The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) kicks off the year with a lineup of fresh and bold works in Control + Shift: Changing Narratives Festival, which brings new re-imaginings of Filipino stories to the theater stage.
J-mee Katanyag, festival director and newly appointed company artistic director, has curated a collection of provocative original works that highlight the exploration of diverse performative and theater forms, including puppetry, movement, interactivity, and digital theater. These elements come together to reimagine traditional Filipino folklore, values, and contemporary issues, crafting narratives that traverse the past, engage with the present, and envision futures.
The festival’s centerpiece is Kumprontasyon, a remounting of Melvin Lee’s critically acclaimed trilogy. New and experimental works, improv performances, live music jams, and more, which will take place from 6 to 23 February at the PETA Theater Center in New Manila, Quezon City.
Kumprontasyon (6 to 9 February, PETA-Phinma Theater). Described by critics as a “theatrical masterpiece,” Kumprontasyon explores unresolved historical and political events in three one-act plays: Allan Palileo’s “Lakambini,” featuring Teroy Guzman and Sherry Lara; Guelan Luarca’s “The Impossible Dream,” featuring Romnick Sarmenta and Ron Capinding; and Joshua Lim So’s “A Color for Tomorrow,” featuring Missy Maramara, Adrienne Vergara, Gillian Vicencio and Uzziel Delamide.
Twin Bill (14 to 15 February, PETA-Phinma Theater). Twin Bill features two revisited plays from Control + Shift 2024 — Dominique La Victoria’s Kislap at Fuego, an enchanted love story set during the Philippine revolution, and Mixkaela Villalon’s Children of the Algo, which navigates the digital age and the ills of a technology-obsessed generation.
Control + Shift + SPIT: An Improvised Show (16 February, 8 p.m., PETA-Phinma Theater). This one-night-only show features the Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT), Manila’s most sought-after improv group. SPIT borrows the set of PETA’s Control + Shift 2025 Festival for a night of spontaneous hilarity and fun!
PETA’s Studio Theater lineup features eight new works, running from 7 to 16 February.
Felinda V. Bagas’ The Little Girl in a Box (Studio Theater Set A: Unboxing) takes audiences on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. A story about a little girl and her search for her true home.
In Studio Theater Set B: Time and Tide, Sig Pecho’s Failed Puppeteer and Felinda V. Bagas’ Noche Buena highlight how Filipino family values adapt through generations and in times of crisis.
In Studio Theater Set C: Codes of Corruption, Herlyn Alegre’s Monit-oh! Monit-ah! and John Custer’s hUst1Sy@.exe underscore how Filipino values are tested in the face of corruption and the pursuit of justice, exploring both traditional and modern ethical dilemmas.
In Studio Theater Set D: Breaking Free, Teatro Balagtas’ Ang Kuwento ni Babae, PETA ARTSZone Youth ARTvocates’ Taya! Sabay Yakap and Tanghalang Bagong Sibol and Mikaela Regis’ At Nagkatawang-Tao Ang Verbo reimagine dominant narratives of gender, childcare, and faith through stories of resilience and empathy.
Festival tickets are now on sale via bit.ly/PETACS2025Tickets. Tickets start at P700 for Studio Theater performances and P1,000 for Main Theater performances.