Immersive ‘Kapeng Barako Club’ to be Staged this June
Eksena PH embarks on its first full-length production with Juan Ekis’ (Twenty Questions, Pingkian: Isang Musikal) Kapeng Barako Club: Samahan ng mga Bitter Extra Strong, happening from June 6 to 29 at Café Shylo, Pasig City.
Kapeng Barako Club (KBC) is about a group of twenty- and thirty-somethings whose romantic feelings for each other and otherwise surface when one of them ties the knot.
Karl Alexis Jingco, founder, director, and CEO of Eksena PH, will helm the production. He puts a new spin on the play by turning it into an immersive experience set in an actual café, where the audience becomes privy to the characters’ conversations and more involved in the world of KBC.
Jingco and Ekis first collaborated on ‘Nay, May Dala Akong Pancit at the Virgin Labfest in 2022, where Jingco served as director and Ekis as playwright. The piece was one of the plays selected for a remount the following year.
The show will feature two sets of cast members:
Set A: Alon Matias, Chase Salazar, Isabelle Prado, Johnny Maglinao, Paulito Del Mundo, Ricci Ferrer, Vanessa Dulay, and Gerard De Leon
Set B: Alexa Sandiego, Drei Arias, Edward Allen Solon, Isabelle Sophie, Jhon Saint, Sarina Sasaki, Vanessa Alariao, and Tristan Bite
Joining Jingco and Ekis on the creative team are Paulo Almaden (sound design), Alecx Lorica (acting consultant), Tops Peñafiel (lighting design), Rolando Inocencio (creative consultant), and Gerard de Leon (original songs).
KBC is the company’s next production following the 10th anniversary edition of Shorts & Briefs, an annual festival of 10-minute plays, held in October 2024 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Cast schedules and ticketing information will be available soon through Eksena PH’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
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