2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center present Ang Kawatan (The Thief), the second production of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, on June 27 and 28 at The Kabilin Center, Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Tinago, Cebu City.
Directed by 2TinCans Theatre Company member Vanessa Fe and written by journalist and playwright Maverick Avila, Ang Kawatan is a tragicomedy set during a live televised book launch at Open Book with Frankie, a fading cultural program.
In the play, novelist Mateo Robles (Dave Feril) takes his seat across from veteran host Frankie (Lord Lawrence Latonio), ready to tell the story behind his best-selling book. Suddenly, Ana (Judee Kriselle Rallos), a young woman whose trauma he silenced, repackaged, and sold as fiction, walks into the studio.
The ensuing public confrontation cracks open the creative community, exposing the fault lines of complicity, victim-blaming, and the ease with which those who control the narrative can turn a stolen truth into a prize-winning lie.
Director Fe says that this story is not new, that it has just been repackaged in the same way Mateo repackaged Ana’s truth into an acclaimed book.
“Tragedy doesn’t come in loudly,” says Fe. “It lives in the quiet moments: a community that keeps applauding, people who knew and said nothing. I didn’t want to put a survivor’s trauma on display. I wanted people to watch this and recognize themselves, not as strangers to this story, but as someone who has watched another person get exploited and stayed quiet. It’s the perfect setting to show that the live show was the one place Mateo could not hide. However, the same system that exposed him is the one that never protected Ana.”
The production marks Fe’s directorial debut. She brings to it both a director’s precision and a woman’s intimate understanding of what it means when a survivor’s truth falls into the wrong hands.
Ang Kawatan is also the result of many years of creative partnership. Fe and playwright Avila first developed the story when they were still in college—a shared conviction that took three years to find its stage.
2TinCans producing artistic director Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson says she hopes that audiences will come away with not only memories of a compelling performance but also renewed curiosity, awareness, and responsibility.
Ang Kawatan is the second installment of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, a monthly theater series running until November. Rooted in the Bisaya concept of “kulukabildo”—or an informal exchange, the kind of honest conversation that happens when people feel safe to speak freely. The series, featuring the distinct visions of eight emerging Cebuano directors under the 2TinCans Directors Program, opened in March with The Second Eulogy directed by Mario Alcoriza.
Completing the cast featuring 2TinCans Theatre Company members are Shiella Pestaño-Gemperoa as Gab, Shane Rennel Ayong as Kirby, and Grant Bacaltos as Patrick. Regina Binueza is the stage manager.—CONTRIBUTED
“Ang Kawatan” runs on June 27 at 7 p.m. and on June 28 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at The Kabilin Center. Tickets are available online at 2tincans-philippines.yapsody.com.
Content advisory: The play contains strong language and mature themes including sexual violence. Suitable for ages 15 and above. Younger audiences must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
