The theater festival also announces its revisited plays for the 2027 edition
For one night only, the Virgin Labfest (VLF) extends its run on August 7, 2026, at 8 p.m. at the CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).
Offering a deeper understanding of the human experience, the theater festival of untried, untested, and unstaged one-act plays will stage a special set of three plays that have lasting impressions on audiences.
Extended with three “devirginized” plays
The extended run will feature three newly ‘devirginized’ plays: playwright Floyd Scott Tiogangco’s PATAYIN ANG MGA SUROT, Gab Mactal’s LUALHATI, and John “Sweet” Lapus’ TAKSYAPO!.
Tiogangco’s Patayin ang mga Surot explores themes of state violence and the normalization of emergency through the unfolding of the Duterte administration’s final night. Within its biting satire, the play confronts the human cost of the country’s anti-drug campaign while exposing the absurdities and anxieties that haunt everyday life.
Returning VLF actors Lian Silverio and Donna Cariaga narrate the script with authenticity, alongside Janji Gamboa once again. 2026 Gawad Buhay Award for Female Lead Performance in a Play recipient Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan directs.
Themes of distance and confrontation continue in Lualhati, written by Mactal and directed by Mara Paulina Marasigan. The play revisits a decades-old relationship between two women whose love was shaped and ultimately constrained by faith. As they confront the choices that continue to define their lives, the play tenderly tackles the enduring tension between desire and devotion, revealing how love can persist despite time and sacrifice.
Actresses Angel Aquino and Jackie Lou Blanco return to reprise their titular roles. Joining them are thespians Iana Bernardez and Bea Garcia-Choy, who portray the younger versions of the lead characters.
Lapus’ Taksyapo! is derived from a Kapampangan expression for releasing frustration, which is exactly what the play delivers. Directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, it follows two strangers who meet inside a rage room and find unexpected healing and connection.
Mosang showcases her comedic timing again in the extended run, while Chamyto Aguedan takes over the role originally played by Christian Bables. Aguedan will also be playing Bables’ role in
Die Beautiful the Musical in 2027, alternating with Lance Reblando, who graced the VLF stage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tickets are priced at Php1,200.00 and will soon be available via TicketWorld. For advanced ticket reservations, you may contact Mr. King (0927 209 8978) and Mr. Joshua (0936 462 5679) of Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast for advanced ticket reservations.
Revisit VLF in 2027
Mactal’s LUALHATI, and playwright Tiogangco’s PATAYIN ANG MGA SUROT will also return for the 2027 edition, along with playwright Dustin Celestino’s ELEHIYA.
Each year, three plays are chosen from the 12 “virgin” plays featured in the current edition for a revisited staging the following year. The selection is made by a committee composed of representatives from CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino, Writers Bloc, select members of the media, and audience representatives, ensuring that both critical and public perspectives are reflected in the final choices.
Directed by director Ron Capinding, Celestino’s Elehiya delves into the emotional distance between sons and fathers through a collage of impressionistic monologues. The unexplored space between the characters is further highlighted through the confrontation of their varying masculinities as influenced by class divide and generational expectations that ultimately shaped their relationships.
‘Virgin’ actors Yan Yuzon, John Sanchez, and Dennis N. Marasigan starred alongside real-life father-and-son Carlos Siguion-Reyna and Rafa Siguion-Reyna.
Originally premiered during the recently concluded VLFXXI: Hubo’t Hubad, the works of Tiogangco, Mactal, and Celestino stood out for their undaunted engagement with themes of memory, grief, faith, love, fear, violence, and other complexities that wreathe contemporary Filipino life.
The evolution of Philippine theater through VLF
Bearing the theme Hubo’t Hubad, VLF’s 21st edition had 12 new scripts staged by eight ‘virgin’ playwrights and eight ‘virgin’ directors. Toni Go-Yadao also debuted as the co-director to Marco Viaña, spotlighting collaboration as the festival’s core.
Besides featuring plays, VLF held its annual Writing Fellowship Program, staged readings, and educational components discussing writing for the stage with renowned theater veterans as speakers.
As it extends and revisits scripts from the 21st edition, VLF devotes itself to elaborating on Philippine theater’s poignant evolution. It extends the life of exceptional Filipino plays beyond their initial festival run by bringing these productions back to the stage.
Granting new audiences the opportunity to partake in VLF’s growth, the festival of untried, untested, unstaged, and unpublished scripts also transforms them into firsthand witnesses of art’s power to bond communities and the immense talent of budding Filipino playwrights.
 extends its run on August 7, 2026, at 8 p.m. at the CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).){kind=link}