4 University-Based Productions this April 2026
Here are four university-based productions happening in Ateneo de Manila University, FEU, and UST this April.
1. Emilia by Tanghalang Ateneo
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Tanghalang Ateneo is set to stage Emilia this April, a piece originally written by playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and first produced at Shakespeare’s Globe in London on August 10, 2018. Celebrated for its all-female cast and commitment to inclusive storytelling, the original staging positioned Emilia as both a historical reclamation and a political act—amplifying voices traditionally excluded from the theatrical canon while challenging audiences to reconsider authorship, power, and whose stories are preserved in history.
This staging, directed by Sarah Facuri, brings the work into dialogue with contemporary Filipino realities. Under Tanghalang Ateneo’s current theme, Her Voice Re-sounds (Boses Babae Nagbabanyuhay), the play shifts its gaze away from the so-called “Great Men” of history to examine the women who lived in their shadows—or those whose light was taken to create them. Long reduced to a mere “muse” or the elusive “Dark Lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Emilia embodies the global struggle of women and the female creator.
The production features Chloe Abella, Francesca Dela Cruz, and Maliana Beran as the Emilias, each portraying a distinct chapter of her journey. Joining them is an ensemble of Tanghalang Ateneo trainees, members, alumni, and professional theater artists: Chantei Cortez, Bea Racoma, Patricia Ann Panganiban, Nicole Sintor Chua, Andie Manlusoc, Joy Delos Santos, Camille Samson, Iman Rahima, Petes Castillo, Bienne Dator, Cadence Velas, PM Oliveros, Ara Mariano, and Gabrielle Stephanie Taño.
The artistic team includes Sarah Facuri (direction, set design, and movement design); Teia Contreras (assistant direction); Gab Mactal, Meeka Sayaboc, and Keith Bernas (translation); Regina Manalo, Petes Castillo, PM Oliveros, Thandie Aliño, Joyce Ann San Buenaventura, and Sabrina Basilio (dramaturgy); Teresa Barrozo (composition); Julia Macuja (assistant set design); Hershee Tantiado (costume design); Amina Javellana (assistant costume design); Jethro Nibaten and Perine Nyssa Bianzon (lighting design); Teresa Barrozo and Erika Estacio (sound design); Julia Vaila (photography); Julienne Edar Ballaran (assistant photography); and Aisha Pandapatan (graphic design).
Emilia runs from April 10 to 26, 2026, with the following showtimes: 2:00 PM on April 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26, and 7:00 PM on April 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26.
Tickets are priced at P800 for the general public and P550 for the ADMU community, as well as faculty and students from partner schools. They can be purchased online through the group’s Google Form.
2. Bangaw by FEU Theater Guild
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The Far Eastern University Theater Guild (FTG)’s Bangaw, which opened on March 5, continues its run at the FEU Center for the Arts Studio until April 25.
Presented as a Filipino play with music, Bangaw is adapted from William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Written by Gold Villar-Lim (book and lyrics), with music by Vince Lim, and directed by PETA Senior Artist-Teacher and FTG Artistic Director Dudz Teraña, the production explores the meaning of survival through a distinctly Filipino lens.
Set on a remote island in the Visayas, Bangaw follows a group of high school students from different schools who become stranded after a plane crash. With no adults, no government, and no rules, their attempt to reconstruct order quickly unravels. What begins as a mission of survival is disrupted by a growing fascination with hunting and the belief that a monster lurks in the forest. The group fractures further after a boar is killed and its head is transformed into an idol—the Lord of the Flies. A hallucination is mistaken for proof of the monster’s existence, sparking a killing frenzy that claims two lives and brings their fragile civilization to a brutal collapse.
At the center of Bangaw is Raf (Sam Siasoyco, IAS ’29), whose attempt to uphold order becomes a fragile anchor amid growing unrest. Opposing him is Jack (Aldin Covarrubias, ITHM ’28; Dave Bambang, IARFA ’29), whose descent into dominance and violence drives the group apart. Caught between reason and survival are the twins Sam (Dianne Andallo, ITHM ’26; Trisha Nilayan, IAS ’29) and Erich (Maria Ysabel delos Reyes, IAS ’27; Althea Sibulo, FIT ’27), while Simone (Heleina Li, IAS ’26; Julia Nicole Ramas, FIT ’26) emerges as a quiet moral compass. Adding complexity is Tabeks (Jharelle Villalobos, IAS ’27; Edrud Madalan, FIT ’27), who challenges rigid hierarchies, while the younger children—Tiny (Marjorie Uson, IAS ’27; Francine Galvez, IAS ’28), Matty (Melenne Hokase, IAS ’28; Margarita Barrameda, IAS ’26), and Caleb (Julian Rafael Anabo, IAS ’27; Lorenze Moral, IAS ’26)—align with Raf, embodying innocence and vulnerability amid chaos.
Supporting Jack are Apple (Janae Dionisio, IAS ’28; Ayessa Raymundo, IAS ’28), Pat (Bjorn Pestaño, IAS ’26; Charlene Libo-on, IAS ’28), Phil (Zoe Sisam, IAS ’29; Shekinah Resurreccion, FIT ’27), Robert (Justin Abalos, IAS ’28; Renz Dotillos, IAS ’26), Morris (Kevin Ricaforte, IAS ’28; Miguel Galpo, IAS ’28), and Roger (Shawn Tarala, IAS ’27; Kirstan Orbegoso, IAS ’27).
The ensemble is rounded out by Marc Ducut (IAS ’27), Kristian Samson (IAS ’26), Johann Umali (IAS ’29), John Andrei Cruz (IAS ’29), and Cris Jay Cabides (IAS ’29). Hovering over the narrative is the haunting Panginoong Bangaw, while the Piloto will be alternately portrayed by Aldin Covarrubias and Dave Bambang.
Bangaw continues to run at the FEU Center for the Arts Studio on the following dates: April 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25.
The house opens at 6:00 PM, and the show starts at 6:30 PM.
Tickets are priced at P100 for students from FEU (all branches), P200 for students from outside FEU Manila, P500 for regular guests, and P700 for VIPs, and may be reserved through the organization’s Google Form.
3. The Addams Family by Ateneo blueREP
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Once a Newbie Production by the organization, The Addams Family returns to the Ateneo de Manila University stage through Ateneo blueREP after 10 years.
In the kooky, upside-down world of The Addams Family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Nonetheless, this quirky family must still deal with many of the same challenges faced by any other family—their children growing up.
Their beloved daughter Wednesday has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a sweet, smart boy from a normal, respectable Ohio family—the most un-Addams-sounding person one could be. To make matters worse, she has invited the Beinekes to their home for dinner. In one fateful, hilarious night, secrets are revealed and relationships are tested. Will everyone make it out of this dinner alive?
The show is directed by Jillian Ita-as, with musical direction by Matthew Chang and choreography by Paul Atienza.
Alongside them are production and brand designer Paw Castillo, costume designer Frances Cagurangan, lighting designer Jethro Nibaten, sound designer John Robert Yam, and intimacy director Regina De Vera.
The cast is a combination of students, professionals, and up-and-coming theater talents: Ron Balgos and Rafael Jimenez alternate as Gomez Addams; Dia Papio and Riri Dauigoy as Morticia Addams; Maria Prats and LJ Bala as Wednesday Addams; Steven Hotchkiss as Uncle Fester; Aleczandra Luna as Pugsley Addams; Rona Layne Badilla as Grandma Addams; Anthony Luna as Lucas Beineke; Eli Pueblo and Sara Sicam as Alice Beineke; RJ Panderayon as Mal Beineke; and CJ Isip as Lurch.
Joining them as the Ancestors are Aly Pascual, Audrey Caitlin Sy, Chinna Victoria, Dane Sarabia, Edith Garcia, Enrico Figueroa, Euree Lamayo, Katie Bradshaw, Marco Castenada, Miguel Salaya, Rielle Enriquez, Sabel Lamadrid, Sasha de Jesus, Sebastian Katigbak, Shasha Lee, and Zalino Gutierrez.
The Addams Family will run from April 24 to 26 and May 1 to 3, 2026, at the Doreen Black Box Theater, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, for a limited 10-show run. Tickets will be sold online starting March 16, 2026, at bluerepertory.helixpay.ph. Premium tickets are priced at P1,550, while regular tickets are P1,250.
4. Marissa by Teatro Tomasino
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For its 48th year, Teatro Tomasino presents Marissa. Written by Isagani Cruz and directed by Angel Ocampo, Marissa is a full-length play that explores the world of art, writing, and the many contradictions that come with them.
Mario, a PhD candidate, interviews the focus of his dissertation—the world-renowned Filipino author Corazon Roja. As the interview progresses, both Corazon and Mario explore truths about one another through the recreation of Corazon’s literary works and their banter.
Aligned with the theme Sibol, Marissa examines the power of art as a space for expression and transformation. Beyond spectacle—lights, costumes, and performance—the play engages with questions of truth, creation, and resistance. In this light, art is framed as a means of confronting forces that attempt to suppress one’s authentic voice.
The production positions art not only as a form of talent or performance, but as a force that resonates with those seeking meaning and justice.
Marissa will run from April 28 to 30 (12:30 PM, 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM) and on May 2 (10:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM) at the Tan Yan Kee Audio Visual Room, University of Santo Tomas.
Tickets can be reserved through the group’s Google Form. Early bird tickets are priced at P275, offering seats in the second or third row, while VIP tickets are available for P399, granting front-row access to the performance. The first 90 VIP ticket holders will also receive a P100 e-gift certificate (redeemable at Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut), along with two Marissa stickers.
For more information, visit Teatro Tomasino – UST on Facebook and Instagram, email [email protected], or contact Heaven Nicole (0929 106 6166) or Jhon Patrick (0929 106 6218).
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