The Virgin Labfest, an annual Philippine festival showcasing untried, untested, and unstaged plays, celebrates its milestone 20th year with VLF XX: Hinog. The title, which means ripe or mature in Cebuano, is an apt description of this year’s plays.

The festival has twelve ‘virgin’ plays and three plays from the previous year. These are divided into sets of three, equating to four sets of ‘virgin’ plays and one set of revisited plays. 

Set A: Bubot of VLF XX: Hinog offers a moving portrait of youth as a state of becoming. They are not fully formed, yet they already experience dilemmas that range from loneliness to identity. These dilemmas are exemplified as part of the human experience, and how they all play a role in the bitter and bruising power of growth. The set’s title, Bubot, describes something that has not grown fully yet, or simply something that is still unripe. Consciously or not, this concept persists in all three plays, making the overall set quite a poignant watch.

Set A: Bubot of VLF XX: Hinog shows us life in its most true form. Beautifully captured are the confusing and heartbreaking moments that shape who we become.

Ang Bata Kag Ang Ilaga and desiring connection

The play follows Isaac. Unlike the other kids in the child care center, he is an orphan. One day, he finds a rat all by himself. 

The character of Isaac himself is a puppet. Three puppeteers, namely Rigel Hechanova, Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, and V Soriano, all work together in operating Isaac as he wrestles through loneliness and his desire for connection. Hechanova also acts as Isaac’s voice actor; she amazes, succeeding in conveying Isaac’s emotions and operating the puppet. Bonifacio-Ramolete and Soriano are also commendable with their swift operation of Isaac.

Playwright Liane Carlo Suelan brilliantly uses a rat as the one Isaac finds a connection with. Many human beings fear the animal rat, and the inclusion of one makes Isaac’s dilemma feel more grounded and real. The rat amazingly mirrors Isaac’s condition: he is alone, but he still feels compelled to care for something that others typically shun. This pairing highlights how deeply depressed Isaac is, and it shows the importance of cultivating an environment that cares for human beings like him.

Sensitive direction from『 s i g l o 』also gives the play the ability to elicit empathy from its audience. The play’s meditation on how children deal with pain and search for meaning in their isolation is quiet and powerful.

Dilemmas can burden even young people, and sometimes, the world resolves these dilemmas only when it is already too late.

Takbo, Batang Tondo, a microcosm of society

A metaphorical look at power and justice, Takbo, Batang Tondo by playwright YOJ compels with its portrayal of social roles and systems. Set during a high-stakes game of play-pretend during the sweltering summer, the play blurs the lines between play and reality.

Four children take on the roles of police, sari-sari store vendor, baby, and thief. Prince España, Ericka Peralejo, Felicity Kyle Napuli, and Ian Magz collectively makes the game feel like a high-stakes conflict. This action game of play-pretend evolves into a microcosm of society, one complete with misunderstandings and conflict. As the sole adult figure, Bong Cabrera is a grounding presence on-stage, whose mere presence makes you feel uncertain about what’s next to come. 

The direction of Chic San Agustin-De Guzman makes the play thrilling. It asks adult audiences – how early do we internalize roles of power and authority? The director allows the audience to sit in discomfort as roles blur and emotions escalate. We are made to reflect not just on what the children are doing, but on what they are reenacting, and where they might have learned it. 

In the end, Takbo, Batang Tondo doesn’t just portray a childhood game gone wrong. it implicates the adult world that shaped the rules of their game in the first place.

Polar Coordinates and solving for X

Igo is in serious danger: he is failing Math, and he might repeat tenth grade. However, things aren’t quite good at home. Worse, he is suppressing something too.

Playwright Ade Valenzona cleverly uses a Mathematics summative test, one which most dreaded at some point during high school, to reflect on one’s identity and emotional disarray at home. The play rests on the shoulders of actor Jack Denzel. As Igo, he had the difficult task of balancing comedy with his internal battles, which Denzel excelled at. 

Directed with care by Paolo O’Hara, the play captured the overwhelming feeling of carrying burdens one does not have the maturity to express yet. The play is not just about a math exam, rather also about the difficulty of growing up in a fractured home, dealing with pressure, and trying to understand oneself amid the noise. Visual projections were utilized in showing the mental turmoil inside Igo. The numbers and the formulas swirl together, and the thoughts swirl together. 

It is quite difficult to locate oneself in a world that continues to spin and spin.

Note: The author watched the open dress rehearsal of Set A: Bubot of VLF XX: Hinog.

Further Information

Set A: Bubot of VLF XX: Hinog has overall performances. It will have performances on June 21 and June 22, at 8:00 PM and 2:00 PM, respectively. In its final week, it will have performances on June 26 and June 27, at 8:00 PM and 2:00 PM, respectively. 

Tickets are PHP 800 for Regular Seats and PHP 1,000 for Premium Seats. One ticket gains access to one set of 3 one-act plays. They are available for purchase through Ticketworld, Ticket2Me, and at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. The 20% ticket discount offered to Senior Citizens, PWD, Government and Military Personnel, and National Athletes can only be claimed at the CCP Box Office located at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.

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