Dulaang UP: “Nanay Bangis” fiercely opens this November 2024!

Written by: Camille Ann Fabian, John Patric Honre Sazon, CJ Junio, and Jericho Igdanes

Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas is staging Nanay Bangis as its first offering for its 47th theatre season this November 15 to December 1, 2024. Directed by J. William Herbert Sigmund Go and adapted by Rody Vera from Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Nanay Bangis is the story of a mother who loses her children to the conflict between the MNLF and the Philippine army from 1971 to 1981. 

This DUP CLASSICS’ Brechtian staging brings together returning UP alumni, now industry professionals, and young emerging talents from the theater program in this collaboration. Ge Malacaman Villamil leads as Nanay Bangis together with Air Paz, Rona Rostata, and Fred Layno. J. William Herbert Sigmund Go, former Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director and Virgin Labfest Co-founder also returns to Dulaang UP as director and mentor for theatre students. 

10th Anniversary of SNB Theater Festival All Set from October 24 - 27

SNB Theater Festival continues to champion aspiring talents and underdogs this October 24-27, 2024 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Black Box Theater). This year is special as SNB is celebrating its 10th Anniversary.  It's also extra-special as the theaterfest expands its unique platform, not just to playwrights, directors & performers, but also to newbie SONGWRITERS.

Prospective Songwriters--numbering 30 with 80 compositions combined among them--were asked to submit songs from which only one song per composer will be picked by six new directors (from a field of 40).  From this chosen song, a partnership is forged to create a 15-min musical; a total of six diverse musicals that will be further developed with the addition of performers (chosen from 70 auditionees).  Mentoring them in the process are composer & sound designer/engineer TJ Ramos and playwright Juan Ekis. 

DEAR SUGAR… Tiny Beautiful Things Full Cast Revealed

TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS: A Play About Life – In Letters is set to make its Philippine premiere this November 2024. Featuring true stories and real letters, the play is based on the book-turned-play-turned-limited TV series. Written by acclaimed author Cheryl Strayed (bestselling author of Wild)  and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise), the straight play chronicles the journey of Strayed as Sugar, an anonymous advice columnist whose radical empathy won the hearts of many readers. 

TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS will feature Calzado in the role of Sugar. She will be joined by three other cast members who will lend epistolary voices to the letter writers.

Joining Calzado are Rody Vera, Gabby Padilla and Ketchup Eusebio as the letter writers. Rounding out the cast are Gawad Buhay awardees Regina De Vera and Brian Sy (swing/letter writer at certain performances).