The ensemble turns the stage into controlled chaos in Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter! Photo courtesy of PETA. There are shows that celebrate Philippine theater by putting it on a pedestal. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter! does something much braver. It loves Philippine theater enough to drag it, expose it, flatter it, roast it, and still make you feel grateful you were in the room. I got to sit right smack in the middle, orchestra center, third row. That seat mattered. From there, every side-eye, ridiculous decision, background movement, and burst of theater-kid chaos landed with scary precision. Now running at the PETA Theater Center in New Manila, Quezon City until August 16, 2026, PETA’s first live theatrical installment of the Ang Babae sa Septic Tank franchise brings the chaos of the films to the stage. But this is not just the movie format carried over to live performance. The joke now lives inside the theat...

Kho-Lab Productions is already looking at what comes next. After closing its first production for the 2026 season, Kho-Lab Productions gave audiences a preview of How to Train Your Drag Mom , a new Filipino theatre piece planned for its 2027 season. I saw the showcase on June 20 after Double Take , and the smart thing to say first is this: this is not yet a full review because this is not yet the full production. It was a preview. A developmental glimpse. A first look at a show still finding its final shape. But first looks matter. They tell us what a company wants to build, what stories it wants to put in the room, and which lives it thinks deserve stage space. In this case, Kho-Lab Productions is looking toward drag, queer Filipino storytelling, chosen family, acceptance, and the very complicated business of becoming yourself in front of people who may or may not know how to receive you. In short, this is drag with baggage. Good. That is usually where the bett...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Manila adds a Filipino Sign Language-interpreted performance on July 22, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire. The golden ticket is getting a more inclusive seat in Manila. Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will have a special Filipino Sign Language-interpreted performance on July 22, 2026 at 8 PM at The Theatre at Solaire . Broadway International Group, Broadway Asia Group, AMA Group of Companies, in association with GMG Productions, announced the accessibility performance as part of the Manila premiere of the Broadway musical. The show will feature live Filipino Sign Language interpretation for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing audiences. The initiative is being done in collaboration with Filipino Sign Language Deaf consultants and interpreters from the Benilde Center for Education Advancement of the Deaf and the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies - Interpreting Education Program . Quick Facts: Charlie ...

Promotional material for Double Take: Reverse Card & AL.TER . Image courtesy of Kho-Lab Productions and Artist Playground. Review by Saul de Jesus What to know: Double Take: Reverse Card & AL.TER is a twin bill presented by Kho-Lab Productions, in collaboration with Artist Playground, directed by Paul Jake Paule. I watched the June 20, 2026, 3:00 PM performance at Illumination Studio, Makati, with CJ Tiongson and Drei Arias in AL.TER , and Inah Evans and Gerald Magallanes in Reverse Card . Content note: This review discusses a production with themes that may be uncomfortable or triggering, including grief, bullying, manipulation, trauma, and self-harm. The review avoids spelling out every major reveal, but it discusses the emotional shape of both plays. Before Double Take even began, the production made its first responsible choice. A projected message with voiceover warned the audience that the show would contain themes that may trigger or make us u...

Official poster for Ang Kawatan , presented by 2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center. Photo courtesy of 2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center. What happens when a story is not just told, but taken? That is the uneasy question at the center of Ang Kawatan (The Thief) , the second production of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light , presented by 2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center this June in Cebu City. Written by journalist and playwright Maverick Avila and directed by Vanessa Fe , Ang Kawatan runs on June 27 and 28, 2026 at The Kabilin Center on Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Tinago, Cebu City. Quick Facts: Ang Kawatan in Cebu Production: Ang Kawatan (The Thief) Presented by: 2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center Series: Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light Playwright: Maverick Avila Director: Vanessa Fe Venue: The Kabilin Center, Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Tinago, Cebu City Show dates: Ju...

Manila gets a free ticket to contemporary Italian cinema this June as the Italian Film Festival 2026 returns with six screenings at Red Carpet Cinemas, Shangri-La Plaza. The festival runs from June 26 to July 1, 2026 at Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema, Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City. Screenings are scheduled at 6:00 PM , and admission is free . That is already enough reason to pay attention. Free screenings in a proper cinema, right after work, inside Shangri-La Plaza, with six contemporary Italian films? This is one of those cultural calendar entries that should not be buried under “maybe next time.” Presented by the Embassy of Italy in Manila in collaboration with Elephant Pictures, Cineforum Robert Bresson, the Philippine-Italian Association, and Shangri-La Plaza's Red Carpet Cinemas, this year’s festival brings a compact but interesting lineup of recent Italian films. The selection includes 2025 works by Paolo Sorrentino and Paolo Genovese, alongside t...

People, Places, and Things announcement artwork for August 2026. Courtesy of The Sandbox Collective. Review update, September 7, 2026: Read our People, Places and Things technical dress rehearsal review , based on the August 14, 2026 rehearsal. The announcement below predates the cast, venue and full schedule details. The Sandbox Collective’s June 14, 2026 announcement named People, Places, and Things as its next project: a limited staged reading of Duncan Macmillan’s play, directed by artistic director Sab Jose and planned for August 2026. The announcement followed the company’s February production of Spring Awakening . At that point, Sandbox had not released the cast, venue, exact performance dates or ticket availability. Those were still forthcoming when this preview was written. Sandbox returns to Duncan Macmillan The company’s earlier Macmillan productions include Lungs and Every Brilliant Thing , with the latter also presented in Filipino as Bawat Bonggang Bagay . Every B...