‘VLFXX: Hinog’ presents new narratives ripe for the picking
The Virgin Labfest (VLF), the Philippines’ annual festival of untried, untested, and unstaged one-act plays, returns for its 20th edition from June 11 to 29 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) in Manila.
This year’s event, titled VLFXX: Hinog, features 12 new works by eight first-time playwrights and four returning writers, continuing the festival’s two-decade commitment to nurturing emerging and established talents in Philippine theater.
The lineup includes YOJ’s TBT: Takbo, Batang Tondo, a mystery that unfolds during a summer break; Liane Carlo Suelan’s Ang Bata kag ang Ilaga, set in an orphanage where a child searches for a missing rat; and Ade Valenzona’s Polar Coordinates, which follows a student balancing academic struggles and family conflict.
Other featured plays include Eljay Castro Deldoc’s Minating ni Mariah ang Manto ng Mommy ni Mama Mary, about a reformed con artist accused of stealing a religious relic; Ivan Villacorta Gentolizo’s Unang Araw, a political piece set in a remote Mindanao forest; and Siege Malvar’s Presidential Suite #2, which centers on a senator facing a money laundering probe.
Also part of the lineup are Mga Magindara sa Siyudad by Chris Joseph Junio, about two performers clinging to their makeshift stage; Ang Problema sa Trolley by Imuthis (Harvey Rebaya Sallador), which tackles secrets along the rails of Pandacan; The Late Mr. Real by Rolin Migyuel Obina, where ex-spouses discuss their son’s future during COVID-19 isolation; Anniversary by Nelsito Gomez, about a man who encounters a stranger during a cemetery visit; Mommy G by Jobert Grey Landeza, which explores family dynamics on a 65th birthday; and Don’t Meow for Me, Catriona by Ryan Machado, in which a daughter reflects on familial bonds while pursuing her dreams.
The festival will also restage three plays from last year’s edition: Identite by Jhudiel Clare Sosa, about a mother and daughter’s opposing views; Pagkapit sa Hangin by Joshua Lim So, a story set in a public hospital during the COVID-19 delta surge; and Sa Babaeng Lahat by Elise Santos, which explores religion and sexuality in a Catholic school setting.
Beyond the stage, VLFXX: Hinog includes educational activities such as Staged Readings of selected submissions—Wala Ginakamatisan ang Itlog, Patay na si Rizal by Matt Ordoñez, Isang Malaking Tipak ng Bato sa Gitna ng Ilog by M.E. Mejaro, and Ganimide by Rex Sandro Nepomuceno.
The Theater Talks forum series will focus on performance creation, while the Playwrights’ Fair will feature conversations with established writers curated by VLF founder Rody Vera. The Dramaturgy Fellowship Exhibit, led by Jonas Gabriel Garcia, and the VLF Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase, under the guidance of playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas and directed by CCP artistic director Dennis Marasigan, will highlight the behind-the-scenes process of developing new works.
Performances are scheduled at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., with educational components set at 5:00 p.m. throughout the festival.