Some stories are written. Others are stolen and celebrated by the very people who should have known better.
2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center present Ang Kawatan (The Thief), the second production of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, running June 27 and 28 at The Kabilin Center, Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Tinago, Cebu City.
Directed by 2TinCans Theatre Company member, Vanessa Fe, and written by journalist and playwright, Maverick Avila, Ang Kawatan is a tragicomedy set during a live televised book launch — Open Book with Frankie, a fading cultural program.
Celebrated novelist Mateo Robles (played by Dave Feril) takes his seat across from veteran host Frankie (played by Lord Lawrence Latonio), ready to tell the story behind his acclaimed bestselling book. What he does not expect to walk into the studio and refuse to be invisible is Ana (played by Judee Kriselle Rallos), a young woman whose trauma he silenced, repackaged, and sold as fiction.
What unfolds is a public confrontation that cracks open the creative community it is set in, exposing the fault lines of complicity, victim-blaming, and the ease with which those who control the narrative can turn a stolen truth into a prize-winning lie.
Fe notes that this story is not new. It has always been there, just repackaged the same way Mateo repackaged Ana’s truth into a prize-winning book.
“Tragedy doesn’t come in loudly. It lives in the quiet moments: a community that keeps applauding, people who knew and said nothing. I didn’t want to put a survivor’s trauma on display. I wanted people to watch this and recognize themselves not as strangers to this story, but as someone who has watched another person be exploited and stayed quiet. It’s the perfect setting to show that the live show was the one place Mateo cannot hide. However, the same system that exposed him is the one that never protected Ana,” Fe said.
The production marks Fe’s directorial debut, a milestone made more meaningful by the story she has chosen to tell. She brings to this production both a director’s precision and a woman’s intimate understanding of what it means when a survivor’s truth falls into the wrong hands.
Ang Kawatan is also the result of many years of creative partnership. Fe and playwright Avila first developed the story in college — a shared conviction that has taken three years to find its stage.
2TinCans Producing Artistic Director, Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, hopes that audiences leave Ang Kawatan carrying with them not only memories of a compelling performance, but also a renewed sense of curiosity, awareness, and responsibility.
“If the play encourages even one person to see an issue differently, ask a difficult question, or take meaningful action, then it has fulfilled its purpose,” Enclona-Henderson said.
Ang Kawatan arrives as the second installment of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, a monthly theatre series running April through November 2026. Rooted in the Bisaya concept of kulukabildo — an informal exchange, the kind of honest conversation that happens when people feel safe enough to speak freely. The series features the distinct visions of eight emerging Cebuano directors under the 2TinCans Directors Program. The series opened in March with The Second Eulogy, directed by Mario Alcoriza.
Completing the cast featuring 2TinCans Theatre Company members are Shiella Pestaño-Gemperoa as Gab, Shane Rennel Ayong as Kirby, and Grant Bacaltos as Patrick. The production is supported by stage manager Regina Binueza.
As a hub for Cebuano culture and community, The Kabilin Center continues to serve as the home for stories that demand to be told — narratives that do not ask for comfort but ask instead for honesty, attention, and the willingness to sit with what is true.
Ang Kawatan runs on June 27 at 7:00 PM and on June 28 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM at The Kabilin Center. Tickets are available online at 2tincans-philippines.yapsody.com.
Content advisory: Contains strong language and mature themes including sexual violence. Suitable for ages 15 and above. Younger audiences must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
