Puregold Teatro Panalo Reveals 12 Finalists for Inaugural Theater Festival

Puregold Teatro Panalo Reveals 12 Finalists for Inaugural Theater Festival

Puregold Teatro Panalo has revealed the 12 original works selected for its inaugural theater festival, which will run from February 20 to March 14, 2027.

The finalists, consisting of eight straight plays and four musicals, were selected from 373 submissions from across the country. The 12 playwrights were formally introduced during a launch event held at Gateway Mall 2, where they each received a ₱100,000 grant to help develop and stage their works for the festival.

The finalists were chosen by a panel composed of Festival Director Vincent A. DeJesus, Jenny Jamora, Liza Magtoto, Marlon Rivera, and Nicolas Pichay. Dr. Layeta Bucoy and Allan Lopez served on the screening committee, while National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee serves as the festival’s Artistic Adviser.

“It was encouraging to see how many Filipino storytellers are eager to share their work, and it made choosing only 12 plays especially difficult,” said Puregold Teatro Panalo Festival Chair Ivy Hayagan-Pieda. “They remind us how much Filipino theater has to offer; how live experiences offer authentic connections, and how important it is to create more opportunities for these stories to find their audience.”

“With Puregold Teatro Panalo, we hope to give these works the stage they deserve and, in our own way, help Philippine theater continue to grow,” she added.

Here are the 12 works selected for the inaugural festival:

MUSICALS

1. Baka Mali ang Tamaraw by Emmanuel Benbinuto Antonio

Corporate employee Gab is awaiting a potentially career-ending call when he crosses paths with El, a fresh graduate who was nearly kicked out for calling out a teacher. Gab accuses El, El accuses Gab, all against a backdrop of rap music and battles.

2. Manang-Mana Nga! by Steven Hotchkiss and Jay Pangilinan

Three siblings are summoned by their ailing father to discuss their inheritance. Reunited at their ancestral home, they find themselves competing over a mysterious family legacy.

3. The Fourth Wall Has Fallen by Heber Justin P. O’Hara

An actress is transported into a parallel universe of musicals, where she meets Gary, who tells her that the Fourth Wall separating their dimension from others has been broken and some of its inhabitants have become lost on the other side. With somebody needing to play their parts, Gary crosses over into the real world and takes the actress with him.

4. Ang Maayong Balita Sumala Kang Bibo Bautista by Jude Thaddeus M. Gitamondoc

Bibo enters the seminary to pursue his childhood crush, Paulo, only to discover a genuine spiritual calling and an institution he must confront at his own novitiate Mass.

PLAYS

1. Youngstunna by Jerom Andrei M. Canlas

Inspired by real events and the experiences of young people, the play follows six young people caught in the middle of an anti-corruption rally in Mendiola. What begins as a peaceful protest suddenly erupts into a riot.

2. The Girl Scout Law by Rhain Arabella Alcoriza

A young girl discovers a mysterious bloodied pair of underwear while attending a Girl Scout camp with her friends. As they try to identify its owner, the girls find themselves crossing into womanhood overnight.

3. Trahedya ng Kamote by Marjay S. Manalastas

Two municipal workers must decide what to do with a sack of kamote after one of them finally turns years of poverty, corruption, and rage into violence, resulting in a tragedy for the meek who were never meant to inherit anything.

4. True to Life by John “Sweet” Lapus

The play explores the mental and emotional struggles experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community. Longtime friends Ma and Nak meet at a coffee shop, where Nak recounts the events of the previous night, when he ran into his ex-boyfriend at a birthday party.

5. Walang Maliit na Bagay by Joshua Lim So

At a hospital morgue, Karl is tasked by his aunt Ellen with delaying the freezing of his mother’s body. With both his parents gone and Ellen now guiding him and his orphaned siblings, Karl follows his aunt’s instructions despite not knowing why.

6. Nothing But Dreams by Ricardo C. Novenario

A young woman introduces her African-American boyfriend to her Filipino parents, revealing their high hopes for her and their trademark Filipino hospitality.

7. The Boy Foretold By The Stars (One Act Play) by Dolly Dulu

Seventeen-year-old Dominic believes people can shape their own destinies through their choices, yet he has become increasingly dependent on the “hula” of a mysterious fortune-teller. When the cards predict that he is about to find the person who will love him, Dominic becomes convinced that the prophecy points to his carefree best friend, Luke.

8. @HOME by Edralin Cabrera, Kathlyn Castillo, Michael Ian Lomongo, Marjorie Lorico, Maria Teresa Jamias, Wenah Nagales, and J Victor Villareal

Home means different things to different people. Through the lives of a national hero, a lounge singer, a victim of a home invasion, a child growing up without a mother, migrants sending packages, and inmates invoking home through their favorite meals, the work explores the many ways home is sought, remembered, and reimagined.

All 12 works will be developed and staged during the inaugural Puregold Teatro Panalo, which runs from February 20 to March 14, 2027.

At the conclusion of the festival, one straight play and one musical will each receive an additional development grant to expand their works into full-length theatrical productions.