Next Attraction at the CCP

After the sensational hit of last year’s Virgin Labfest, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Tanghalang Pilipino and the Writers Bloc, in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, proudly present the second edition of untried / untested / unpublished / unstaged works, from July 7 to 16, 2006 at the CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute.

This year’s festival features fifteen plays culled from the year-long regular series of readings by the Writers Bloc, and penned by some of the country’s finest breed of vibrant and prolific playwrights:

On July 7 at 8 p.m., get a glimpse of the Virgin Labfest 2 featuring three plays from the roster.

On July 8 at 3 and 8 p.m. are three previously staged plays on people slowly losing their minds: Pragres, an adaptation of a F. Sionil José short story; Alfonso Dacanay’s First Snow of November, the Palanca-winning adaptation of Bienvenido N. Santos’ The Day the Dancers Came; and Rody Vera’s Ang Unang Aswang. The Philippine High School for the Arts' (PHSA) Dulaang Sipat Lawin Ensemble and J. William Herbert Sigmund Go direct these plays.

People in impending peril are featured in a trilogy scheduled on July 9 at 3 and 8 p.m.: J. Dennis Teodosio’s Baka Sakali, directed by Catherine Racsag; Layeta Bucoy’s Ang Anak ni Gloria, directed by Teresa Jamias; and Rogelio Braga’s Maganda Pa ang Daigdig, directed by George de Jesus III.

On July 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. is a set of heartrending plays about people caught in desperate situations: Nicolas Pichay’s Tres Ataques de Corazon, directed by Vincent de Jesus; Rody Vera’s The Return of Flor, also directed by Rody Vera; and Rene O. Villanueva’s Isang Dakilang Mama­mayan ng Republika, directed by Regina Ronquillo.

Plays highlighting hope—and hoping—in all its facets will be showcased on July 15 at 3 and 8 p.m.: Job Pagsibigan’s The Palanca in My Mind, directed by Roobak Valle; Debbie Ann Tan’s Dragon’s Breath, directed by Victor Villareal; and Niel de Mesa’s Pag-uwi ‘Pag-Undas, directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio.

On July 16 at 3 and 8 p.m. is a trio of plays that expose more than just the flesh: Liza Magtoto‘s Hubad, directed by Denisa Reyes; Argel Tuason’s Palabas/Exit, directed by Rolando Inocencio; and J. Dennis Teodosio’s Payb-Siks, directed by Phil Noble.

Tanghalang Pilipino, the CCP's resident theater company, and the Writers Bloc, an independent organization of promising and prizewinning playwrights, spearhead the festival which aims to encourage Filipino playwrights to create new works and define new perspectives in contemporary Philippine drama.

The Virgin Labfest also gathers some of the country's finest thespians from PETA, Gantimpala Foundation, Dulaang UP, Dulaang Talyer, and Tanghalang Pilipino, to name a few.

Tickets to the Virgin Labfest are at P150. For more details, please contact Tanghalang Pilipino at 832-3661, 832-1125 locals 1620/1621, 0928-250691 or Ticketworld at 891-9999.