The Virgin Labfest XXI: Hubo’t Hubad unwraps the human soul with 12 ‘virgin’ scripts

 

The Virgin Labfest (VLF) officially comes of age in its 21st edition, stripping down all pretense of innocence while showcasing the bold Filipino voice and spirit. As it nurtures emerging and established playwrights, directors, actors, and designers, it revels in the artistic and creative desires expressed through fearless storytelling.

Guided by the theme Hubo’t Hubad, this year’s VLF reflects on the many ways people reveal themselves. It invites audiences to engage with works that expose layers of identity, memory, and vulnerability.

Offering a deeper understanding of the human experience, the country’s theater festival of untried, untested, and unstaged one-act plays returns with 12 “virgin” scripts this June 3 to 28, 2026, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).

Unrestrained tales of the human experience

Featuring new works by eight “virgin” playwrights and four returning playwrights, VLFXXI: HUBO’T HUBAD elaborates on the unbridled truths of humanity’s essence after blooming into a passionate community of untold narratives over the last two decades.

Anthony Kim Vergara’s PASSWORD123, PILIPINAS321 centers on Blackteam, an underground cyberspace operation disguised as a technical support center. With his cousin leading the team’s troubling methods, the lead character questions his chosen path as a cybersecurity expert and as a Filipino.

A reporter is about to receive an international award in HUMAN RIGHTS STORY OF THE YEAR by Elijah Felice Rosales. At her farewell party, a former colleague declares she does not deserve the recognition.

PATAYIN ANG MGA SUROT by Floyd Scott Tiogangco occurs on the last night of Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency. While an Oplan Tokhang operation unfolds, tension builds as a couple conducts their own extermination of bedbugs.

A wounded fighter stumbles into a small Marawi hospital in Neil Arkhe Azcuna’s BALOS. Because of his arrival, four medical workers must decide between staying silent to save lives and speaking up to risk everyone’s refuge.

In Alab Usman’s HARAM, three queer Muslims struggle to manage faith and love across borders and barriers.

A former nun turned Philosophy professor and Gab Mactal’s LUALHATI meet again. Their memories of faith and romance emerge on the last night of the wake held at the Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn convent.

Dustin Celestino’s ELEHIYA is an impressionistic montage of conversations of fathers and sons that could have taken place but did not.

A former womanizer meets the love of his life in SHE’S ELECTRIC by Ron Evangelista. However, his friends make a discovery that leads to an insightful discussion on the sexual and philosophical nature of relationships.

Faith Ferrer Lacanlale’s BETAMAX follows a woman who begins to see “human pigs” after a minor road accident. As she ascends to madness, the darkness surrounding her family is brought to light.

A grieving family turns back time with a virtual archive of memories in FOOTPRINT by JEROM CANLAS. While they scramble to make sense of a tragedy, their unspoken feelings inflict a much harsher truth.

Set in Tarlac, two strangers uncover an unexpected connection by exchanging tales of love and disappointment within the walls of a rage booth in John Lapus’ TAKSYAPO!. 

Gerald Manuel’s BUHAGHAG follows a young lady who is haunted by a long-haired enigma that corners her into choosing between self-preservation and self-destruction.

In addition to the new plays, VLFXXI: HUBO’T HUBAD revisits three stories from last year’s edition: Ade Valenzona’s POLAR COORDINATES, Rolin Cadallo Obina’s THE LATE MR. REAL, and Siege Malvar’s PRESIDENTIAL SUITE #2.

Valenzona’s POLAR COORDINATES follows a confused student after he fails his Math exam. With the fate of his fragile family and strange feelings for his tutor piling on, he struggles to carve his own path.

Obina’s THE LATE MR. REAL takes place in an isolation facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a wall separating them, an estranged couple reexamines the clashing views that led to their marriage’s failure.

A senator is accused of money laundering in Malvar’s PRESIDENTIAL SUITE #2. While she recovers from a heart attack, her children rally for the best course of action to salvage their reputations.

Peeling off innocence and refining raw talent

True to its core of celebrating both budding and veteran playwrights, VLFXXI: HUBO’T HUBAD continues to nourish its garden of talent through its educational components: Staged Readings, Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase, Theater Talks, and Playwrights’ Fair.

Script submissions from VLFXXI come to life through stripped-down reading performances in Staged Readings. Jose Victor Torres’ MGA TATSULOK, M. Manalastas’ THE DEVOURED, Dingdong Novenario’s MANANG, Rafael Jimenez’s SUOR, Juan Ekis’ KASAL(ANAN), and Jay Fernandez’s ANG HULI take the stage.

The VLF Writing Fellowship Program, a two-week mentorship on dramatic writing for the stage headed by award-winning playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas, culminates in a thrilling showcase. The Taiwan International Play Reading Festival (TIPR) will also hold a special staged reading of Ihot Sinlay Cihek’s HOW ROMANTIC: A GUIDE TO MODERN PANGCAH LIFE, alongside the National Art Centre’s PRISON DANCER.

A forum series on the creative processes behind theater, Theater Talks will feature TIPR with speaker Cheng-Han Wu. Jin Yim and Cui Yin Mok of the Asian Producers’ Platform share their insights, together with Shizuoka Performing Arts Center’s Takuya Maehara.

Meanwhile, VLF founder and Palanca-awardee Rody Vera, Liza Magtoto, and Glenn Sevilla Mas host Playwrights’ Fair, peeking into the minds of veteran playwrights. Guest speakers Tanya Lopez, Dessa Quesada-Palm, and Sari Saysay explore the essence of Visayan theater, herstories, and settings in the nation’s current artistic landscape.

Uncovering new narratives charged with immense thirst for artistry, VLFXXI: HUBO’T HUBAD shows are scheduled at 2 p.m. matinee and 8 p.m. gala, while its educational components are slated at 5 p.m. from June 3 to 28, 2026. Tickets are priced at Php800 (regular) and Php1000 (premium), available for purchase at the CCP Box Office and Ticket World.

For more updates on the festival schedule and ticket-selling, visit the official pages of VLF, CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc., and Writers’ Bloc across Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

VLFXX: Hinog presents new narratives ripe for the picking this June 11 to 29

 

Celebrating two decades of nurturing emerging and established playwrights, directors, actors, and designers, the Virgin Labfest (VLF) continues to foster its garden of brave narratives with 12 new scripts ripe for the picking. The country’s theater festival of untried, untested, and unstaged one-act plays returns from June 11 to June 29, 2025, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).

NEW SCRIPTS, NEW CONVERSATIONS

Featuring 12 new scripts by 8 virgin male and female playwrights and 4 returning playwrights in its milestone year, VLFXX: HINOG blooms into a passionate community of unheard voices and untold stories, bringing people closer through truthful and compelling storytelling.

A group of friends makes the most of their summer vacation with a mystery game in YOJ’s TBT: TAKBO, BATANG TONDO. Albin, the policeman in their little world, is baffled when the real “suspect” isn’t punished.

Liane Carlo Suelan’s ANG BATA KAG ANG ILAGA is set in St. Jerome’s Home for Children. One of the orphans, Isaac, misses his chance to take a baby rat in when it goes missing.

POLAR COORDINATES by Ade Valenzona centers on Igo’s frustration toward polar coordinates. With the looming dilemma of repeating the 10th grade, he prepares for the final exams amid a family conflict.

Former con artist Mariah repents by joining the annual Lenten Exhibit in Eljay Castro Deldoc’s MINATING NI MARIAH ANG MANTO NG MOMMY NI MAMA MARY. However, things turn when Mariah is accused of stealing the antique veil of St. Mary Magdalene.

Ivan Villacorta Gentolizo’s UNANG ARAW has four strangers accomplishing a job for the mayor. As they drive into a remote forest in Mindanao, clashing political ideals and hidden motives are revealed.

Senator Zaragoza, author of a landmark bill, is accused of money laundering during the senate hearing in Siege Malvar’s PRESIDENTIAL SUITE #2.

In Chris Joseph Junio’s MGA MAGINDARA SA SIYUDAD, entertainers Maureen and Maylene struggle to keep their shows afloat on their makeshift stage of plywood, bamboo, and iron scraps.

ANG PROBLEMA SA TROLLEY by Imuthis (Harvey Rebaya Sallador) unveils on Pandacan’s rails. An attempt to jump into the river comes with a damning secret, leaving the trolley driver and passenger wondering what to push next.

Ex-spouses Boyet and Raquel face the tragedy of nostalgia and letting go in Rolin Migyuel Obina’s THE LATE MR. REAL. Separated by COVID-19 isolation rooms, the two discuss the future of their only child, Carl.

ANNIVERSARY, written by Nelsito Gomez, follows Rob to the cemetery on his wife’s death anniversary. An older woman approaches him, sparking a conversation on regrets, grief, and deep-seated beliefs.

Jobert Grey Landeza’s MOMMY G introduces a new family member on her 65th birthday, testing her bond with her children.

A daughter finally pursues her dreams in Ryan Machado’s DON’T MEOW FOR ME, CATRIONA. While waiting for the bus with her mother, she reflects on the complex familial love that binds and breaks families.

VLFXX: HINOG will also revisit three (3) plays from last year’s edition, retelling diverse narratives that have graced the festival.

Jhudiel Clare Sosa’s IDENTITE navigates the complicated relationship between a traditional mother and her now liberated daughter.

In Joshua Lim So’s PAGKAPIT SA HANGIN, a patient’s relative catches the scheme of a doctor and his nurses. This play narrates the tough decisions made in public hospitals during the COVID-19 delta wave in 2021.

Religion and sexuality intersect in Elise Santos’ SA BABAENG LAHAT as it centers on the lives of three girls in a Catholic school.

BEHIND THE CURTAINS OF THE VLF STAGE

Apart from celebrating budding and veteran playwrights, VLFXX: HINOG prides itself on planting seeds of wisdom through its educational components: Staged Readings, Theater Talks, Playwrights’ Fair, Dramaturgy Fellowship Exhibit, and Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase.

Staged Readings presents stripped-down reading performances of selected script submissions from VLFXX: HINOG. In this edition, Andy Abellar’s WALA GINAKAMATISAN ANG ITLOG, PATAY NA SI RIZAL by Matt Ordoñez, M.E. Mejaro’s ISANG MALAKING TIPAK NG BATO SA GITNA NG ILOG, and Rex Sandro Nepomuceno’s GANIMIDE take the VLF stage.

The forum series, Theater Talks, highlights the creative and production processes behind performances. Meanwhile, Playwrights’ Fair will host conversations with renowned playwrights, as curated by veteran writer and VLF founder Rody Vera.

Delve into the science of VLFXX: HINOG’s theater-making under the mentorship of Jonas Gabriel Garcia with the Dramaturgy Fellowship Exhibit. The VLF Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase, on the other hand, is the culmination of a two-week mentorship program under the guidance of award-winning playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas. CCP Vice President and Artistic Director Dennis Marasigan will direct. Presenting new tales of diversity and challenging perspectives, VLFXX: HINOG shows are scheduled at 2 p.m. matinee and 8 p.m. gala, while the educational components are at 5 p.m.

For more information on the festival schedule and ticket prices, visit the official social media accounts of VLF, CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino, and Writers’ Bloc on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

CALL FOR SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES FOR VLF 2025 OPEN

 

PINOY playwrights can now send in their unpublished and unstaged written works for submission to Virgin Labfest 2025.

 

For its 20th edition, the theater festival of untried, unstaged, and untested one-act plays opens its stage for entries.

 

The deadline for submission is on February 29, 2024, at 11:59 PM.  Submissions may be sent online in .doc or .pdf format only to thewritersblocinc@gmail.com.

 

The call for script submissions is open to all Filipino citizens only. The festival is open to various themes and genres.

 

Interested playwrights must submit their manuscripts with a maximum running time of 40 minutes, about 25-35 pages long.

 

Submitted works MUST NOT have previously been published in book form, staged commercially for more than two (2) performances (staged readings, one-time workshop productions are allowed); and awarded any literary or drama prize in major competitions on or before the closing day of the Virgin Labfest 2024, on June 30, 2024.

 

Works may be in Filipino, English, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, or Ilocano.  (Cebuano, Hiligaynon or Ilocano works must have accompanying Filipino translations).  Entries in other Filipino languages/dialects will also be considered based on the availability and capability of performers.

 

Twelve (12) new one-act plays will be selected to be produced and staged in June 2025. The playwrights of the chosen scripts must be willing to undergo a script development process for their works with the creative team of the festival.

 

The chosen plays will be formally announced at the end of the VLF 19 in June 2024.

 

The Virgin Labfest is a partnership project of The Writer’s Bloc, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation, Inc., and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

 

Visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph), and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and check out the hashtags for more updates.