Your Guide to the Virgin Lab Fest 2025: Tickets, Schedules + More

(SPOT.ph) The Virgin Lab Fest is back! 

It's time to mark your calendars as one of the country's biggest and most-awaited theater festivals is almost here. Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog  (VLF) celebrates two decades of collaboration between theater veterans and emerging playwrights to shake up the Philippine theater scene. Just like fruit that's ripe for the picking, this year's lineup is bursting with bold flavors—by way of new stories, raw emotion, and fresh talent that's ready to take the center stage. 

If you're planning on catching any or all of the shows in this VLF edition, consider this your handy guide to all things Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog.

Shows to watch in Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog:

In its 20th year, the Virgin Lab Fest is once again highlighting the very best of Filipino theater. Just like in the more recent iterations of the VLF, CCP's Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez a.k.a. the CCP Blackbox Theater, will play host to a slew of "untried, untested, and unstaged" one-act plays for three weeks this June. 

With its theme HINOG, VLF 2025 features 12 new scripts by eight new playwrights, all ripe for the stage in their own way. Aside from these fresh picks, three returning stories will have another chance at the spotlight— just in case things get really  sweeter the second time around. 

Here are the one-act plays you can catch in this year's Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog:

Set A: BUBOT

• Takbo, Batang Tondo by YOJ

• • Directed by Chic San Agustin- De Guzman

  • Synopsis: A group of friends turns their summer break into a DIY mystery game. But when their pretend world starts to echo real consequences, “cop” Albin is left questioning why justice doesn’t always come when it should.

• Ang Bata Kag Ang Ilaga by Liane Carlo Suelam
  

  

  
  
  • Directed by 『 s i g l o 』
  • Synopsis: Liane Carlo Suelan’s Ang Bata kag ang Ilaga takes us inside St. Jerome’s Home for Children, where young orphan Isaac bonds with an unexpected companion—a baby rat. When the rat disappears, he’s left wondering whether he should have taken the rat in or not.
    
    
• Polar Coordinates by Ade Valenzona

  

  
  
  • Directed by Paolo O'Hara
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  • Synopsis: Igo flunks his Math exam after struggling with polar coordinates, and with the threat of repeating the 10th grade hanging over his head, it feels like the end of the world. But as cracks begin to show at home, Igo soon realizes that numbers aren’t the only thing spiraling out of control.

Set B: MANIBALANG

• Minating Ni Mariah Ang Manto Ng Mommy Ni Mama Mary by Eljay Castro Deldoc

  

  
  
  • Directed by: Dexter M. Santos
  • Synopsis: Former scammer Mariah seeks redemption by joining a Lenten exhibit. All's well that is until a sacred veil goes missing, and all of a sudden, Mariah is the bad guy all over again.
    
    
• Unang Araw by Ivan Villacorta Gentolizo

  

  
  
  • Directed by: Cholo Ledesma
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  • Synopsis: Four strangers are sent on a task deep into a forest in Mindanao. What begins as a job from the mayor turns into a collision of secrets, ideals, and ulterior motives.
    
    
• Presidential Suite #2 by Siege Malvar

  

  
  
  • Directed by Johnnie Moran
  • Synopsis: Political scandal hits the spotlight when, during a tense Senate hearing, a prominent lawmaker finds himself accused of money laundering and corruption, shaking the very foundations of his so-called legacy.

Set C: KINALBURO

• Mga Magindara sa Siyudad by Chris Joseph Junio

  

  
  
  • Directed by Riki Benedicto
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  • Synopsis: Maureen and Maylene are performers doing their best to keep the spotlight on—staging shows atop a rickety platform of plywood, bamboo, and iron scraps. But with times getting tougher and money running dry, the real question is: how long can the show go on?
    
    
• Ang Problema sa Trolly by Imuthis

  

  
  
  • Directed by Adrienne Vergara
  • Synopsis: On the railways of Pandacan, Ang Problema sa Trolley puts a trolley driver and a student in a bind as a fellow passenger attempts to jump into the Pasig River. But the moment unearths a damning secret—one they’re not sure they want exposed. The bigger question now: do they stop him, or let the truth sink with him?
    
    
• The Late Mister Real by Rolin Migyuel Obina

  

  
  
  • Directed by Maynard Manansala
  • Synopsis: Exes Boyet and Raquel find themselves in side-by-side COVID-19 isolation rooms. With only a wall between them, they’re pushed to revisit the life they once had and the uncertain road ahead for their only son. As memories resurface, they’re left to face the pain of the past, the weight of the present, and the questions that still linger.

Set D: MAY ASIM PA

• Anniversary by Nelsito Gomez

  

  
  
  • Directed by Sarah Facuri
  • Synopsis: Rob visits his late wife’s grave—only to be approached by a mysterious woman who sparks a soul-baring conversation on grief, faith, and the stories we carry with us.
    
    
• Mommy G by Jobert Grey Landeza

  

  
  
  • Directed by Lhorvie Nuevo- Tadioan
  • Synopsis: At her 65th birthday party, a mother introduces a new family member, testing her bond with her children.
    
    
• Don't Meow for Me, Catriona by Ryan Machado

  

  
  
  • Directed by Toni Go-Yadao
  • Synopsis: Don’t Meow for Me, Catriona follows a daughter on the verge of chasing her dreams, unfolding in a quiet moment at a bus stop with her mother. As they wait, she confronts the emotional tug-of-war between love and sacrifice, as well as the demand to have the courage to choose her own path.

Set E: PANGHIMAGAS (Returning plays from VLF 19: Pintog)

• Identité by Jhudiel Claire Sosa

  

  
  
  • Directed by Meann Espinosa
  • Synopsis: A conservative mother and her free-spirited daughter are forced to confront a long-held secret—one that could shake their identities and redefine their bond. Are they ready to face the truth and embrace who they are because of it?
    
    
• Pagkapit sa Hangin by Joshua Lim So

  

  
  
  • Directed by José Estrella
  • Synopsis: Pagkapit sa Hangin exposes a shady scheme by doctors and nurses in a pandemic-era hospital, where ethics and survival clash in the wake of the Delta wave in 2021.
     
• Sa Babaeng Lahat by Elise Santos

  

  
  
  • Directed by Caisa Borromeo
  • Synopsis: Sa Babaeng Lahat follows the three girls’ interconnected journeys towards figuring out their relationship with religion, sexuality, each other, and ultimately, their own selves.

Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog 2025 Schedule:

The Virgin Lab Fest runs from June 11 to 29. All five main feature sets will rotate daily, with screenings at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Between the two screening schedules are other educational pocket activities such as Theater Talks, a forum on the creative and production processes in theater and performance; staged readings of select script submissions for this year's VLF; the Dramaturgy Fellowship Exhibit showcasing the science of theater under the mentorship of Jonas Gabriel Garcia; the VLF Writing Fellowship Program and Showcase, the culmination activity of a two-week mentorship program under the guidance of award-winning playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas; and The Playwrights Fair, a series of discussions with veteran playwrights and writers curated by award-winning writer and VLF founder Rody Vera.

Tickets to the Virgin Labfest 2025:

You can get your tickets to the different show sets of VLF 2025 online through Ticketworld and Ticket2me or onsite at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez ticket booth. 

Here are the ticket prices per set:

• Premium Ticket: P1,000
• Regular Ticket: P800 

Each ticket gives access to one complete set of one-act plays. 

Note that senior citizens, students, PWDs, government and military personnel, and national athletes are eligible for a 20% discount.

If you plan to catch more than one set of plays and readings, consider getting a Festival Pass. 

The Festival Pass gives you five viewing credits—good for four Main Features and one Revisited Play—consumable within one week. Each credit lets you watch one show or a set of three one-act plays. Want to rewatch something? Go ahead! Just know that it’ll count toward your five credits.

Here are the prices for the Festival Passes:

Regular Festival Pass: P3,200
Premium Festival Pass: P4,000

Festival Passes are available at the CCP Box Office, Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater), Ticket2me, or Ticketworld.

If you're already certain you'll need a Festival Pass, we recommend getting one as soon as possible. There's a current Early Bird promo until May 31, where Premiere Week festival passes are priced as follows:

Regular Premiere Week (June 11 to 13, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.) Festival Pass: P2,400
Premium Premiere Week (June 11 to 13, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.) Festival Pass: P3,200

But if you can't commit to one full week of VLF showings, you can also grab Regular and Premium tickets at 50% off during the promo period.

Don't miss out on Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog. This is your chance to catch the newest plays and discover new theater talents to keep tabs on. Book your tickets to this year's VLF ASAP, or as they say in the theater: before the curtain drops.

Virgin Lab Fest XX: Hinog will run from June 11 to 29 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Blackbox Theater), CCP Complex, Malate, Manila City. For more information, visit The Virgin Lab Fest's Facebook page. 

Also read: The Most Memorable Theater Moments of 2024

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