Dulaang UP to stage OFW-centered play 'Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan'

Dulaang UP will stage a new theater production titled Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan from 12 to 29 March 2026 at the IBG-KAL Theater, University of the Philippines Diliman.

The production is written and directed by Arlo De Guzman, the company’s artistic director and a multi-awarded recipient of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. De Guzman draws from personal experience as a former overseas worker, having spent nearly two decades working abroad across several countries.

Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan focuses on the realities faced by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families. The play presents interlinked narratives examining prolonged family separation, the pressure of continuous remittances, and the emotional toll of migration on parents, children, and siblings left behind. Migration is framed as a response to limited economic opportunities in the Philippines rather than an individual choice detached from broader structural conditions.

While OFWs are widely recognized for their contribution to the national economy through remittances, the production shifts attention to the personal and social costs of overseas labor. It highlights how long-term absence has become normalized as a consequence of decades of labor export.

Narratives of Filipino migrant workers have long appeared in news reporting, television, and film. The production situates these stories in a theatrical context, using dialogue, movement, and music to examine the human impact of migration.

The play also reflects on the continued vulnerability of Filipino workers abroad amid ongoing global tensions, raising questions about the sustainability of overseas employment as a long-term solution.

Performances are scheduled on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., at the IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman.

Tickets are available here. PHP 1,000.00 Regular Price; PHP 800.00 PWD / Senior Citizens / Non-UP Students; PHP 650.00 UP Community (UP System students and employees). For updates, follow DUP's Facebook page.