. With both having fatal flaws but still with a sense of honor, watching the power play between the two gets more uncomfortable as one cannot clearly root for anyone and the upper hand shifts from one to the other. This ambiguity leads to an unclear ending as to who truly ended up victorious.

The second play of the set is Sari Saysay's Wala Nang Bata Dito, directed by Tanya Lopez. As a one woman play, a lot fell on the shoulders of Venise Buenaflor playing Dolor. She delivers a lengthy monologue as a mother doing final preparations before the authorities arrive to arrest her 9 year old daughter who stabbed a soldier.

She recalls events from the past that eventually led to the dire situation that she finds herself in. A mixture of pity and disgust was elicited by her recollections as it was her desire for a quick buck earlier on that got her into such a bind. The initial price that blinded her to the consequences and then the pitiful price her body was worth magnify the tragic turn of events in her life. It was unsettling to see her despair while knowing that she was also to blame for her plight.

Thankfully, the final play of the set, Robin Miguel Obina's Ang Pag-Uulyanin ni Olivia Mendoza brought out the laughs or else it would've been such a dreary and depressing set.

Directed by Phil Noble, this play is about  Olivia (Edna Vida), an elderly woman in a retirement home, who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. The disease makes life difficult for Andres (Nonoy Froilan), the man she loves and one who also lover her back. Olivia's life gets more complicated upon the arrival of her longtime friend, the flamboyant Julia (Celeste Legaspi). This in turn results to the revelation of Olivia's secret which is one of the funniest and most unexpected twists that I've ever encountered.

This exposure of Olivia's secret threatens her relationship with Andres although the other residents of the home, Lika (Erlinda Villalobos) and Cesar (Crispin Pineda), have no issues with it. For me, too much of the play banked on this reveal that the eventual resolution to the conflict that arose between the lovers felt half-baked and  therefore unconvincing.

The crowd pleaser for this set definitely goes to Pag-Uulyanin ni Olivia Mendoza but I think that Wala Nang Bata Dito is more striking and disturbing. Since I haven't seen any other set, I cannot say how the plays in Set D hold up against the rest of this year's selections. Let's see if luck will be on my side and allow me to see other sets over the next few days.

Virgin Labfest celebrates 15 years, expands stage readings

A new lineup of untried, untested and unstaged one act plays are set to send hearts beating at the 15th edition of the Virgin Labfest happening on June 19 – July 7, 2019 at various locations of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Aside from the 15 plays lined up (12 virgin plays plus 3 revisited plays from VLF 14), this year sees the expansion of the Staged Readings. Dubbed as Once They Were Virgins, this new staged reading sets will feature the first one act play by established playwrights Jun Lana, Liza Magtoto, Chris Martinez, and Chris Millado.

Front: Raymund Barcelon, Rolin Migyuel Obina, Anthony Kim Vergara, 
Andrew Estacio, Karl Caminade, and Juliene Mendoza
Back: Handing Josef, Hobart Savior, Chris Millado, George de Jesus III,
Tuxqs Rutaquio, and Rody Vera

In celebration of 15 years of VLF, a Playwright Fair will be held on June 19, 2019, a chance for playwrights, both established and budding, to connect with their peers, audiences, potential producers, etc. and get mileage for their respective works.

Also continuing is the Virgin Labfest Writing Fellowship Program, a two-week mentoring program for young aspiring playwrights that will culminate in a staged reading of the chosen fellow's works.

Here is the line up, synopses, and schedules of the plays of Virgin Labfest 15.

Featured Plays

Set A

CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

June 19 & 28 | July 3 & 7 | 3:00 PM

June 19 & 27 | July 2 & 6 | 8:00 PM

FanGirl
by Herlyn Alegre

Director: Charles Yee

Cast: Mayen Estanero, Marj Lorico, and Mean Espinosa
Stage Manager: Jerome Aytona
Poster Design: Zoe de Ocampo

As one of the biggest boybands of the 1990s get together for a long-awaited reunion concert after 20 years, high school friends, Barbara, Jessica and Angeline, also reunite to book concert tickets to see their favorite boys. As the three friends reminisce their teenage years spent swooning over their favorite boyband, they also find themselves confronting issues from their past as concealed insecurities and unspoken resentment rise towards the surface.

Huling Hiling ni Darling
by Raymund Barcelon

Director: Ricardo Magno

Cast: Renante Bustamante, Sherry Lara, Skyzx Labastilla, Chase Salazar, Kenjie Villacorte, Liway Gabo
Stage Manager: Francisco Miguel Yabut
Poster Designer: Zoe de Ocampo

After Abet’s wife fell into a sudden coma, he calls on his mother-in-law and sister-in-law to bid her goodbye. Much to the chagrin of Abet, his overbearing mother-in-law refuses to let her daughter go and insists that she’s fighting for a reason. The sister-in-law then reveals to Abet that she and his wife made an agreement that their mother will live with them, an agreement that he only learned on that fateful day.

Isang Gabing ang Buwan ay Hila-hila ng Gula-gulanit na Ulap
by Ryan Machado

Director: Paolo O'Hara

Cast: Ybes Bagadiong and Heber O’Hara

Stage Manager: Jonalou Fabon
Poster Designer: Nicole Viray and Kweng Fernandez

In the dead of night when the moon is full, two men are secretly digging a waist-deep hole. It is uncertain whether they’re burying something or digging up treasures. Before dawn, they will lock horns with the power driving their deadliest, most guarded secret, their hunger.

Set B

CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

June 20, 23 & 29 | July 4 | 3:00 PM

June 20 & 28 | July 3 & 7 | 8:00 PM

The Unreachable Star
by Layeta P. Bucoy

Director: Mara Marasigan

Cast: Raffy Tejada, Tex Ordonez, 
Lorie Figuerroa, and Reynald Santos
Stage Manager: Rafa Lubigan
Poster Designer: Mitzi Tayer

When self-assured Tatay discovers that his youngest child Ali is giving up on her dream of becoming an engineer, he has to persuade her that he can provide for her education through the help of their barangay captain's patronage and his wife's blind faith to their patron saint. He  evicts his unapologetically gay older child from home as he is forced to hang on to his belief that he could fulfill all their dreams or risk the realization that his simplest of dreams has already metamorphosed into an unreachable star.

Anak Ka Ng
by U Z. Eliserio 

Director: Maynard Manansala

Cast: Krystle Valentino, Skyzx Labastilla, and Rafael Tibayan
Stage Manager: Bojo Barnes
Poster Designer: Jason Panuelos

Pina has spent most of her life without a mother. She has learned to rely on and love only her father. But now her father is dead. Connie, her mother, came home from abroad seemingly just to attend to the details of the funeral and burial, not to grieve. Soon, Connie will leave the Philippines again. Pina has to decide: will she forgive her mother and try to salvage their relationship, or will she cast Connie completely out of her life?

Wanted: Male Boarders
by Rick Patriarca

Director: George de Jesus

Cast: Lance Reblando, Ross Pesigan, AJ Sison, and Vincent Pajara
Stage Manager: John Mark Yap
Poster Designer: George de Jesus III

In Indang, Cavite, a trio of college students relearns the definition of desire as they try to coexist with a new enigmatic board mate.

Set C

CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

June 21, 26 & 30 | July 5 | 3:00 PM

June 21, 23 & 29 | July 4 | 8:00 PM

The Bride and the Bachelor
by Dingdong Novenario

Director: Topper Fabregas

Cast: Via Antonio and Alex Medina
Stage Manager: Carl Sy Tanseco
Poster Designer: GA Fallarme

In a moment of heightened emotion, i.e. the Bride’s actual wedding, the Bride and the Bachelor meet up. Today it is extra-special because after ten years of being together, the Bride finally gets to tie the knot, albeit to her new fiancé. This provides both the Bride and the Bachelor one last chance to look back at their failed relationship and save what’s left of it, or perhaps take their relationship one step forward. After all, ten years together is definitely a bond that’s stronger than any marriage contract.

Surrogare
by J. Dennis Teodosio

Director: Roobak Valle

Cast: Roeder Camañag, Paul Jake Paule, and Karen Romualdez
Stage Manager: Matthew Manalaysay
Poster Designer: Jhayr Lagrimas

Adam and Eve live like a typical married couple, focusing whatever they do around each other. They have committed to this fantabulous relationship for almost seven years now. Then, as they are about to feast on their anniversary dinner, Ana arrives, forcing them, not just to face their utmost fear, but, to fulfill their greatest fantasy as well. “Surrogare” is presumably about love and making things (sur)real.

A Family Reunion
by Anthony Kim Vergara

Director: Ian Segarra

Cast: Gie Onida, Chrome Cosio, Lesley Lina, Joshua Martin Tayco, and Sabrina Basilio
Stage Manager: Alpauline Peña
Poster Designer: Kaori Hayama

The family’s bunso is visiting from Japan with fianceé in hand and the job of breaking the news of their engagement to the family. He rounds up Dad, Ate, and Kuya for an evening family gathering where his guest and their exciting news are supposed to be the stars. But ghosts of family past are dredged and dragged to the surface and threaten to steal the spotlight. This play is an uncensored close-up of the Filipino family reunion, in all its hilarity and reality.

Set D

CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

June 22 & 27 | July 2 & 6 | 3:00 PM

June 22, 26 & 30 | July 5 | 8:00 PM

Ang Pag-uulyanin ni Olivia Mendoza 
by Rolin Migyuel Obina

Director: Phil Noble

Cast: Edna Vida, Nonoy Froilan, Celeste Legaspi, Crispin Pineda, and Erlinda Villalobos
Stage Manager: William Guillermo
Poster Designer: Otto Hernandez

Olivia, a 75-year old woman in a home for the elderlies, keeps her dark past to herself in fear of losing the hard fought relationship with the man she loves; among the coterie of the same senile, cranky, old people with once significant but now forgotten lives. Until one day, when Alzheimer’s Disease reveals her deepest secrets, everything she holds dear falls apart, leaving a fractured memory she might never mend back again.

Larong Demonyo
by Nicolas B. Pichay

Director: José Estrella

Cast: Leo Rialp and Johnny Maglinao
Assistant Director: Issa Manalo Lopez
Dramaturg: Ina Azarcon-Bolivar
Lighting Designer: Barbie Tan-Tiongco
Sound Designer: J Laspuña
Photography: Henriette P. Baes
Poster Designer: Tristan Ramirez
Stage Managers: Rafa Ticzon and Camille de Luna

Napipilitang mag-apply ng trabaho si Efren sa dating kinakatakutan at ngayo’y kinasusuklaman Heneral ng Martial Law dahil kailangan niya ng pang-ospital sa kanyang lolo na na may malubhang karamdaman.

Makakatunggali ni Efren ang Heneral sa isang matinding talakayan hanggang sa umabot ito sa paglalaro nila ng chess na may nakakapangilabot na pustahan.

Wala Nang Bata Dito
by Sari Saysay

Director: Tanya Lopez

Cast: Venise T. Buenaflor
Stage Manager: Roger Joshua Venzal
Costume Designer: Adrian Torres
Multimedia Projections: Elvert Bañares

One early evening in a small fishing barrio in Bikol, a mother awaits the authorities who will take her nine-year old child to prison.

Set E (Best of VLF 14/Revisited)

CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

June 20, 22, 23 & 29 | July 6 & 7 | 3:00 PM

June 21, 22, 28 & 29 | July 5 & 6 | 8:00 PM

Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida
by Dustin Celestino

Director: Roobak Valle

Cast: Jay Gonzaga, JV Ibesate, Fitz Bitana, Richard Manabat, Lian Silverio
Set Design: Carlo Pagunaling
Stage Manager: Matthew Manalaysay
Poster Design: Kim Quilicot

River Lethe
by Allan B. Lopez

Director: Chris Martinez

Cast: Paolo O’Hara, Mayen Estanero, Charm Aranton, Ian Formacion, and Roco Sanchez
Set Design: James Reyes
Stage Manager: Enzo Canon
Poster Design: Carlo Vergara

A room in a small lover’s hotel is sanitized, preparing it for its next occupant. Abe and Mara, two cancer patients who just finished with their early morning chemotherapy sessions, check in before returning to their regular lives. In snapshots, we see the few hours they are together exploring fetishes, kinks, uncanny sex and hopeless medical conditions – the nakedness of their bodies shadowing intimacies that nobody outside the room will ever know. All is left in the cramped space to be forgotten – a dip in the mythical River Lethe, where one drinks to forget.

Edgar Allan Hemingway
by Carlo Vergara

Director: George de Jesus

Cast: Guelan Luarca, Rafa Siguion-Reyna, and Ricci Chan
Set Design: Zard Eguia
Poster Design: Carlo Vergara
Stage Manager: Soc Amon

When a young man achieves a feat that many writers could only dream of, he’s thrust into a hectic life of celebrity, one unabashedly embraced by his supportive lover. But when a childhood friend shows up hoping to have a slice of the same success, an unexpected revelation brings about questions on ethics, survival, and freedom.

Staged Readings

CCP Bulwagang Amado Hernandez

Set A (Once They Were Virgins)

June 21, 2019 | 6:00 PM

Rated X
by June Lana

Director: Dennis Marasigan

Freshman
by Chris Martinez

Director: Kanakan Balintagos

Set B (Once They Were Virgins)

June 28, 2019 | 6:00 PM

Pagsasarili
by Liza Magtoto

Director: Olive Nieto

Intermedyo
by Chris Millado

Director: Baha Vergara

Set C

June 30, 2019 | 6:00 PM

Ang Pagbalik at ang Paglisan
by Karl Caminade

Director: Bong Cabrera

Multiverse
by Juliene Mendoza

Director: Pat Valera

Mula Kina Cain at Abel
by Mikaela Regis

Director: Yong Tapang

Set D
July 5, 2019 | 6:00 PM

Ang Pambansang Impyerno ng Republika ng Pilipinas
by Andrew Estacio

Director: Sari Saysay 

Lit
by Emmanuel Feliciano

Director: Eric Villanueva dela Cruz

Mema
by Joey Paras

Director: Chunchi Cabasaan

Presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, and Writer's Bloc, Inc., the Virgin Labfest, established in 2005, aims to provide Filipino playwrights a venue to present their unpublished, untried, and unstaged works to the theater going public.

A peek at the plays of the Virgin Labfest 14

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, in partnership with Tanghalang Pilipino and The Writer's Bloc,Inc., invites audiences to take a peek at the untried, untested and unstaged plays at the 14^th edition of the Virgin Labfest with the catchphrase Silip this June 27-July 15, 2018 at various venues of the CCP.

A total of 12 new plays, out of the more than 150 submissions, are set to premiere in this three week-long festival at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) while 3 plays from last year’s Virgin Labfest 13 will have a revisited run to be held at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater). Staged readings of 4 plays and works from the VLF Writing Fellowship Program will be held at the Bulwagang Amado Hernandez (CCP Conference Room).

Seated L to R: Juan Ekis, Sari Saysay, JV Ibesate, Anthony Kim Vergara,
Tyrone Casumpang, Dustin Celestino, and Dominic Lim
Standing L to R: Eric dela Cruz, Issa Lopez, Ina Azarcon-Bolivar,
Tuxqs Rutaquio, Bayang Barrios, Nanding Josef, Ariel Yonzon,
Maynard Kenneth de Guzman, and Roobak Valle

For this year, half of the 12 new plays chosen from more than 150 submissions were written by VLF virgins namely Dustin Celestino with Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida, Roin Migyuel Cadallo Obina with Mga Bata sa Selda 43, Anthony Kim Vergara with Ang Inyong mga Anak: Si Harold at Napoleon, JV Ibesate with Tulad ng Dati, Lino Balmes with Amoy Pulbos ang mga Alabok sa Ilalim ng Riles ng Tren, and Tyron Casumpang with Marawi Musicale.

Returning VLF playwrights in this year’s lineup are Sari Saysay with Ang mga Propesyunal, J.  Dennis Teodisio with Rosas, Carlo Vergara with Edgar Allan Hemingway, Ma. Cecilia dela Rosa with Labor Room, Juan Ekis with Ensayo, and Allan Lopez with River Lethe. The new plays divided into 4 sets will premiere at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

The playwrights whose works will be revisited are Ejay Castro Deldoc with Pilipinas Kong Mahal with All the Overcoat, Adrian Ho with Sincerity Biker’s Club, and Rick Patriarca with Birdcage. Staged readings of Jay Crisostomo’s Without the Drama, Peter Zaragoza Mayshi’s Dolorosa, John Lapus’ Bagyolanda, and Dominic Lim’s Asalto, and works from the Virgin Labfest Writing Fellowship Program round up this year’s Virgin Labfest 14 lineup. The Revisited plays will have their run at the Tanghalang Husent Batute (CCP Studio Theater) while the Staged Readings take place at the Bulwagang Amado V. Hernandez (CCP Conference Room).

Marawi Musicale's Bayang Barrios

Here are the Virgin Labfest 14 Silip plays and their respective schedules.

Untried, Untested, Unstaged Plays

Set A

June 27, July 6, 11, 15 | 3:00 PM

June 27, July 5, 10 and 14 | 8:00 PM

Mga Eksena sa Buhay ng Kontrabida

Written by Dustin Celestino

Directed by Roobak Valle

Jake is a villain. He is violent, selfish, and reckless. Unfortunately, Jake doesn't exist in a vacuum, and his behavior has consequences. Because Jake is a villain, people around him feel threatened, and these people look for ways to solve the problem that is Jake. Part origin story, part family drama, the play is a collection of conversations heard in the vicinity of a villain.

Mga Bata sa Selda 43

Written by Rolin Migyuel Cadallo Obina

Directed by Ian Segarra

Philip and his younger brother, Ino, are ordinary and playful children from the slums who were kidnapped by aliens. So they thought. But their dreams of escaping the alien prison cell to be reunited with their mother and ailing grandmother are shattered when they met Ed.

Ang Inyong mga Anak: Si Harold at Napoleon

Written by Anthony Kim Vergara

Directed by Ricardo Magno

Harold was just about to leave the house after feeding her grandmother for another poetry gig and an out of the country trip when he opened up a conversation with his mother about Napoleon – a former college schoolmate who was recently brutally murdered in their province. The conversation then opens up a venue for powerful insights and revelations about the mother and son’s beliefs and political stand. The play will start and end with poetry which will further tackle the mother and son’s will to exist as an ordinary citizen or a steward of change.

Set B

June 28, July 1, 7, 12 | 3:00 PM

June 28, July 6, 11, 15 | 8:00 PM

Ang mga Propesyunal

Written by Sari Saysay

Directed by Carlos Siguion Reyna

Pia is a ten-year old professional journalist who is barred from covering Malacañang. From here, she confronts reality and, along with her two friends, a doctor and a police officer, chooses to dwell in a make-believe realm of truth in order to investigate the predicaments of each other’s chosen profession while trying to discover facts about deaths – of innocent children, of freedom of expression, of democracy.

Rosas

Written by J. Dennis Teodosio

Directed by Charles Yee

In the Home for the Aged, two old men wait for the sun to set. As they reminisce, the past and the present unapologetically confront them, forcing them to reveal and admit their fears and longings, and eventually, leading them to face and accept their inevitable future. Before them, a bed of blooming roses bears as a silent witness.

Edgar Allan Hemingway

Written by Carlo Vergara

Directed by George de Jesus III

When a young man achieves a feat that many writers could only dream of, he's thrust into a hectic life of celebrity, one unabashedly embraced by his supportive lover. But when a childhood friend shows up hoping to have a slice of the same success, an unexpected revelation brings about questions on ethics, survival, and freedom.

Set C

June 29, July 4, 8, 13 | 3:00 PM

June 29, July 1, 7, 12 | 8:00 PM

Labor Room

Written by Ma. Cecilia “Maki” dela Rosa

Directed by Jose Estrella

Three women meet in the busy labor room. As they watch delivering mothers come and go, they build a short friendship, that of strong confidence and genuine concern. Three women – one, having a baby, two facing the loss of one. All are giving birth to hope.

Ensayo

Written by Juan Ekis

Directed by Eric Villanueva dela Cruz

Lolo Peds (60’s) anxiously waits for his acting partner Lola Tisha (60’s) so that they can rehearse the scene they are about to present in acting class. Tisha arrives late, protesting the script which contains a kissing scene. Tisha suspects Peds asked to rehearse so he can get his way with her. Peds accuses Tisha of being unprofessional. As they work on the scene, they both discover that they’re in for a little more than just a rehearsal.

Tulad ng Dati

Written by JV Ibesate

Directed by Olive Nieto

Returning home from being imprisoned for twenty years, Neil, a former teacher convicted for raping his adolescent student, reunites with his younger brother Norman. Home is where many of the brothers’ secrets have been formed, that Norman wishes to forget. What supposedly is a happy reunion turns sour when past issues re-emerges, forcing the two to come face to face with their darkest, most disturbing secrets.

Set D

June 30, July 5, 10, 14 | 3:00 PM

June 30, July 4, 8, 13 | 8:00 PM

Amoy Pulbos ang mga Alabok sa Ilalim ng Riles ng Tren

Written by Lino Balmes

Directed by Tess Jamias

Live-in partners Chona and Ramil argue about their misfortune inside their house beneath a railroad. A train passes by and we're transported to a TV studio in Quezon City where Ramil performs a lousy pansit monologue during the elimination round of Pera o Bayong. Then, a different train arrives.

Marawi Musicale

Written by Tyron Casumpang

Directed by Ariel Yonzon

September 24, 2017. Four months since Marawi City was attacked and invaded by the terrorist group Maute-ISIS. While soldiers in Marawi fight the war against terrorists, a group of Christian and Muslim volunteers fight a war against hunger in an evacuation center located in a municipality right beside Marawi. As they already struggle to make ends meet in order to feed all the children evacuees in the area, they face a greater adversary: the immobilizing noise of gunshots, bombing, and air raids from the war zone. And in their war against the immobilizing noise, their only weapon is music.

River Lethe

Written by Allan Lopez

Directed by Chris Martinez

A room in a small lover's hotel is sanitized, preparing it for its next occupant. Abe and Mara, two cancer patients who just finished with their early morning chemotherapy sessions, check in before returning to their regular lives. In snapshots, we see the few hours they are together exploring fetishes, kinks, uncanny sex and hopeless medical conditions - the nakedness of their bodies shadowing intimacies that nobody outside the room will ever know. All is left in the cramped space to be forgotten - a dip in the mythical River Lethe, where one drinks to forget.

Set E: VLF Revisited

June 30, July 1, 7, 8, 14, 15 | 3:00 PM

June 29, 30, July 6,7,13, 14 | 8:00 PM

Birdcage

Written by Rick Patriarca

Directed by Ian Segarra

As two of the longest-staying employees in the BPO company, Ed and Arthur have witnessed the departure of many colleagues from work. When a young teammate suddenly resigns to pursue his dreams, the two contemplate about their future in the industry, and on everything they have sacrificed to secure their comfortable lives.

Sincerity Biker’s Club

Written by Adrian Ho

Directed by Jenny Jamora

The only bikers' club of Barangay Sincerity welcomes a new member: Louella, a widow from Manila. All five original members are happy about the new addition to their club, except for one who reveals that Louella is rumored to be a drug user and that her husband was killed by the police for being a drug addict. The revelation causes dissent amongst the members. Those who fear for the club's reputation and their safety want Louella out. Some, however, feel that Louella shouldn't be punished for the tragic events of her past. All are faced with a dilemma: will they succumb to fear or will compassion win out?

Pilipinas Kong Mahal with All the Overcoat

Written by Eljay Castro Deldoc

Directed by Roobak Valle and Tuxqs Rutaquio

Ambet and Nato are behind a satirical news website that has gone on to become too popular to a fault. Ambet, on the one hand, no longer wants to write fake news stories, even though his pieces always go viral on social media. The worst part about it, people believe them as true. Nato, on the other hand, is very much driven to keep their website alive, especially now that business is doing good.

Ambet has made up his mind on leaving their business, but Nato wouldn’t let him. Things take a turn for the worse when a client comes in, demanding for a falsified account that would revise an important part of Pilipinas Kong Mahal’s history. At gunpoint, Ambet and Nato discover that the real enemy might actually be too close for comfort.

Staged Readings

Set A

July 6 | 6:00 PM

Without the Drama

Written by Jay Crisostomo

Directed by Renante Bustamante

Writers, Alister and Loraine, meet up one last time before they part ways indefinitely. They sit down in the apartment they shared as husband and wife to write a play about their romance: how they met, how they fell in love, and how that love fell apart. As they write, they reminisce; they relive their past, and understand. After writing the play, Loraine hands Alister their annulment documents. Alister leaves. Alone, Loraine types a single word: Epilogue.

Dolorosa

Written by Peter Zaragoza Mayshle

Directed by Chic San Agustin

In Dolorosa, each year for the Holy Week procession in Paete, Laguna, a family’s prized heirloom, a one-of-a-kind wooden statue of the Mater Dolorosa, is put together and made whole by three sisters: Ate Maria, Dete Alicia, and Juliana. On this Maundy Thursday, they await the visit of their mother Pilar, who mysteriously abandoned them fifteen years ago. When she arrives, the sisters will confront the ghosts of their past and one shattering truth about their beloved Dolorosa statue.

Set B

July 13 | 6:00 PM

Bagyolanda

Written by John Lapus

Directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio

Bagyolanda is about the tragic but fun experience of three generations of gays, who found themselves trapped in a beauty parlor, on the day super typhoon Yolanda hits their province. Showing resiliency & strength amidst the tragic storm, the three entertained themselves by about their favorite topic, Beauty Pageants.

Asalto

Written by Dominic Lim

Directed by Yong Tapang

On the night of her fifth “fake stroke," a hypochondriac mother tries to convince her two sons and daughter that tonight is the night that she will finally die.