Virgin Labfest XX Introduces Bold New Stories
Virgin Labfest XX: Hinog bears fruit with twelve bold new plays, three celebrated encores, and one milestone year.
Words Mian Centeno
Photos courtesy of CCP
June 25, 2025
This June, Virgin Labfest (VLF) celebrates a historic milestone as it marks its 20th year of championing brave, fresh works for Philippine theater. Returning to the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) from June 11 to 29, 2025, with VLFXX:
HINOG, it introduces 12 brand-new one-act plays, three revisited works, and a full slate of educational and mentorship programs.
This season harvests the richness and maturity of two decades of courageous storytelling, featuring eight first-time playwrights (or “virgins”) and returning voices that will showcase Filipino identity, creativity, and resiliency.
Fresh Plays, Bold Voices
For its 20th anniversary, VLF presents new plays, divided into sets: BUBOT, MANIBALANG, KINALBURO, MAY ASIM PA, and PANGHIMAGAS.
Among the new works under BUBOT are YOJ’s TBT: Takbo, Batang Tondo, where a summer game takes a dark twist, and Ang Bata Kag Ang Ilaga by Liane Carlo Suelan, following an orphan searching for a missing rat. Ade Valenzona’s Polar Coordinates offers a student wrestling with math and family trouble.
Meanwhile, MANIBALANG offers Eljay Castro Deldoc’s Minating ni Mariah ang Manto ng Mommy ni Mama Mary, throwing a repentant ex-con into a church scandal. Political tensions simmer in Ivan Villacorta Gentolizo’s Unang Araw as four strangers on a mysterious job clash over ideology in the forests of Mindanao, and in Siege Malvar’s Presidential Suite #2, where a senator faces corruption allegations.
KINALBURO presents Chris Joseph Junio’s Mga Magindara sa Siyudad, which gives voice to performers clinging to their craft in a city that has forgotten them. Ang Problema sa Trolley by Imuthis offers a trolley ride mixed with silence and sorrow. The Late Mr. Real of Rolin Migyuel Obina offers a gut-retching reconnection of exes behind hospital walls.
MAY ASIM PA culminates with heartbreak in Nelsito Gomez’s Anniversary, where grief sparks a surprising encounter in a cemetery, and in Jobert Grey Landeza’s Mommy G, which challenges familial bonds at a birthday party.
Among MAY ASIM PA is actress Angelica Panganiban-Homan’s theater debut in Don’t Meow for Me, Catriona by Ryan Machado. Panganiban takes on the role of Phoebe, a daughter caught between taking care of her elderly mother and her own unspoken dreams.
Returning Voices, Lasting Impact
In honor of its roots, VLF brings back three celebrated plays from 2024 in PANGHIMAGAS. Among them are Jhudiel Clare Sosa’s Identite, Joshua Lim So’s Pagkapit sa Hangin, and Elise Santos’ Sa Babaeng Lahat, which discuss conversations on family, faith, and societal truths.
More Than Performances
Beyond the stage, VLF continues to harness talents through Theater Talks, Staged Readings, the Playwright’s Fair (curated by Rody Vera), a Dramaturgy Exhibit, and the Writing Fellowship led by Glenn Sevilla Mas and Dennis Marasigan. These programs are integral to the identity of Virgin Labfest and its mission to empower Filipino theater and playwrights.
Catch VLFXX: HINOG from June 11 to 29 at CCP. For tickets and a full schedule, follow Virgin Labfest, CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino, and Writers’ Bloc on social media.
