Dulaang Sibol’s ‘Sinta’ Celebrates 50th Anniversary This August

Dulaang Sibol’s ‘Sinta’ Celebrates 50th Anniversary This August

Dulaang Sibol is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its musical Sinta with a new staging running from August 21 to 30 at the Tanghalang Onofre Pagsanghan of Ateneo de Manila High School.

First presented as a two-act musical on August 14, 1976, during the inauguration of Dulaang Sibol’s theater, Sinta has been staged by the group almost every year for the past half-century and is widely considered the country’s longest-running musical.

The musical features music, book, and lyrics by Onofre R. Pagsanghan, the Ateneo high school teacher and Gawad Buhay Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The late National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera described Sinta as “a story of young love told in verse and song, steeped in nostalgia for simpler times.”

The cast brings together Dulaang Sibol alumni from across different generations, with Meynard Campanilla and Mikkel Valencia alternating as Narding, and Malaika Paculan and Arabella Rioflorido alternating as Sinta. Chloe Abella serves as understudy for the latter role.

Also in the cast are Kiko Aurellano, Picoy Cruz, and Justice Bacorro as Pader; Kent Alonzo and Dino Santos as Mang Anding; Diego David and Joer Palma as Mang Pedring; Oliver Quintana and Kurt Rivera as Redentor dela Rosa; Djanggo Alagar and Miggy Leyson as Tibo; and Diego Veneracion Alcudia, Joshua Guerrero, and Ernest Sto. Tomas as Matang Lawin.

The anniversary production is directed by Giancarlo Abrahan, who recently won Best Director at the 2026 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Joining him on the creative team are Andrei Fabricante (lighting design), Oliver Quintana (props design), Ali Figueroa (additional costumes), and Aeus Reyes and Raf Bernardino (orchestra).

Dulaang Sibol was founded as the Ateneo High School Dramatics Society in 1955. The group adopted the name Dulaang Sibol in 1966 and inaugurated the theater now known as Tanghalang Onofre Pagsanghan in 1976, the same year Sinta premiered.

Performances are scheduled for August 21, 22, 23, and 28 at 7:30 PM; and August 29 and 30 at 2 PM and 7:30 PM.

Tickets are priced at ₱500 and are available via the company’s Google Form.