Carla Delgado

Tanghalang Pilipino (TP) stages Malou Jacob's Batang Mujahideen as part of its 33rd season, titled a?oeMakidigma.a?? According to TP Artistic Director Nanding Josef, the group has had the piece for years, unable to include it in its season lineup until now.

Repertory Philippines (REP) opens its 2020 season with the backstage comedy Stage Kiss, a straight play written by distinguished playwright Sarah Ruhl, who also wrote The Vibrator Play and Eurydice.

Hayden Tee, who played Javert in the Broadway revival of Cameron Mackintosh's production of Les Miserables, revisits the role of Miss Trunchbull in the international tour of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical.

CATS is a bizarre musical, to begin with, and it's understandably complex to adapt it into a film.

It is essential to be authentic because a production like this speaks of our cultural identity.

Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), LoveYourself, and The Red Whistle joined together to form a creative campaign that will bring light to the issues of HIV in the country. This campaign, called a?oeActing on HIV,a?? includes different components that will help debunk myths, disprove misconceptions, and eradicate the stigma surrounding the disease.

The story itself varies, and even in the northern region of the Philippines, there are about 10-20 versions of the storya??Tanghalang Pilipino's staging of a?oeLam-Anga?? is a reimagined version that aims to tell the story as truthfully as possible.

Shakespeare's works are classics, and there's a reason why they have stood the test of time. Just recently, the embattled UK-based Shakespeare Rose Theatre was about to make its international debut by staging Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream in Manila. However, it was suddenly canceled. This November, Manila-based Theatre Titas boldly stages a local production of Macbeth, directed by Carlos Cariño.

What's tricky with musicals is that sometimes the actors focus too much on polishing their singing and dancing and don't pay enough attention to their acting. There are only a handful of really good actors among the cast, who were enough to help the audience be engrossed in the story.

The musical shows the competitiveness and intensity of high school cheerleading but never strays away from the themes of friendship, forgiveness, and sportsmanship.

With PETA's Acting in HIV campaign, they are steadfast in their goal of tackling sensitive topics through theater and the arts. They use theater as their medium to forward their advocacies and help the public to be educated, especially with shows like Under My Skin.

Joanna Ampil may have already checked off Grizabella from her dream roles, but there's something about the musical that makes her want to reprise the role once more. 'I'm doing it again because it's in Manila, hahaha!' she shared. 'I've always wanted to bring Cats to Manila and finally we have the chance, so I'm excited. I'm nervous also, but I'm more excited about it.'

Katsuri aims to bring light to the issue of last year's massacre of sugar workers from Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Himala: Isang Musikal may be one of the best original Filipino musicals there is. It doesn't rely on the grand, lavish, and elite packaging of theater and simply delivers vulnerability and emotional storytelling.

There are brief moments in the first act that make it difficult to hold your interest in the play, but the second act is much more fast-paced. As secrets are slowly revealed, the audience gets more involved in the story.

This September, Upstart Productions stages a?oeCompany,a?? the Tony Award-winning musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The musical comedy centers around Bobby, a bachelor who can't seem to find a suitable partner for himself. The musical explores the different kinds of relationships he has with the people in his life. He looks into his friends' respective marriages and assesses his romantic attachments.

Shakespeare Rose Theatre, produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, recently held its first-ever Shakespeare boot camp at the Theatre at Solaire. This award-winning company from the United Kingdom (UK) makes its international debut in Manila by bringing two classic Shakespeare plays, 'Macbetha' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to the Filipino audience for a week, from September 17 to 22, 2019.

For its 20th-anniversary celebration, the Philippine Opera Company (POC) is proud to stage PASSION, a musical about the complexities of love and desire. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, this collaboration got nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical and won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical.

Broadway's longest-running musical, 'The Phantom of the Opera,' returns to Manila again this 2019 at the Theatre at Solaire. This Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is a classic, and since 2012, its return to the Philippines has been much-awaited. This new world tour of 'The Phantom of the Opera' has 130 cast, crew, and orchestra players working on it, bringing international audiences a show of unparalleled quality and caliber.

For the 50th-anniversary celebration of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the country's first full-length opera, 'Noli Me Tangere, The Opera' will be staged on March 8-10, 2019, at CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo.