Hell is Other People: Sartre’s ‘NO EXIT’ Opens Its Doors in Ateneo this October 2026
SINEGANG.ph published this press release as shared by No Exit. No staff writer participated in writing this article.
Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit will be opening its doors for a limited 4-show run this October 2026 at the Fine Arts Black Box Theater in Ateneo de Manila University, presented as an undergraduate thesis production under the direction of Martine Dominique Olan, a 5th-year BFA Theater Arts student.
“No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre is a 1944 existentialist one-act play about three strangers—Cradeau, Estelle, and Inez—who are trapped together in a room in Hell for eternity.
As their polite masks fall away, they realize that their punishment is not physical torture, but being subjected to one another’s constant judgment and gaze. They become dependent on how the others perceive and validate them, making escape impossible, even when the door opens.
Ultimately, the play explores how our dependence on others’ perceptions can become its own kind of prison.
For director Martine Dominique Olan, the play’s most famous line, “hell is other people,” is less about cruelty and more about the exhaustion of living under the gaze of others. In a time when social media keeps that gaze almost constant, and cancel culture can reduce a person to a single mistake, this production reads No Exit through the gaze in three forms: Estelle, who seeks worth by being desired; Inez, whose penetrating gaze defines and exposes others; and Cradeau, who is trapped by the judgment he imagines in the minds of others. The production asks: how much of who we are do we surrender to the eyes of others?
The production brings together student and professional talent across both its cast and creative team:
The cast features Ethan Wong (Fuente Ovejuna, Bago Dumilim sa Labas) as Vincent Cradeau, Claudia Enriquez (12 Weeks, Dolorosa) as Inez Serrano, Lee Delos Santos (Nanay Bangis, Paghihintay kay Godo) as Estelle Delaunay, and Joaquin Delos Santos (Pangarap/Panaginip, Sintang Dalisay) as Boy.
Directing the production is Martine Dominique Olan (The Open Door as part of Lunas: A Triple Bill of One-Act Plays), with Dramaturgs Keith Bernas (Translator for Emilia, Dolorosa) and Thandie Alino (Emilia). The Artistic Team is composed of Set Designer Julia Macuja (Emilia, Sintang Dalisay, Urinetown), Costume Designer Domenique Oligane (Fuente Ovejuna, Sideshow), Lighting Designer Viggo Demonteverde (Emilia, Mga Binago ng Araw), Sound Designer Zak Capinding (Waiting for Godot, The Virgin Labfest XX: HITIK - Set D), and Intimacy Director Serena Magiliw (The Trans Actor, Rampa, What Does it Mean to Be Queer).
Shows will run from October 23 to 26, 2026, at 7:30PM at the Fine Arts Black Box Theater, Ateneo de Manila University. Tickets are priced at PHP 500, with a discounted price of PHP 450 for Loyola School students, PWDs, and senior citizens. Tickets may be bought through bit.ly/NoExitTickets.
