PETA’s ‘Control + Shift: Changing Narratives’ Festival Returns in February 2025

PETA’s ‘Control + Shift: Changing Narratives’ Festival Returns in February 2025

PETA’s Control + Shift: Changing Narratives Festival returns for its second year, running from February 6 to 23, 2025 at the PETA Theater Center.

For the festival’s MAIN THEATER performances, the company brings back six plays from last year’s festival: the three, one-act plays of Kumprontasyon, Dominique La Victoria’s Kislap at Fuego, and Mixkaela Villalon’s Children of the Algo.

KUMPRONTASYON

At the heart of the festival is the restaging of Melvin Lee’s Kumprontasyon, which features three plays from Allan Palileo, Guelan Luarca, and Joshua Lim. Melvin Lee’s Kumprontasyon uses theater as a platform for difficult but necessary conversations on unresolved historical and political events.

Performers: Teroy Guzman and Sherry Lara for Lakambini; Romnick Sarmenta and Ron Capinding for The Impossible Dream; Missy Maramara, Adrienne Vergara, Gillian Vicencio, and Uzziel Delamide for A Color for Tomorrow

TWIN BILL

 

Kislap at Fuego, written by Dominique La Victoria and translated by Gentle Mapagu, is set in 1896 amidst the Philippine revolution against Spain. The play features an unexpected fairytale between a Kapre and a mysterious country girl who meet in an enchanted forest.

Performers: CJ Navato, Felicity Kyle Napuli, Ekis Gimenez, Gerard Dy

Mixkaela Villalon’s Children of the Algo | In a world of information overload, Gen Z content creators on TikTok, whose joyful videos hide their deeper realities, navigate the digital age with wit and vulnerability, challenging viewers to see beyond the algorithm.

Performers: Otep Madriaga, James Pe Lim, Nyla Festejo, Frances

PETA also presents eight experimental STUDIO THEATER performances.

STUDIO THEATER Set A: UNBOXING takes audiences on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Through stories of bravery and resilience, the performance encourages children and adults alike to question unfair systems and show how we can choose care, love, and understanding over control.

 

Felinda V. Bagas’ The Little Girl in a Box is a non-verbal, physical theater adaptation of a children’s story about an orphan who, with the help of a magical box, finds the perfect home by combining all that she loved from previous ones.

Performers: Donn Boco, Ayla Garcia, Ada Tayao, Nicole Manlulo, Csairus Habla, Mico Esquivel

STUDIO THEATER SET B: TIME AND TIDE shows feature two new works that highlight how Filipino family values adapt through generations and in times of crisis.

Sig Pecho’s Failed Puppeteer | A playful reimagination through puppetry of the archetypal Bayanihan image in the flooded streets of post-typhoon Philippines. Built through the process of devising, this performance streams forth the perils and victories in times of disaster.

Performers: Kitsi Pagaspas, Carlon Matobato, V Soriano, Imuthis, Nickea Covar, Janina Mendoza

Felinda V. Bagas’ Noche Buena chronicles four generations of the De Los Reyes family as they navigate political upheavals, financial shifts, and cultural differences. As the family deals with personal and societal challenges, their core values reveal how external forces shape the dynamics and essence of a Filipino family over time.

Performers: She Maala, Ron Alfonso, Bene Manaois, Gio Gahol, Buddy Caramat

STUDIO THEATER SET C: CODES OF CORRUPTION features two new works that underscore how Filipino values are tested in the face of corruption and the pursuit of justice, exploring both traditional and modern ethical dilemmas.

 

Herlyn Alegre’s Monit-Oh! Monit-Ah! | A participatory theater piece that follows Jaylord, a rookie waiter hoping to win his boss’s favor through a Christmas monito-monita gift, only to uncover how seemingly harmless acts can feed into the larger, corrupt, palakasan system—until one brave decision challenges the cycle.

Performers: Gino Ramirez, Roi Calilong, Zoe Damag, James Ramada, Pia Viola, Reggie Ondevilla

John Custer’s 𝗛𝗨𝗦𝗧𝟭𝗦𝗬@.𝗘𝗫𝗘 | In their pursuit of justice, two programmers create a malware, “hUst1Sy@.exe,” to expose the corrupt activities of an influential family. As the malware spreads, it unveils deep ethical dilemmas around surveillance, justice, and loyalty, challenging the audience to question whether the true corruption lies within the technology or the users, and how these tools shape and reflect Filipino values.

Performers: Kristel Secretario, Jason Barcial, Jimma Nariz, Julio Garcia, Gie Onida

STUDIO THEATER SET D is a triple feature that reimagines dominant narratives of gender, childcare, and faith through stories of resilience and empathy, offering a powerful lens for narrative change.

 

Teatro Balagtas’ Ang Kuwento ni Babae | A male scriptwriter’s control over his characters unravels as they come to life on stage, bringing to light the resilience of a Filipina survivor of abuse.

Performers: Alvin Astudillo, Majie Lopez, Harvie M. Magtalas, Christian Dayo, Charlene M. Dumayag, Anna Kristina T. Mutuc, Celina T. Pormento, Angelica May Beltran, Angelique Zaguirre

Arts Zone Youth Art-vocates’ Taya Sabay Yakap | The Arts Zone Youth Art-vocates from Lunsad Kabataan share personal stories and the experiences of children they’ve encountered from their communities—voicing the longing for love that nurtures without hurting.

Performers: Aira Alo, Diana Tillada, Claire Carlos, Samantha Tecson, JL Estrella, Jaa Ann Mariano, Renmark Detablan, Ania Vibal, Lei Lagula, Reign Escala, Elizarth Duran, Lakan Alo

Tanghalang Bagong Sibol X Mikaela Regis’ At Nagkatawang-tao Ang Verbo  | A creative movement piece about religious figures allegorizing the life, struggle, and victories of the marginalized Filipinos in the current times.

Performers: Johnmer F. Ursula, Jasmine Leyanne A. Lulu, Wilman Tolda, Jenelyn Mae V. Malunes, Nelson Buhat, Ghilian Chavez, Ernest Gillacanao, John Raizel SolCruz

Tickets for the shows are available via TicketWorld: bit.ly/PETACS2025Tickets. For more information, follow PETA @petatheater or contact Trish at 0915-311-8199.