YPC Stage Launches with Eljay Castro Deldoc’s ‘Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet’

YPC Stage Launches with Eljay Castro Deldoc’s ‘Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet’

YPC Stage, the professional performance and touring arm of the Biñan Youth Performance Council Inc. (YPC), is set to launch its inaugural production, Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet, this July at the IBG-KAL Theater in UP Diliman.

Written by Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by BJ Borja, the production brings together three plays that explore love, loss, emotional resilience, and the lasting impact of human relationships.

Originally staged as a community theater production in December 2025, Mapanakit! returns in a new staging featuring both Manila-based theater artists and members of YPC.

The cast includes Gab Pangilinan, Ross Pesigan, Phi Palmos, and Kokoy de Santos alongside YPC performers Jury Sanchez, Euden Moje, and Loudette Barias.

Ang Liknayan ng ating mga Katawan

Hershey Mae sneaks into her school’s chemistry laboratory under the guise of conducting an experiment but is actually there to confront her teacher, Sir Banakon, who has rejected her controversial research paper. The study has already caused turmoil in the school, with several students taking its claims seriously, leading to a suicide attempt, a viral altercation, and the disappearance of a student. While Sir Banakon argues that the paper must be dismissed before it causes further harm, Hershey Mae insists that her findings are rooted in lived experience and observation, challenging conventional ideas about truth and love.

The cast features Ross Pesigan as Sir Banakon and Jury Sanchez as Hershey Mae.

Ilihan at Kalingaw: Ang Lihim na Istorya ng mga Buringkantada

Set in a mythical realm, the play follows Ilihan, the poet-historian of the Buringkantada tribe, who is responsible for recording the stories deemed worthy of remembrance by the community’s elders. When the council discovers that she has secretly written love poems for Kalingaw, a man she is forbidden to love, she is summoned to face punishment. Refusing to deny her feelings, Ilihan challenges the tribe’s beliefs about memory, history, and whose stories deserve to be preserved.

The cast features Gab Pangilinan as Ilihan and Euden Moje as Kalingaw.

Ganito ang Pinangarap kong Kasal

France and Noel have been in a relationship since college, keeping their romance hidden while presenting a different image to the world. Their closest friend, Kris, has long served as confidante to both men. Their carefully maintained balance is disrupted when one of them chooses to pursue a life aligned with society’s expectations of masculinity and convention, forcing the trio to confront the consequences for their friendship and love.

The cast features Kokoy de Santos as Noel, Phi Palmos as France, and  Loudette Barias as Kris.

Joining Deldoc and Borja in the artistic team are production designer Carlo Pagunaling, lighting designer Gabo Tolentino, sound designer Arkel Mendoza, and creative director Carlo Cannu.

The Biñan Youth Performance Council (YPC) is the official theater group of Biñan City, Laguna. Through YPC Stage, the company aims to expand the reach of its productions to institutional and commercial venues while continuing its focus on community-based storytelling.

Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet runs on July 25 and 26, August 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 2 PM and 7 PM, with a gala performance on August 7 at 7 PM, at the IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Tickets are priced at ₱1,500 and are available through Ticket2Me.