‘1 Gay Show’ Returns for its Third Run this June
Ang Kagila-gilalas na 1 Gay Show (Again and Again and Again…) returns this June for its third iteration. The approximately 90-minute production weaves humor, confession, and careful recollection to explore the lived experiences of gay characters in an ever-changing world.
Retaining its core structure of three monologues performed by a single actor, with Johann Dale Reyes returning for a third time, the work continues to evolve with each staging as it responds to contemporary social realities.
Conceived in April 2025 and first staged during Pride Month that same year, Ang Kagila-gilalas na 1 Gay Show is designed as an evolving theatrical work where scripts are continually revised, tested, and recontextualized. The production was first staged at The Groove in Cubao in June 2025 and returned in December 2025 at Kusina sa Balangay in Teacher’s Village as 1 Gay Show Again, set against the backdrop of the September 21 anti-corruption protests.
For its 2026 Pride Month staging, the production revisits the same three stories from the previous run while situating them within the context of ongoing global conflict.
According to the production team, while each iteration responds to the social and political climate of its time, the show’s defining structure remains unchanged.
“It is always three monologues, one gay actor. If there’s a one-man show or a one-woman show, for us, it’s a one gay show.”
The production features works written and directed by Gio Potes, Jasper Villasis, and PB Maraña. The creative team also includes PB Maraña as photographer and dramaturg, and Emman Degocena as dramaturg and copywriter.
The Monologues:
Sa Labas ng Parlor
Written by Gio Potes
Directed by Jasper Villasis
One afternoon inside her parlor in Manila, the gossip-loving Eba can’t hold back a recollection from the past with a client upon hearing about the latest corruption scandal in the Philippines. In her rural hometown of San Martin, she and her maternal mentor, the parlorista Bernie, lived through a chaotic face-to-face encounter with soldiers—and now she finds herself confronting a familiar crisis unfolding outside the parlor.
Adapted from the short story Giyera by Honorio Bartolome De Dios, Sa Labas ng Parlor is an interactive monologue of courage and beauty in the face of a broken, corrupt system and a violent form of governance, and of the resistance waged by queer heroes.
GRWM
Written by PB Maraña
Directed by Gio Potes
Si Wendell, isang baklang may body dysmorphia, ay niyayang makipag-collab sa OnlyFans ni Ryan Bembang, ang paboritong alter account ng jowa niya. Bilang isang manggagawang kontraktwal na kapos sa pera at pagmamahal, pumayag si Wendell at ngayo’y naghahanda na para sa kanilang OnlyFans live.
Habang nagseset-up ng camera ay nagsimula siyang maglaro ng Get Ready With Me. Habang naghahanda ay iminamapa niya ang kanyang katawan, ang relasyon nila ng jowa niya, at ang ugnayan ng dalawa—bawat parte at pasakit at pagsubok. Ang bawat parte niya na lumaki, at ang bawat sandali na siya’y nanliit. Binalikan niya rin ang una nilang pagtatalik ni Ryan, ang pagkakaiba nito sa lahat ng kanyang dating naranasan, at kung paano sa dulo ng lahat, natuto siyang mahalin ang sarili.
Deliberi
Written by Jasper Villasis
Directed by PB Maraña
Sa gilid ng kalsada. Gabi, dinig ang tunog ng kalye at ang tunog ng mga patak ng ulan. Ilang sandali, papasok ang tauhang lasing na may hawak-hawak na bote ng beer at uupo sa tabi ng mesa. Ilang sandali pa, lalaurin ang helmet. Isusuot, huhubarin. Tatawa. Matapos ang ilang sandali, hihikbi. Titigil. Kukunin ang selpon.
Ilang sandali, magsisimula siyang magkuwento. Magkukuwento siya tungkol sa maraming bagay—sa kanyang barat na sahod bilang delivery rider, sa marami pang peligrosong trabahong sinusuong niya araw-araw, sa pagsirit ng presyo ng langis at ng mga batayang bilihin, sa kanyang pagtingin sa pulitika’t kultura, sa kanyang anak, at sa kung papaano ba mabuhay nang marangal sa gitna ng lahat ng tila ‘di matapos-tapos na krisis sa punto de bista ng mga katulad niyang manggagawa.
Marangal ba ang sistemang nagtutulak sa tao na gawin ang mga mapanganib na bagay? Karangalan ba ang sabihing kinakaya nila o natin ito? Badge of honor ba ang masiraan ng bait dahil dito?
Ang kabuuan ng kuwento ay halaw sa pang-araw-araw na danas sa kalungsuran at nagtatangkang mag-iwan ng maraming tanong at marahil sala-salabid ding damdamin. Sabi nga ng deliberi rider, “Kung ikaw ang nasa posisyon ko, ano’ng gagawin mo?”
Ang Kagila-gilalas na 1 Gay Show (Again and Again and Again…) will run on June 12 and 13, 6:30 PM at Bar 143 in Maginhawa, followed by performances on June 19 and 20, 7 PM at Benton Hall in UP Diliman. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Tickets are priced at ₱400 for regular admission and ₱350 for early bird purchases. The production is rated 18+. Tickets are available through the production’s Google Form.
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