The 10th Virgin Labfest opens with the works of veterans

The 10th edition of Virgin Labfest, the bold and brave annual festival of “untried, untested, unpublished, and unstaged plays,” raises its curtain on June 25 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Huseng Batute (Studio Theater), featuring works by three veteran playwrights on its opening night.

For the first time in its 10-year history, the Virgin Labfest collected and grouped together in one set the plays written by so-called “Labfest veterans,” or those with three or more works mounted in previous editions of the playfest.

Playwrights belonging to the unprecedented “hall of fame” are Liza Magtoto, with her entry “Anonymous”; Allan Lopez, with “Sa Isang Hindi Natatanging Umaga, At Ang Mga Ulap Ay Dahan-Dahang Pumaibabaw sa Nabubulok Na Lungsod”; and Layeta Bucoy, with “Sa Pagitan Ng Dalawang Kahong Liham.”

In an interview, The Writers’ Bloc’s multi-awarded coordinator Rody Vera said that this year the Labfest returns to its original mission of “bare bones” staging by professional directors and actors of one-act plays.

“Staging full-length plays are filled with logistical problems. During rehearsal periods, the requirements of full-length plays clash with those of one-act plays. Running time is also a problem. So we decided to go back to the original one-act plays. But we also decided to have a veterans’ section from this year,” he said.

Vera disclosed plans to have a separate festival focusing only on full-length plays.

Virgin Labfest is a collaboration among the CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino, the playwrights’ group The Writers’ Bloc and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The festival runs until July 6, with 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. showings at the CCP.

The rewards of Labfest

Tanghalang Pilipino’s Tuxqs Rutaquio, who is also the Labfest artistic director, said he was grateful for the lessons and opportunities he gained from years of active Labfest participation.

“I am a perfect example of a playwright and director who started from the Virgin Labfest. I am what I am now because of Labfest. I grew here as a director and playwright,” he said.

“Part of the charm of Labfest is that I can be as fearless as anybody. In the years of the Labfest, we did not think of making money. We just wanted to write and produce,” Rutaquio added.

Lopez, who probably has the longest-titled play for this year’s festival, said writing plays and taking part in the annual Labfest are “already rewards” in themselves.

“In my day job, I feel like a zombie. Crafting plays is a respite for me. There’s nothing else I want to get out of the Virgin Labfest in the sense that this is already an experience,” said Lopez, who works in a financial company in Makati.

One of the gems of this year’s Labfest is 16-year-old Reya Laplana, who just graduated from the Philippine High School for the Arts. Laplana’s “Sa Lihim” is a narrative tackling rites of passage set in her native South Cotabato.

“I am overwhelmed by my Labfest experience. I do hope I would have more time to write more plays in the near future,” Laplana said shyly.

Eljay Deldoc, a former teacher and now a theater advocate, said he dumped teaching to enable him to focus on playwriting and staging Filipino plays in his Laguna province.

“I am able to mentor and to impart learning to students by doing theater work,” said Deldoc, whose entry is titled “Ang Goldfish ni Prof. Dimaandal.”

Fitness instructor and former IT worker Ricardo Novenario added that “experiencing Labfest is already a prize and the rest are bonus.”

Novenario, whose entry is called “Wendy Wants To Be a Housewife,” said he wants to write more plays and to be produced mainstream someday.

Directors and lineup

Chris Millado, CCP vice president and artistic director, said the directors chosen for the 12 new Labfest plays were “deemed to be the most appropriate minds to ventilate the voices of the playwrights.”

“A director who could actually be some sort of dramaturg can guide the playwright, and make the experience of the playwright become informed through rewriting, revisions, and the continuous refinement of the work,” he said.

Millado directs Bucoy’s “Sa Pagitan ng Dalawang Kahong Liham” showcased in the veterans’ section.

Also included in the directors’ list are Audie Gemora, Denisa Reyes, Dennis Marasigan, Joshua Lim So, Marlon Rivera, Tami Monsod, Melvin Lee, Roobak Valle, JK Anicoche, Jenny Jamora, Ed Lacson Jr., Law Fajardo, and Chris Martinez.

Plays being revisited from the 9th Virgin Labfest are Herlyn Gail Alegre’s “Imbisibol,” Magtoto’s “Isang Daan,” and Vergara’s “Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady.”

One feature of the Labfest not to be missed is the staged readings of the following: “Lagalag” by Samantha Dadofalza and directed by Emman dela Cruz; “Nocturne” by Juan Ekis and directed by Emman dela Cruz; and “Mga Buhay Na Apoy” by Kanakan Balintagos and directed by Rollie Inocencio.

Site-specific performances called “Fragments” will be mounted by the DLSU Harlequin Theater Guild, and includes “Ang Transaksiyon” by Jovielyn Avisado, “Mannequin” by Laurice Guillermo, “Usapang Basket(Balls)” by Lois Villar, “Realism” by Marc Gaba, and “Barbie Girls” by Em Mendez. — BM, GMA News

Click here for the Virgin Labfest 10 schedule. Call 832-3704 or 891-9999 for details.