The Virgin Labfest Marks 20 Years of Bold New Filipino Theater

The Virgin Labfest Marks 20 Years of Bold New Filipino Theater

Two decades ago, the Virgin Labfest (VLF) began as a leap of faith. What started with eight plays written by members of Writer’s Bloc, a Manila-based collective of Filipino playwrights founded by Rody Vera, has since grown into the country’s largest and most influential festival for new Filipino stage works.

This year’s theme, Hinog, captures the festival’s evolution. Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) President Kaye Tinga calls it “a testament to the ripening of our creative spirit.”

“The 20th year is a milestone that not only marks two decades of bold, brave, and boundary-pushing theater, but also signals a cultural coming of age,” she says. “Virgin Labfest began as a haven for untried, untested, and unstaged plays, and as an incubator for amateur and virgin playwrights. Today, we celebrate how far it has come, not just in the number of productions, but in the lives we’ve changed, the voices we’ve amplified, and the conversations we’ve shaped.”

The Festival’s Roots

The seeds of VLF were planted in 2005, when Rody Vera and Herbie Go simply wanted to stage works written by members of the Writer’s Bloc. Vera recalls, “We came up with eight plays. That was the very first year of Writer’s Bloc.”

What followed was, in his words, something magical: “Nagsasama ng hindi naming masyadong ini-intend ang iba’t ibang miyembro ng iba’t ibang mga theater groups,” he says.

PETA directors collaborated with actors from Repertory Philippines and Tanghalang Pilipino, and so on. “Na-realize namin na hindi lang pala ito playwrights’ festival, but also an opportunity and a venue for all the different theater company members to come together. Eventually, that became the community of the Virgin Labfest.”

The CCP joined as a full partner in the festival’s second year, alongside the Writer’s Bloc and Tanghalang Pilipino. Around the same time, Cinemalaya launched—turning the CCP into a hotbed of new Filipino work, both for theater and film.

CCP Vice President and Artistic Director Dennis Marasigan recalled the modest start, when it ran for only four days—two plays per day, over one weekend. At the time, he was still CCP’s Marketing Manager. “Nakita ko iyung maaaring mangyari, so itinulak ko na magkaroon ng second year. At napasagot namin ang CCP na maging bahagi na, hindi lamang bilang teatro o venue, pero full partner.”

By 2006, VLF expanded into a two-week festival, introducing repertory performances in the second week. In 2007, the festival added staged readings and the now-anticipated Revisited Set—three restaged plays from the previous year. By 2008, the Labfest had grown into a three-week event.

Since its inception, the VLF has staged 258 one-act plays, 72 staged readings, three full-length plays, and cycled through five festival directors. It has taken place across four venues—the Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Experimental Theater), Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater), Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater), and during the pandemic, online.

Today, the festival receives nearly 300 submissions annually, with only 12 chosen for staging. The 2025 edition boasts the highest number of Virgin playwrights—eight writers participating in the festival for the first time.

“Hindi na kahiyain sabihin,” says Marasigan, “na ito na ang pinakamalaking palihan at pista ng mga dula dito sa Pilipinas.”

And it’s not just a festival for playwrights. The VLF has become a platform for directors, actors, and dramaturgs as well as a training ground for lighting and sound designers to further develop their skills.

An Awaited Theater Debut

One of this year’s most anticipated highlights is the stage debut of screen veteran Angelica Panganiban, who stars in Don’t Meow for Me, Catriona by Ryan Machado, alongside Peewee O’Hara.

Asked why she finally said yes to theater, Panganiban shares: “Every project na tinatanggap ko, importante sa akin kapag kinakausap ako nung project habang binabasa ko iyung script. Doon pa lang alam mo na sa sarili mo na kaya mo siyang gawin dahil naka-relate ka, dahil naintindihan mo siya. Kumbaga, nagkaroon ka ng connection doon sa script.”

She adds, “Matagal ko nang gustong sumali sa theater, so feeling ko perfect timing, since matagal ako nagpahinga from the industry.”

She recalled that every time she was offered an opportunity to be part of a theatrical production in the past, she would say no—mostly out of fear.  “Ang dami kong dahilan nun bago mag-no, pero iyung dahilan ko, mas nangingibabaw talaga ‘yung kaba. Meron akong doubt na parang hindi naman ako para doon. Parang ang kapal naman ng mukha ko kumpara sa mga nag-aral talaga ng theater, tapos bigla akong sasabak. Pero ngayon, kinapalan ko na lang ‘yung mukha ko,” she says, laughing.

She admitted that the first two rehearsals were nerve-wracking. “Parang gusto kong mag-backout. Parang sobrang daming doubts talaga sa sarili, na, ‘Ano ba tong pinasok ko? Bakit ko to ginawa? Ano pa bang gusto ko i-prove sa sarili ko? Bakit ko pinaghirapan ng ganito iyung sarili ko?’ Pero eventually naman, kakaensayo nang ensayo, na-build naman iyung confidence. Siyempre mas nagkaroon na ng teamwork, mas naiintindihan mo rin iyung proseso. So umabot din ako sa confident na ako.”

Will this be the start of more theater work? “Hopefully,” she said with a smile. “Kasi nae-enjoy ko naman talaga siyang gawin. Sarap-sarap niya sa kaluluwa.”

Southeast Asia and Beyond

After twenty years, VLF shows no signs of slowing. The festival traveled to Cagayan de Oro in 2019 and Bacolod  in 2023. Marasigan shared that lawmakers are now considering funding its expansion across other regions in the country.

And for the first time, the festival is setting its sights beyond Philippine borders.

Marasigan announced plans to launch a Southeast Asian edition featuring staged readings of new works from neighboring countries in 2026. “Ito ay isa ring pagtatangka na iyung ating magandang halimbawa, iyung ating magandang nagagawa dito, ay maipakita, maibahagi natin sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo.”

The Virgin Labfest will run from June 11 to 29 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. You can get your tickets through Ticketworld, Ticket2Me and at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.