Puregold Teatro Panalo just dropped its top 26 shortlist

Out of 373 entries, 26 one-act plays were picked for the first-ever Puregold Teatro Panalo, taking this brand-new theater competition a step closer to the stage.

The shortlist features both straight plays and musicals from a mix of established theater creators and fresh talent. After sifting through all the submissions, organizers narrowed the list down to these 26 works for the next phase of selection.

Festival chair and Puregold senior marketing manager Ivy Hayagan-Piedad shared that the response to the inaugural contest showed off just how much talent exists in the local theater scene.

“We received a remarkable level of interest in the first Puregold Teatro Panalo,” Hayagan-Piedad said. “The volume and quality of submissions reflect the depth of Filipino talent and the continued vitality of the country’s theatrical community.”

She mentioned that cutting down the entries was a tough job, with the final 26 giving “a compelling mix of stories, perspectives, and creative voices” that could make it all the way to the stage.

Some familiar names on the shortlist

You might recognize a few names on the list from the Philippine theater scene and broader creative community.

Joshua Lim So, who landed on the straight-play shortlist with Walang Maliit na Bagay, is a Carlos Palanca Hall of Fame awardee. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024 after winning top prize five times. He holds 11 Palanca awards overall, including a 2024 first-prize win for his one-act play Pagkapit sa Hangin.

Lim So also recently hit the stage in PETA’s Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4, playing a fictional version of himself alongside Eugene Domingo and other theater and film pros. It marked his very first professional acting gig.

Over on the musicals list, Cebuano theater creator Jude Thaddeus Gitamondoc scored a spot with Ang Maayong Balita Sumala Kang Bibo Bautista, one of the 10 shortlisted musicals. Gitamondoc co-wrote the Cebuano Bisrock jukebox musical Gugmang Giatay, which Philippine Daily Inquirer named Best Musical in 2017. He has also served as musical director on Cebu productions of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and The Addams Family.

Jerom Canlas is another talent to watch, shortlisted for Youngstunna. Canlas made his playwriting debut this year at Virgin Labfest XXI with Footprint, a one-act play following a grieving family coping with tragedy. He dedicated the piece to his late brother, JM Canlas.

Then there is John “Sweet” Lapus, who made the straight-play list with True to Life. Lapus got his theater start with Teatro Tomasino at UST and later performed with Dulaang UP in shows like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Floy Quintos’ Shock Value. After a long break, he returned to the stage, and in 2026 his work Taksyapo! was staged at Virgin Labfest.

Dolly Dulu, shortlisted for The Boy Foretold by the Stars, is another familiar name across different media. Dulu wrote and directed the 2020 film The Boy Foretold by the Stars, which was based on an earlier play, Ang Hangal. The movie went on to become one of the 10 official entries in the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival.

The shortlist also features Rhain Arabella Alcoriza for the straight play The Girl Scout Law. Alcoriza was selected as one of eight fellows for the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Virgin Labfest 18 Writing Fellowship Program in 2023, an intensive two-week dramatic writing workshop.

Meanwhile, Steven Hotchkiss, creator of the shortlisted musical Manang-Mana Nga!, continues to perform in big theater shows. In 2026, he played Padre in Repertory Philippines’ production of Man of La Mancha.

Here are the 26 one-act plays that made the cut: 16 straight plays and 10 musicals.

• @Home by Edralin Cabrera, Kathlyn Castillo, Michael Ian Lomongo, Marjorie Lorico, Maria Teresa Jamias, & J. Victor Villareal

• Ang Huling Panawagan sa Pagdarasal by Mubarak M. Tahir

• Ang Pagbabalik ng Voltes V by Neil Arkhe Azcuna

• Mga Diwata IRL by Jay M. Crisostomo IV

• Nang Muli Kang Makakanta by Ma. Angelica S. Chiuteña

• Nothing But Dreams by Ricardo C. Novenario

• Palabas/Exit by Angel Oclarit

• Pax Silica by Robert Arlou De Guzman

• Silang mga Bayani’t Banal by Anthony Kim Vergara

• Soap Opera by Jerry O’Hara

• The Boy Foretold by the Stars by Dolly Dulu

• The Girl Scout Law by Rhain Arabella Alcoriza

• Trahedya ng Kamote by Marjay S. Manalastas

• True to Life by John “Sweet” Lapus

• Walang Maliit na Bagay by Joshua Lim So

• Youngstunna by Jerom Andrei M. Canlas

• Ang Maayong Balita Sumala Kang Bibo Bautista by Jude Thaddeus M. Gitamondoc

• At Bumaba Ang Mga Tala by John Rey Tayag Magin

• Baka Mali ang Tamaraw by Emmanuel Benbinuto Antonio

• City in Darkness: A Lockdown Musical by Senedy Que

• Feverish Time by John Edrick R. Alcontado

• Manang-Mana Nga! by Steven Hotchkiss

• Outside Looking In by Timothy Carlo Racho & Michael Angelo Lopez

• Tagpuan by John Austin Perez

• Tala by Jiezl Virmy Chua

• The Fourth Wall Has Fallen by Heber Justin P. O’Hara

For festival director Vincent de Jesus, picking these 26 was already tough.

“It was difficult enough narrowing things down to 26 deserving one-act plays,” de Jesus said. “From this bunch, only the very best of the best will make it to the stage in February.”

A veteran composer, librettist, musical director, writer and theater artist, de Jesus is best known for his work on some of Philippine theater’s major musicals, including Himala: Isang Musikal, Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal, Skin Deep, Care Divas and Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diablo, at ang Limang Milyong Boto. He has also been part of the Philippine Educational Theater Association since 1985.

The next chop will be even harder. Only 12 of the 26 works will join the final festival lineup: eight straight plays and four musicals.

The chosen plays will be staged at the festival running from 20 February to 14 March 2027.

₱100,000 for selected playwrights

Playwrights whose works are selected will walk away with ₱100,000 in cash, plus development and production support from festival organizers Wishbone Collective Inc.

There is also one more big opportunity up for grabs at the end of the festival. One straight play and one musical will snag development grants to help expand their one-act pieces into full-length stage productions.