In 2005, the Writer’s Bloc Founder and Playwright Rody Vera and former Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director Herbie Go envisioned a theater festival dedicated to birthing unstaged and unpublished plays.
The idea was primarily spurred by the reality that few professional or semi-professional theater companies in the Philippines have programs to develop new playwrights and stage plays.
With the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) providing a venue, the Virgin Labfest (VLF) was born.
The first edition took place over a single weekend in June, featuring eight plays in twin bill, staged with two performances each.
Serendipitously, many of the participating directors and actors from different theater groups in the country were available during that period, which fell between summer workshops and the start of regular theater season. The productions were minimal, with bare-boned sets and hardly any scenery.
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Despite this, the response was overwhelmingly positive from both audiences and theater artists.
Fast-forward to 20 years now, and the Virgin Labfest has grown into the country’s largest theater festival. Its annual showcase of bold and untested works continues to draw acclaimed directors, well-known actors, and diverse, enthusiastic audiences. What began as a modest experiment now spans three sold-out weeks annually.
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From past years, the festival has featured 12 new plays selected from approximately 200 submissions, presented in four curated trilogies, alongside a “revisited” set featuring three standout plays from the previous year.
Over the years, countless actors have been “de-virginized” on the VLF stage — among them are familiar names from film, television, and theater, such as Gina Alajar, Celeste Legaspi, Elizabeth Oropesa, Tetchie Agbayani, Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, Nonie Buencamino, Lou Veloso, Irma Adlawan, Alessandra de Rossi, and Dolly de Leon, to name just a few.
Numerous directors have also made their theatrical debuts at the festival, including Carlos Siguion-Reyna, Lawrence Fajardo, Audie Gemora, Chris Millado, Jade Castro, Roobak Valle, Jaime del Mundo, and Andoy Ranay, along with a host of emerging and established names in Philippine theater.
Yet at the heart of the Virgin Labfest are the plays themselves, crafted by voices both new and seasoned. The youngest featured playwright to date was Reya Laplana, whose play “Sa Lilim” was staged when she was just 15. On the other end of the spectrum, National Artist F. Sionil Jose’s “Dong-Ao” was presented in 2008, when he was 81.
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The VLF repertoire covers a vast range of themes — politics, science, family dynamics, gender identity — and showcases work from some of the Philippines’ most respected writers, including Vera himself, along with Palanca Hall of Fame awardees Nicolas Pichay, Joshua Lim So, Rodolfo Robles Lana, Rene Villanueva, and Reuel Molina Aguila.
Also featured are contemporary playwrights like Glenn Sevilla Mas, Eljay Castro Deldoc, Dingdong Novenario, Layeta Bucoy, Allan Lopez, J. Dennis Teodosio, Liza Magtoto, and Debbie Ann Tan. Every year, new writers are added, enriching the country’s dramatic canon.
Beyond its annual staging, the Virgin Labfest has become a reunion of sorts for the theater community. But its most enduring legacy lies in its growing catalog of plays. Thanks to published anthologies (now four volumes and counting), students, educators, and theater companies across the Philippines have access to original, relevant materials for their productions.
Some VLF plays have even made the leap from stage to screen. “Imbisibol” by Herlyn Alegre, for instance, was adapted into a film by Lawrence Fajardo in 2013. Liza Magtoto and Rody Vera’s play “Hubad” had its cinematic debut, with filmmaker Denisa Reyes taking the helm, in 2008. There was also “Gee-Gee at Waterina” by Dennis Teodosio, which became a short feature film entry in the 2006 Cinemalaya, and eventually became a full-length musical.
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Other components have been added, including a writing fellowship program, staged readings, theater talks, and other educational components.
The festival has now become an incubator not only for Filipino playwrights but also for technical theater practitioners, providing opportunities for designers, stage managers, lighting and sound technicians, and production crews to hone their craft, experiment with new techniques, and collaborate closely with emerging and established artists. Its hands-on environment fosters innovation and professional growth across all aspects of theater-making.
Truthfully, it can be said that the Virgin Labfest has helped in shaping the consciousness of Filipinos to the ever-evolving world they live in. Theatergoers are exposed to a multitude of lived experiences and worldviews, leading a healthy dialogue between art and society that continues to shape our national identity and helps in nation-building.
With the 20th edition of the VLF ongoing, there is so much that is ripe for the picking. The Virgin Labfest remains a vibrant space for risk-taking and reinvention.
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This year’s edition, Virgin Labfest XX: Hinog, runs until June 29, with performances at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).
For the full festival schedule and ticket information, follow the official social media accounts of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, and Writer’s Bloc on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
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About the contributor: Dennis Marasigan is the Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He is a notable and award-winning writer, director, actor and lightning designer.
