‘Gregoria Lakambini’, ‘Ricardo Segundo’, and More Make up Tanghalang Pilipino’s 40th Season Lineup
Tanghalang Pilipino has just unveiled its lineup for its 40th performance season!
With the theme Past Forward, Tanghalang Pilipino marks its 40th year by looking back on the stories, artists, and traditions that shaped it while recognizing its responsibility to carry them forward.
More than a theme, the company asks how it can continue creating theater that remains relevant to our communities, responsive to our times, and meaningful to future generations.
Weaving together history and innovation, memory and imagination, and heritage and progress, Tanghalang Pilipino invites audiences to celebrate where we have come from, reflect on where we stand today, and explore the possibilities for Philippine theater in the years ahead.
Here is Tanghalang Pilipino’s season lineup arranged in chronological order. Season passes, priced at ₱6,499, are available through the company’s Google Form.
1. Farewell, Let’s Go to the South
The production is a one-weekend intercultural collaboration between Assignment Theater of Taiwan, Space Theater of Korea, and Tanghalang Pilipino.
Utilizing Asian bodies, poetic language, and an imagistic performance space, Farewell, Let’s Go to the South reclaims the human qualities increasingly diminished by forces of power and control, particularly the enduring spirit of love and sacrifice.
The work traces the final reflections of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara and South Korean labor activist Jeon Tae-il as they bid farewell to themselves, their families, and the world. Through movement, imagery, and the sounds of a live cello, the performance unfolds as a meditation on conviction, memory, and the cost of resistance.
For the Philippine leg of this Asian tour, actors from Tanghalang Pilipino join the production, bringing to life the world of Filipino revolutionary poet Emmanuel “Eman” Lacaba through selections from his Salvaged Poems.
The cast features Chung Chiao, Fu Jung, Miae Hwang, Wai Kit Grad Leung, Sung-Ho Jan, Sakamoto Hiromichi, Fernando “Nanding” Josef, and Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan.
The production is written by Chung Chiao and co-directed by Chiao and Sang Bae Jun. Joining them in the artistic team are set designer Ji Sun Hwang, lighting designer Suh Dongjoo, and music and sound designer Sakamoto Hiromichi.
Farewell, Let’s Go to the South will run on July 10 and 11, 7 PM at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.
2. Sayaw ng mga Ilaw
The production is Juan Ekis’ stage adaptation of Cheeno Marlo Sayuno’s children’s short story of the same name.
Amid hardship and loss, young Laya dreams of learning the traditional Pandanggo dance with the help of her older sister. But when their father, a construction worker, fails to return home, their family is plunged into uncertainty and grief.
As they navigate loss and search for healing, Laya discovers that true light can be found not only in dance, but also in the strength and love of family.
The cast features Wincess Jem Yana and Annica Co, who alternate as Laya, Noel Rayos as Tatay Ondeng, and members of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company: Ynna Rafa as Kala, Earvin Estioco as Tony, and Mark Lorenz Rey, Heart Puyong, and Sarah Monay as members of the ensemble.
Joining Sayuno and Ekis in the artistic team are Jonathan Tadioan (direction), Krina Cayabyab (music), Kat Batara (dramaturgy), Al Bernard Garcia (choreography), Marco Viaña (set and costume design), D Cortezano (lighting design), Justin David Tomas Santiago (video projection design), and TJ Ramos (sound design).
The show runs from September 18 to October 11, Fridays to Sundays, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.
3. Gregoria Lakambini, A Pinay Pop Musical
The P-pop musical returns to celebrate the life and revolutionary spirit of Gregoria de Jesus.
With music by Nica Del Rosario, Matthew Chang, and FlipMusic Productions Inc. and a book by Nicanor Tiongson and Eljay Castro Deldoc, the musical brings to life the journey of Gregoria de Jesus, told through the sound and energy of a P-pop girl group. The musical traces her transformation from a spirited young woman from Caloocan to the Lakambini of the Katipunan, standing alongside Andres Bonifacio in both love and revolution.
A wife, a rebel, and a mother, Oryang emerges with strength and clarity. Once written in the margins of history, her story now takes center stage.
The returning cast stars Marynor Madamesila as Gregoria de Jesus, together with members of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company — Anya Evangelista as Andres Bonifacio and a member of the ensemble, Heart Puyong as Emilio Aguinaldo and a member of the ensemble, Sofia Sacaguing as Julio Nakpil and a member of the ensemble, Sarah Monay as Gregoria de Jesus understudy and a member of the ensemble, and Ynna Rafa and Murline Uddin as members of the ensemble.
It is directed by Delphine Buencamino, with co-choreography by Buencamino and Jan Matthew Almodovar, set design by Mark Lorenz Rey, costume design by Marco Viaña, lighting design by Earvin Estioco, video projection design by JM Jimenez, sound design by Arvy Dimaculangan, and dramaturgy by Sabrina Basilio. Justin Santiago serves as video projection design associate, while Michael Fernandez serves as musical direction associate.
Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical will run from November 13 to 29, Thursdays to Sundays, at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell.
4. Ricardo Segundo
Ricardo Segundo is Guelan Varela-Luarca’s Filipino translation of and direction for William Shakespeare’s Richard II, which asks the enduring and urgent question: What is power, and who holds it?
It follows a king whose corruption, vindictiveness, and incompetence fracture his kingdom. As Richard’s authority begins to crumble, a fierce struggle for leadership unfolds, leading to the rise of a new ruler.
The play features Marco Viaña as Haring Ricardo II, Fernando “Nanding” Josef as Juan de Gante/Hardinero, Jonathan Tadioan as Duke ng York, Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan as Dukesa ng Gloster, Earvin Estioco as Enrique Bolingbroke, Anya Evangelista as Reyna Isabel, Gelo Molina as Aumerle, and Mark Lorenz Rey as Northumbria, together with members of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company — Sarah Monay, Heart Puyong, Murline Uddin, Ynna Rafa, and Sofia Sacaguing as members of the ensemble.
Joining Varela-Luarca in the artistic team are Monty Uy (associate direction), Joshua Cadeliña (music composition, music direction, and sound design), Brian Sy (fight choreography), Joey Mendoza (set design), Paul Adrian Martinez (costume design), D Cortezano (lighting design and technical direction), and TJ Ramos (sound engineering).
Ricardo Segundo will run from February 19 to March 21, Fridays to Sundays, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.
5. TP40: Life Begins
TP40: Life Begins is an anniversary concert celebrating 40 years of Tanghalang Pilipino; a tribute to Filipino playwrights, directors, actors, designers, musicians, and theater makers who have shaped its stages and stories.
Through performances and special collaborations, the concert honors Tanghalang Pilipino’s legacy while celebrating the artists and audiences who continue to carry its work forward.
The show will be staged in May 2027 at the newly renovated CCP Main Theater.
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