2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center present Ang Kawatan (The Thief), the second production of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, running 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 — “Open Book with Frankie,” a fading cultural program.
Celebrated novelist Mateo Robles (played by Dave Feril) takes his seat across from veteran host Frankie (played by Lord Lawrence Latonio), ready to tell the story behind his acclaimed bestselling book. What he does not expect to walk into the studio and refuse to be invisible is Ana (played by Judee Kriselle Rallos), a young woman whose trauma he silenced, repackaged and sold as fiction.
What unfolds is a public confrontation that cracks open the creative community it is set in, 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.
Fe notes that this story is not new. It has always been there, just repackaged the same way Mateo repackaged Ana’s truth into a prize-winning book.
“Tragedy doesn’t come in loudly. 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 be exploited and stayed quiet. It’s the perfect setting to show that the live show was the one place Mateo cannot hide. However, the same system that exposed him is the one that never protected Ana,” Fe said.
The production marks Fe’s directorial debut, a milestone made more meaningful by the story she has chosen to tell.
“Ang Kawatan” is also the result of many years of creative partnership. Fe and playwright Avila first developed the story in college — a shared conviction that has taken three years to find its stage.
2TinCans Producing Artistic Director, Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, hopes that audiences leave “Ang Kawatan” carrying with them not only memories of a compelling performance, but also a renewed sense of curiosity, awareness and responsibility.
“If the play encourages even one person to see an issue differently, ask a difficult question or take meaningful action, then it has fulfilled its purpose,” Enclona-Henderson said.
“Ang Kawatan” arrives as the second installment of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, a monthly theatre series running April through November 2026.
Completing the cast featuring 2TinCans Theatre Company members are Shiella Pestaño-Gemperoa as Gab, Shane Rennel Ayong as Kirby and Grant Bacaltos as Patrick. The production is supported by stage manager Regina Binueza. / PR S