‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’ Leads 15th Gawad Buhay 4th Quarter Citations
The 20-person independent jury of the Gawad Buhay! Awards has released the fourth and final round of citations for the 15th edition (2025 ceremonies) of Philstage’s annual awards for theater.
Four productions were considered for this round: Jepoy and the Magic Circle by Repertory Philippines, Tiny Beautiful Things by The Sandbox Collective, Going Home to Christmas: A Jose Mari Chan Musical by Repertory Philippines, and Sari-Sali Portal Café by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA).
Sari-Sali Portal Café—a devised work co-organized by PETA with the Kyoto-based theater group BRDG and The Japan Foundation, Manila—was considered a production of a new play. Going Home to Christmas, a jukebox musical anchored on the discography of Jose Mari Chan, was considered a production of a new musical (but, as per Gawad Buhay rules, deemed ineligible for Outstanding Original Score). Jepoy was deemed a new musical and also eligible for Outstanding Production for Children, while Tiny Beautiful Things was considered a production of existing material for a play.
Jepoy and the Magic Circle led this round of citations with a total of 8 nods, followed by Going Home to Christmas with 3, Sari-Sali Portal Café with 2, and Tiny Beautiful Things with 1.
In all the four rounds of citations, Balete by Tanghalang Pilipino, Pingkian: Isang Musikal also by Tanghalang Pilipino, and Bar Boys: A New Musical by Barefoot Theatre Collaborative have the highest numbers of citations with 18.
Nominations for the 2025 ceremonies will be drawn from the final pool of citations for each category. As per awards rules, a citation renders a production or production element eligible for a nomination; it is not a guarantee of a nomination.
See below for the fourth round of citations for the 15th Gawad Buhay! Awards:
Outstanding Original Score
Ejay Yatco (‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’)
Outstanding Musical Direction
Ejay Yatco (‘Going Home to Christmas’)
Ejay Yatco (‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’)
Outstanding Costume Design
Raven Ong & Hershee Tantiado (‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’)
Outstanding Lighting Design
John Batalla (‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’)
Outstanding Sound Design
Toru Koda (‘Sari-Sali Portal Café’)
Outstanding Set Design
Mio Infante (‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’)
Ralph Daniel Lumbres (‘Sari-Sali Portal Café’)
Female Featured Performance in a Play
Gabby Padilla (‘Tiny Beautiful Things’)
Male Lead Performance in a Musical
Noel Comia Jr. (‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’)
Female Featured Performance in a Musical
Carla Guevara Laforteza (‘Going Home to Christmas’)
Male Featured Performance in a Musical
Neo Rivera (‘Going Home to Christmas’)
Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical
‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’ (Repertory Philippines)
Outstanding Production for Children
‘Jepoy and the Magic Circle’ (Repertory Philippines)
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