Daily TribuneThe Sandbox Collective's season ender is a dramatic staged reading of playwright's Duncan MacMillan's exploration of addiction, and sobriety.
Actors Bela Padilla and Jake Cuenca take time out of their busy filming schedule for a a bit of theater to join the cast of "People, Places, And Things."
All photos by Paw Castillo. Courtesy of The Sandbox Collective
Gabby Padilla is considered to be one of the best young theater actresses of her generation, with starring roles in plays with deeply emotional roles
What does it take to recover from addiction, and finding your truth and identity while navigating a life of sobriety? These are the questions explored in Duncan Macmillan's play People, Places, and Things, set to be presented by The Sandbox Collective as dramatic staged reading on August 15 and 16, 2026.
This is the third Macmillan piece to be staged by Sandbox, after previous productions of the two-hander Lungs, and the critically acclaimed Every Brilliant Thing, and it's Filipino adaptation Bawat Bonggang Bagay. People, Places, and Things is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary plays of the last decade, is darkly humorous exploration of addiction, rehabilitation, and the fragile, often painful journey toward healing.
At the crux of this story is Emma, a successful actress whose carefully constructed life unravels as she enters a rehabilitation center and confronts addiction, memory, and the difficult process of recovery. Through her eyes, the play asks profound questions about identity, truth, and what it really means to push forward when the lines between performance and reality begin to blur.
Taking on this central role is multi-awarded actress, director, and screenwriter Bela Padilla, who is conquering new ground in her theatrical debut. In the 2010s, she appeared in a slew of films that saw love stories through a different lens, such as 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, Meet Me In St. Gallen, and On Vodka, Beers and Regrets.
Alternating with Bela as Emma is critically-acclaimed film, theater, and television actress, Gabby Padilla. Her roles in the coming-of-age film Billie and Emma, and in the Cinemalaya film Kono Basho have earned her acting awards both her and abroad. Her recent theater credits include I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Tiny Beautiful Things.
Now how serendipitous is that? Two Padilla's playing the same role. While they may not be related, both Bela and Gabby have got their acting skills down to an art form.
Playing the male lead in People, Places, and Things, as Mark, is actor Jake Cuenca, who makes his return to the stage (and to Sandbox) after appearing in 2018's Lungs. Jake has built a decades long career playing diverse roles in ABS CBN teleseryes, while also gaining recogniton for his film roles in international film festivals in New York and Brazil.
Completing the company of players for People, Places, and Things are actors and actresses who have become known for imbuing their characters with a unique point-of-view.
Starting of the list are Philippine theater royalty Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, as Doctor, Therapist, and Mom, and Audie Gemora, who will appear as Paul and Dad. Both Menchu and Audie has been mainstays of the stage, last seen as playing adult woman and adult man, respectively, in Spring Awakening earlier this year.
Completing the cast are director, actor, and writer Robbie Guevara as Foster; Gawad Buhay Award-winning actors Reb Atadero as T, and Brian Sy as Shaun and Mark (Understudy); actor and arts executive Mariella Laurel as Laura; performer and writer Pamela Imperial as Charlotte; actor, director, and teacher Miel Abong as Jodi; and writer and the production’s dramaturg Salve Villarosa van Schoonhoven as the Narrator.
People, Places, and Things fits right in to Sandbox's focus on advocacy theater, holding space for discussions on mental health and other important issues through thought-provoking storytelling. This show also marks Sandbox's artistic director Sab Jose's first time in the director's chair.
The show will have a strictly limited run of four performances on August 15 to 16, 2026 at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Makati, Follow The Sandbox Collective on their socials for ticket details coming out soon. Facebook, Twitter and Tiktok.
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