VIRGIN LABFEST 2020 ONLINE TAKES OFF IN JUNE

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) presents 10 new works, three revisited works, and six staged readings in the 16th edition of Virgin Labfest, billed as VLF 2020 Kapit: Lab in the Time of Covid (A Virtual Labfest Lockdown Edition), which goes online for the first time from June 10 to 28, on CCP’S Facebook and Youtube pages.

In view of the Covid-19 crisis, CCP braves a new front and adjusts to new realities as the Virgin Labfest playwrights, directors and actors take steps to bring the annual festival of untried, untested and unstaged works to a virtual stage.

The three-week festival features 10 featured works; “Doggy” by Dustin Celestino, directed by Roobak Valle; “Pilot Episode” by Floyd Scott Tiogangco, directed by Giancarlo Abrahan; “Dapithapon” by Jay Crisostomo IV, directed by Sigmund Roy Pecho; “Papaano Turuan ang Babae Humawak ng Baril” by Daryl Pasion, directed by Erika Estacio; “Blackpink” by Tyron Casumpang, directed by Jethro Tenorio; “Multiverse” by Juliene Mendoza, directed by Fitz Edward Bitana; “Titser Kit” by Jobert Grey Landeza, directed by Adrienne Vergara; “Mayang Bubot sa Tag-araw” by Mark Norman Boquiren, directed by Mark Mirando; “Gin Bilog” by Luisito Nario, directed by James Harvey Estrada and Anthony Kim Vergara’s “The Boyboy and Friends Channel” directed by Joshua Tayco.

All these plays will be premiere with live performances on CCP’S Youtube channel and Facebook page. From June 14 to 28, they will be streamed on iwantv.

The VLF Playwright’s Fair, one of the components of the theater festival, will be held online from June 11 to 14, 17 to 20, 25 to 27 at 8 pm. A collaboration of the CCP Intertextual Division, the VLF Team and The Writers’ Bloc’s Rody Vera, the fair features Filipino writers. Other events include online discussion (June 18 to 21) and digital marketing platform for the expertise, services, publications and other products of writers of theatrical productions. Check out the Facebook page of VLF 2020 for the complete lineup of speakers and activities.

The Virgin Labfest 2020 Writing Fellowship Program will take place from June 16 to 28. It is a two week mentorship program for young aspiring playwrights on the study and practice of dramatic writing for the stage. The Fellowship Program will culminate in an online staged reading of the fellows’ works on June 28 at 2 and 5 pm.

More information is available at the CCP website and official social-media accounts, and the VLF Facebook account.