The Dying and Rekindling of Sparks
Dagitab returns this September with a poignant look at romance, exploring fading love, lingering longing, and the timeless search for connection.
Words Donavil Angeles
Photos courtesy of Myra Ho
September 16, 2025
What remains when passion fades, and love is no longer a familiar face?
Scene Change invites audiences to experience the soulful storytelling of Dagitab, a stage adaptation of Giancarlo Abrahan’s award-winning Cinemalaya film. Adapted and directed by Palanca Hall of Famer Guelan Varela-Luarca, the play aims to bring the film’s emotional depth and nuanced complexity to life on stage.
The show runs from September 20-21 and 27-28 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati. This season features six performances and an expanded audience capacity of 200 seats, a significant increase from its initial run with just 80.
Rawness of love
In Abrahan’s Dagitab, the slow unraveling of a life built over two decades leads to unexpected encounters and emerging truths, confronting both new emotions and those that have long lingered, along with a deep yearning for the past.
At its core, however, lies a timeless desire: to reignite the spark and forge an intense connection with another; the ache for something raw, electrifying, and inevitably fleeting.
Set against the backdrop of a long, unraveling marriage, Dagitab follows the story of Issey and Jimmy, two writers and professors at the University of the Philippines Diliman who find themselves on the brink of separation.
As the play explores the quiet complexities of love, aging, and unmet expectations, Issey and Jimmy’s relationship reflects a reality many face: a marriage that endures despite emotional distance and lingering unhappiness.
From the cracks in their relationship emerge unresolved feelings, Jimmy’s search for a divine presence revives memories of his old friend Lorena, whom he becomes convinced is the deity he’s seeking, while Issey’s growing romantic connection with Gab, her student and godson, awakens emotions she can no longer ignore.
Interwoven with their story is Gab’s own journey, as he navigates his ties to Issey and forms a deep, poetic bond with Angelo, a fellow writer whose presence adds another layer to the web of love, longing, and self-discovery.
The comeback
Scene Change, a theater company dedicated to a brave, cosmopolitan, and unconventional brand of Filipino theatre-making, concluded its debut run of Dagitab last July with all shows sold out even before opening night.
Now, the much-anticipated rerun returns this September, once again bringing the acclaimed film to life on stage with its original cast: Agot Isidro as Issey, Jojit Lorenzo as Jimmy, Elijah Canlas as Gab, Benedix Ramos as Angelo, and Sam Samarita in the dual role of Lorena/Bulan.
Additionally, Guelan Varela-Luarca will lead the creative team, which includes D Cortezano for set design, JM Cabling for movement, Jethro Nibaten in lighting, Carlos Hombrebueno for sound, and writer Giancarlo Abrahan for the dramaturgy.
Dagitab
Since its premiere at the 10th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Dagitab has continued to earn critical acclaim, awards, and a devoted following.
Giancarlo Abrahan won Best Director and Best Screenplay at Cinemalaya, setting the stage for the film’s continued success. The Young Critics Circle recognized it as the Best Debut Feature of 2014, while the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers ranked it at the top of their 2014 film poll in multiple categories: Best Film, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Scene.
The film also garnered 14 nominations at the Gawad Urian and received a Best Screenplay nomination at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
More than a decade since its release, Dagitab remains a resonant and widely viewed work. It is an enduring testament to Abrahan’s bold and artistic storytelling, a remarkable contribution to contemporary Philippine cinema.
Its stage adaptation, brought to life by Guelan Varela-Luarca, extends the film’s legacy, transforming it into a mesmerizing performance that continues to spark something in both longtime fans and new audiences alike.
Dagitab returns to the stage with six performances this September, opening on September 20 with shows at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, followed on September 21 at 2:00 PM. The second weekend runs on September 27, also with 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM showtimes, and concludes with a final show on September 28 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are available at ticket2me.net/event/22515.
