Vincent A. DeJesus’ ‘Ateng’ Returns After 20 Years this November

Vincent A. DeJesus’ ‘Ateng’ Returns After 20 Years this November

Vincent A. DeJesus’ one-act play Ateng returns to the stage this November, twenty years after its Virgin Labfest debut. A dark comedy set in the mid-2000s, it looks back on the lives of queer Filipinos at a time when openness and representation were still hard-won. The revival also marks the first-ever theater production to be staged at Rampa Drag Club in Quezon City.

Originally staged in 2005 at the inaugural Virgin Labfest, Ateng went on to win a Palanca Award and was remounted several times by student theater companies. Now, 20 years later, DeJesus teams up with producers Boy Abunda and RS Francisco to bring the piece to a new generation of audiences.

DeJesus describes the revival as a “period piece,” set in 2005—a time that, he says, feels very distant from the present in terms of how the LGBTQIA+ community was perceived and represented.

A Revival Years in the Making

The idea for the restaging dates back to 2018, when Abunda—who had seen the original staging in 2005—reached out to DeJesus about reviving Ateng. The project was later put on hold due to the pandemic.

“And then he called me up again this June, sabi niya, ‘Gawin natin ulit,’” DeJesus shared. “Sabi ko, ‘Bakit gustong gusto mo?’ Sabi niya, kasi it’s 20 years ago—para makita ng Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and the young millennials how the LGBT community was during 2005, nung wala pang social media. Hindi pa as open as now. Wala pa iyung terms, hindi pa woke ang lipunan. Ibang iba iyung mundo 20 years ago.’”

Ateng was originally directed by Phil Noble and starred Buddy Caramat and Dudz Teraña in its Virgin Labfest premiere. For this 2025 revival, the production has been expanded from its 50-minute festival version to a 90-minute staging.

DeJesus noted that while there have been slight updates, the play largely preserves its original text and context.

“May mga tweaks akong ginawa na we got away with in 2005 pero pag ito parang, let’s not go that far. Ninety percent iyun pa rin iyung material because that’s exactly the point why we’re doing it—it’s a reflection kung ano iyung state ng LGBT community nun as compared to now because it’s been 20 years eh.”

Revisiting a Difficult Time

Set in Marikina on a stormy evening in 2005, Ateng tells the story of Juicy, an impersonator who fails to pay the electric bill after spending the money on his smooth-talking boyfriend, Onyx. His older sibling, Kiwi (Ateng), a parlorista, steps in to collect from Onyx the amount he owes Juicy before their electricity is cut off. The confrontation that follows brings long-held tensions to the surface and pushes the three into an unexpected reckoning.

The cast features Kokoy De Santos and Dyas Adarlo alternating as Onyx, Jason Barcial and Io Balanon alternating as Juicy, and Thou Reyes and Vincent A. DeJesus alternating as Kiwi (Ateng).

You can watch a staged reading excerpt performed by Thou Reyes, Jason Barcial, and Kokoy De Santos below. The full production will feature complete sets, costumes, and staging.

 

“Ito rin iyung time na ang daming hate crime. May mga murder, may mga stabbings. 2005 was particularly one of the violent years sa LGBT community,” DeJesus recalled.

Reyes, who returns to the stage after eight years since Care Divas, shared why the revival feels timely.

“Mare-realize ng mga younger generation na, ganun pala iyung struggle ng LGBT community back then. And this is like 2005 lang ah. Hindi ito 19 kopong kopong. Nung 2005, iyan na iyung struggles nila—and it’s only 2025 now. So it’s nice na mapanood ng younger generation this kind of material.”

“I think it’s really important to show something written in 2005 now in 2025 because we need to see how things have changed,” adds actor Dyas Adarlo. “Mas open na iyung mga tao ngayon, but is it enough? Hindi pa talaga.”

DeJesus mirrors this by saying: ”Kahit ngayon iyung SOGIE bill, hindi pa rin na-approve. Every time there’s a foot forward, babalik nanaman. Parang urong- sulong iyung pagbabago. Parang one step forward, two steps backwards. It’s frustrating, so magandang balikan natin kung ano nangyari for the past 20 years or maybe more.”

Ateng is written by Vincent A. DeJesus and directed by Rem Zamora, with production and set design by Ben Padero, costume styling by Carlo Tabije, lighting design and technical direction by D Cortezano, and sound design by Teresa Barrozo.

The show runs from November 14 to 16, 21 to 23, 28 to 30, and December 5 to 7, 2025, all at 7 PM at Rampa Drag Club, Tomas Morato Extension, Quezon City. Tickets are priced at P1,000 and are available via Ticket2Me.