Eugene Domingo says 'Septic Tank' stage production comes at PH theater's 'golden age'

Eugene Domingo believes her return to one of her most iconic roles has come at exactly the right moment — what she calls a “golden age” for Philippine theater.

The veteran actress is set to reprise her role as Direk Yuge in "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sht! It’s Live Sa Cheter!," the stage adaptation of the hit satirical franchise, which opens on June 19 at the PETA Theater Center and will run for 50 performances until August 16.

For Domingo, the production is more than a comeback. It is both a return to one of the defining roles of her career and, she added, a chance to take part in what she sees as a resurgence of Philippine theater.

“When PETA invited me again and welcomed me again, and thought of another very important project for me, hindi ako makapaniwala,” Domingo said during the show’s press conference.

“At this point, after all the challenges that we have all experienced in the entertainment industry—and especially theater, who would have thought that theater, as of this moment, will really have its golden age?”

Domingo said the current theater landscape is thriving beyond the country’s long-established companies, pointing to the rise of independent productions as proof that the live performance scene is expanding.

“It’s not only one or two or three of the established theater groups that are blooming and producing. We also have independent theater,” she said. “And it means this is the right time.”

“For me to be given the chance to be part of the golden age of Philippine theater, I cannot believe it. I’m really excited and I’m ready,” she added.

The actress, who said she takes on theater only when the right opportunity comes, described live performance as a distinct experience from screen work — one that demands rigor, discipline, and total commitment.

“I do theater every chance I get, and it’s totally different,” she said. “When we talk about Philippine theater, we are not joking. We are serious.”

Domingo said audiences can expect a full theatrical experience from "Septic Tank Live," promising a production that leans fully into the demands and spectacle of the stage.

“We’re going to sing, we’re going to dance, we’re going to act, we’re fighting, we’re making you laugh, we’re making you cry,” she said. “And most of all, you’ll get out of the theater a little smarter.”

Originally released in 2011, "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank" became one of Domingo’s most celebrated screen roles, with its biting satire of prestige filmmaking, poverty porn, and performative social relevance in Philippine cinema.

More than a decade later, Domingo said the role remains deeply personal.

“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, like Kimmy Dora, from the same creator, by the way, Chris Martinez — I think it is my legacy,” she said.

“I think this is the role that has an impact not only on the audience today, but especially those who grew older with Septic Tank," she added. —JCB, GMA News