‘GymGurls’ and ‘Embodied Conflicts’ to be Staged in Naga This July
DALAN Theatre & Events Collaborative is set to stage GymGurls 1&too and Embodied Conflicts in Naga City this July.
GymGurls 1&too is a two-part theater experience that confronts stigma, survival, love, and the lived realities of people living with HIV, while Embodied Conflicts explores inner battles, identity, and emotional struggle through dance theater. According to the company, the productions were programmed together because both works speak to urgent and deeply human conversations.
GymGurls 1&too is set in the world of the gym. Across two connected shows, the story moves from the characters’ earlier encounters to a reunion ten years later, exploring friendship, identity, memory, self-image, pressure, and the complicated ways people change over time.
The company describes the show as an invitation to listen, reflect, and take part in a larger conversation about HIV awareness, stigma, compassion, acceptance, and the urgent need to create safer spaces for people living with HIV.
GYMGURLS 1 (Run time: approximately 50 minutes)
Four individuals living with HIV find an unlikely sanctuary inside “The Gym,” a specialized wellness center hidden within a deeply conservative community. As they undergo physical training and medical treatments, their sanctuary becomes a battleground for survival.
GYMGURLS, TOO (Run time: approximately 50-55 minutes)
Ten years after they parted ways, four people living with HIV meet again at the gym. Their happy reunion is disrupted when a delivery rider arrives with a mysterious package intended for them at that precise moment. Tangled in dreams and frustrations, each of them is confronted with heartbreak and the inescapable truth of their shared past.
The cast for the two shows features Julie DM Bega as Sherry, Wenifredo Reyes-West Jr. as Teri, Sari Saysay as Noel, Adam Almeniana as Max, Pau Espinas and Kath Taopo, who alternate as JK, and Harvz Taopo as Alex.
GymGurls 1 runs on July 4 at 3 PM and 6 PM (Talkback Show), while GymGurls, too runs on July 5 at 3 PM and 6 PM (Talkback Show) at the IBP Hall on J. Miranda Avenue in Naga City. Tickets are priced at P400 for the matinee performances and P500 for the evening performances and are available for purchase via the group’s website. The show is presented by DALAN Theatre & Events Collaborative and Sining Banwa.
EMBODIED CONFLICTS (Run time: 50-60 minutes with 10-minute intermission)
The show examines how conflict lives in the body. Through movement, rhythm, gesture, and theatrical imagery, the performance reflects the weight people carry from expectation, identity, fear, memory, and survival. The work invites audiences into a raw and intimate space where silence, breath, stillness, and motion become language. It is a reminder that not all battles are spoken, and not all wounds are visible.
The cast features Arjay Madrid, Miguel Revina, Jose Martin Dizon, John Rey Rivera, Ivan Carullo, Kyle Delfin, James Carl Espanto, and Napthali Salceda.
It runs on July 24 at 6 PM (Talkback Show, P500), July 25 at 3 PM (P400), July 25 at 6 PM (Gala Night, P750), and July 26 at 3 PM (P400) at the IBP Hall on J. Miranda Avenue in Naga City. Tickets are available for purchase via the group’s website. Embodied Conflicts is presented by Foot Forward, DALAN Theatre & Events Collaborative, and Hyp.ed.
DALAN Theatre & Events Collaborative is a Naga-based creative and events collaborative committed to building meaningful cultural experiences through stories, spaces, and communities. One of its key milestones was organizing the Naga homecoming of Padamlagan, a recipient of the Best Production Design award at the 2025 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which drew over 4,000 audience members in Naga City.
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