Translating the intricate language of the human soul into words requires an insurmountable amount of dedication and courage. The process is not for the faint-hearted, as it often makes writers shed blood, sweat, and tears for simply wishing to execute a vision that has been haunting them for days, months, or years.
The Virgin Labfest (VLF), the country’s pioneering theater festival of untried, untested, and unstaged one-act plays, has turned these daydreams and ambitious ideas into reality since its establishment in 2005. Carrying the theme “Hubo’t Hubad” in its 21st edition, it transforms into a sanctuary for narratives that unwrap humanity’s innate hunger to be desired, seen, and celebrated.
Among the first-timers or “virgin” playwrights this year are Elijah Felice Rosales of HUMAN RIGHTS STORY OF THE YEAR, Alab Usman of HARAM, Ron Evangelista of SHE’S ELECTRIC, and Gab Mactal of LUALHATI.
The harrowing but rewarding writing process for VLFXXI: Hubo’t Hubad
“My first love talaga is writing for theater,” Mactal confessed, her journey beginning in 7th grade.
While writing Lualhati, the Theater Arts student faced the roadblock of not knowing the conclusion. She visited the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Chapel situated in Ateneo de Manila University despite not being religious: “It was a low point, then may random girl na nakakita sa akin. Niyakap ako. I just surrendered to the fact that I didn’t have everything figured out.”
Media and philosophy teacher Evangelista confessed to falling into the same rough patch while drafting She’s Electric. “Pagdating sa scripts, naramdaman ko kasi na there’s a certain freedom. Doon ako talaga na-hook. I have so much to tell,” he shared, noting how the absence of catharsis in academic papers led him to theater and fiction.
“Umabot ako ng 12 drafts,” Usman, a full-time freelance artist, said in between chuckles. Haram was derived from his college thesis. Before affixing stage directions, Usman started with character sketches of his protagonists inspired by the real struggles he stumbled upon online: “Doon ako nagsimula talaga, since wala pa akong background dati sa pagsusulat.”
Rosales, on the other hand, has been a journalist for almost a decade. With Human Rights Story of the Year, he steps into the world of Philippine theater as a playwright. “Kahit sabihin mo na the piece is meant to be watched by hundreds of people at the same time, na collaboration makes it work, the writing process is a lonely act,” he lamented, stressing the need to find fellow artists who believe in the same vision.
Presenting humanity’s flaws and gray areas as its strength
Rosales’ Human Rights Story of the Year captures the eternal dilemma that media practitioners face. “May mga sitwasyon kasing naghihilahan ‘yong tama at mali. Kapag ginagamit sa balita ang kuwento ng marginalized, sila ba ‘yong nakikinabang o ang media?” he expressed, hoping the audience would entertain the questions that fueled his script.
As he comes to terms with the natural yearning for love and acceptance in She’s Electric, Evangelista weaves an absurd circumstance after falling into a depressive episode: “Napaisip ako na parang mahihirapan akong makahanap ng taong matatanggap ako for who I am, dahil sa perceived eccentricities ko. Everybody just wants to be understood.”
“My play [Lualhati] naman is an invitation for older queer people to reconcile with how they were raised. I’m sure sobrang iba sa how I was raised,” Mactal expounded. While dedicating her work to those who feel the need to justify their existence and box their identities into societal conventions, she highlights the religious guilt that stems from the imposed belief that nonconformity is an anomaly.
Meanwhile, Usman emphasizes kindness as the core of all religions in intertwining the fates of three queer Muslims in Haram. “I believe na shared experience ‘yong pag-come out, pero marami akong friends sa province na nagtatago pa rinuntil now,” he narrated, acknowledging the heartbreaking disparity he witnessed in the city compared to his hometown, Zamboanga City.
The VLF stage as a manifestation of every artist’s dream
Back in VLF 2024, Usman served as the dramaturg to Neil Arkhe Azcuna’s Si Hesus Na’a Sa US. He now shares the festival stage with Azcuna as a playwright, a profound full-circle moment for the mind behind Haram. “I believe angVLF ay isa sa mga medium para ipakita sa mga tao ‘yong kultura at religion ko [Islam]. Nabibigyan kami nito ng espasyo,” Usman explained.
Rosales, an avid VLF audience member since 2013, mounted his first work in the culmination of the Writing Fellowship Program in 2023. Captivated by the theater festival’s ins and outs, he felt immense joy to be among the mainstage playwrights of VLF XXI: “Alagang-alaga kami sa puna. Ang writer, mahal ang mga tauhan niya pero para sa ‘kin, mahalaga ang kritisismo, ‘yong disiplina.”
As a complete outsider to the world of theater, Evangelista discovered the prestige of VLF to be the passion poured by every hand and mind that goes into mounting it. “It’s cheesy, pero no’ng na-experience ko siya, I realized I love this. The first time na nag-full run kami [ng She’s Electric], naluha ako nang kaunti,” Evangelista recalled needing a moment after seeing his work come to life.
“Is this a dream?” was Mactal’s initial thought upon receiving news that Lualhati had been accepted to VLF. She wrote it during the COVID-19 pandemic, blissfully unaware that it would someday be staged. She continued, “The VLF reveals parts of yourself and undresses the work. Hubad ka talaga sa harap ng keyboard para sa play mo.”
Unwrapping the soul in VLFXXI: Hubo’t Hubad
In its 21st year, the Virgin Labfest confronts humanity’s grit and shortcomings that often invite devastating but poignant consequences. While granting playwrights the opportunity and freedom to share their narratives, it dares its spectators to bask in the beauty, brilliance, and filth that make up the human soul.
“Virgin” playwrights Evangelista, Rosales, Usman, and Mactal had graciously accepted this challenge. They navigated the emotional whiplash of excitement upon being accepted to VLF, facing nerve-wracking critiques and relishing in the best versions of their work during premiere week. But besides their talent and commitment, these playwrights’ bravery deserves to be lauded for how they undressed and dissected their personal tales onstage for all the world to see.
Catch Usman’s HARAM, Rosales’ HUMAN RIGHTS STORY OF THE YEAR, Mactal’s LUALHATI, and Evangelista’s SHE’S ELECTRIC at VLFXXI: Hubo’t Hubad shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. from June 3 to 28, 2026, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Blackbox Theater).
For the latest updates on the festival schedule, ticket-selling, and accredited showbuyers, visit the pages of VLF, CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc., and Writers’ Bloc across Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
