The stage adaptation of ‘Dagitab’ will premiere on July 2025
The stage adaptation of ‘Dagitab’ will premiere on July 2025
SINEGANG.ph published this press release as sponsored by Scene Change. No staff writer participated in writing this article.
SC. presents a limited 2-weekend run of Dagitab based on the award-winning Cinemalaya film by Giancarlo Abrahan, adapted and directed by Palanca Hall of Famer, Guelan Varela-Luarca. Co-presented by the Department of Fine Arts of the Ateneo, in partnership with Areté, Dagitab will be staged at the Old Communications Building of the Ateneo de Manila University. Tickets are now on sale and purchases can be made via [https://bit.ly/SCDagitab2025].
Dagitab premiered at the 10th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival where Abrahan won prizes for Best Director & Best Screenplay. The Young Critics Circle cited the film as Best Debut Feature of 2014, while it topped that year’s film poll of the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers (formerly Pinoy Rebyu) in the categories for Best Film, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography & Best Scene, was nominated for Best Screenplay at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and received 14 nominations from the Gawad Urian.
Dagitab examines the marriage of two professors, Issey and Jimmy, on the brink of separation after more than 20 years together. The man searches for a deity–the subject of his research–whom he recognizes as the ghost of a friend. While Issey is drawn to Gab, a young writer who also happens to be her godson.
The stage adaptation features Agot Isidro in the lead role of Issey, and Jojit Lorenzo, fresh from his critically-acclaimed performance in SC’s 3 Upuan, plays Jimmy, her husband. Elijah Canlas essays the role of Issey’s sensitive godson – and eventual lover – Gab. Completing the cast are Benedix Ramos, in his first straight theater outing, as Angelo, a lovelorn poet who starts a deep friendship with Gab, and Sam Samarita as Lorena, a haunting figure from the past.
Dagitab is the sophomore offering of the newly-launched theater company Sc. (Scene Change), committed to producing brave, cosmopolitan, and unconventional theatre-making that is Filipino. And like its maiden production 3 Upuan, Dagitab remains to be an intimate theatre experience. There will only be 80 seats available for each of the 8 shows.
Dagitab is an addition to Varela-Luarca’s series of theatrical adaptations of cinematic works which he started with Mike de Leon’s Batch 81 in 2018 and Kisapmata last March. Varela-Luarca heads the creative team which includes D Cortezano (set design), JM Cabling (movement), Jethro Nibaten (lighting), Carlos Hombrebueno (music), and Giancarlo Abrahan (dramaturgy).
Dagitab will run from July 5 to 6 and from July 12 to 13, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
