In the early 2000s, the debate around cloning was at its peak. Spurred on by the birth of the sheep Daisy, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, groups within the scientific community were spouting claims that human cloning was on the horizon. For their sophomore theatrical collaboration, WHYNoT and The Necessary Theater take a closer look at the controversy and ethics of it all in Caryl Churchill’s A Number, starring Gawad Buhay award winners JC Santos and Bart Guingona, opening this October.

Written by Churchill in 2002, at the center of this story is the psychology, and perceived hubris, behind the science of cloning. The play follows Salter, portrayed by Guingona, a morally evasive father who has secretly cloned several versions of his son — Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black — played by Santos. As the play unfolds, the situation unravels, and Salter is confronted by the unforeseen consequences of his choices. The play also tackles the concept of “nature vs. nurture” as it impacts the upbringing of the children, or, in this case, the clones.

A quarter of a century later, A Number feels more prescient, as the play finds greater resonance in a society being reshaped by artificial intelligence. Beyond the biology of it, identity has proven to be easily replicated, generated, predicted, and controlled.

Santos takes on a new role in this production as he takes his place in the director’s chair for the first time. He welcomes the challenge of telling a compelling story — one that he hopes will spark deep conversations with the audience. “We are a country that constantly speaks about family, but we should also ask what happens when our devotion to family becomes a way of excusing harmful behavior,” Santos says in his Director’s Note. “We inherit so much from our parents, and then unknowingly pass it to our children. Sometimes we don't even realize that we are reproducing the very things we once promised ourselves we would never become.”

Santos’ love affair with the theater began in UP Diliman, from where he has a Theater Arts degree, and where he performed with Dulaang UP. He has since built a successful career in film, TV, and stage, including several Gawad Buhay, MMFF, and FAMAS award wins and nominations. On the other hand, Guingona is a veteran actor and director with a career that spans over three decades and is considered among the pioneers of the theater industry. His philosophy is that theater should encompass all ideas, however complex or simple — that theater should be idea-driven. Both actors were last seen on stage together in the thought-provoking piece Red, also under The Necessary Theater, in 2023 and 2024.

WHYNoT and The Necessary Theater’s production of Caryl Churchill’s A Number will have a strictly limited run, with a total of nine shows on 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 October at WHYNoT, fourth floor of Karrivin Studios, Makati. Tickets are now available at Ticket2Me.