The stage before the June 12 press preview of YEMAYA at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater. Photo by Saul de Jesus / Unsaulicited. The best way to enter YEMAYA is not to demand a map. It is to allow yourself to believe, even for a while, that its world exists. At its June 12 press preview, 9 Works Theatrical’s YEMAYA did not build every corner of that world for the audience. Instead, it invited us to become active participants in imagining it: the fictional province of Magdalena, the city beyond it, the waters leading toward an idealized America, and the uncertain possibilities waiting past the shore. That trust is one of the production’s strengths. YEMAYA taps into a part of the psyche that adulthood often teaches us to suppress. It puts us through the paces of childlike wonder, shock, hope, fantasy, and the unexpected. It allows the story to unravel without immediately explaining every bend in the journey. At times, it...

Thinking of catching YEMAYA with someone? Ticket2Me has made the invitation a little easier. Ticket2Me and 9 Works Theatrical are offering an Independence Day Flash Promo for selected performances of YEMAYA at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell Makati. Purchase one ticket and receive another ticket free. Not every show is included, so this is one of those promos worth reading past the headline. The deal applies only to four selected performances and runs until June 12, 2026, at 12:00 PM . YEMAYA Ticket2Me Promo: What to Know Offer Buy one YEMAYA ticket and get another ticket free Deadline June 12, 2026, at 12:00 PM Selected shows June 13, June 14, June 27, and July 4 Venue The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, Makati City Booking platform Ticket2Me Which YEMAYA shows are included in the Ticket2Me promo? The buy-one-get-one-free offer is available for the following YEMAYA performances: Performance Date Show Time June 13, 2026, Saturday 7:...

YEMAYA title artwork and Bituin Escalante. Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical; photo by Lee Morale. Review update, September 7, 2026: Read our YEMAYA review , based on the June 12, 2026 press preview of the play. The cast announcement below retains its original schedule and ticket information. Bituin Escalante was announced as Yemaya/Inay in 9 Works Theatrical’s YEMAYA , with Tommy Alejandrino and Benedix Ramos alternating as Jesus/Mulo, and Sheena Belarmino and Ness Roque alternating as Maya. The production uses Filipino text by Eljay Castro Deldoc, based on Yemaya’s Belly by Quiara Alegría Hudes, with Ed Lacson Jr. directing and designing the set. The original run was announced for June 13 to July 5, 2026 at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Makati. This article records the April 29 cast announcement and its accompanying biographies. It does not assess the alternate casts’ performances. Hudes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, also wrote the book for In the Heig...

9 Works Theatrical stages YEMAYA from June 13 to July 5, 2026 at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati, presenting a Filipino translation of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Yemaya’s Belly . Update: 9 Works Theatrical has announced the cast of YEMAYA , led by Bituin Escalante as Yemaya/Inay, Benedix Ramos and Tommy Alejandrino alternating as Jesus/Mulo, and Sheena Belarmino and Ness Roque alternating as Maya. Read Unsaulicited’s full YEMAYA 2026 cast announcement for the complete lineup and production update. YEMAYA brings Hudes’ work into Filipino through a translation by Eljay Castro Deldoc, staging a fantasy-driven coming-of-age story about perseverance, hope, belonging, and the pull of the tides. For readers tracking stage plays in Manila , it stands out as one of the most intriguing non-musical theater entries in the 2026 calendar. The production leans into a quieter, more deliberate re...