Some stories are written. Others are stolen and later celebrated by the very people who should have known better.
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, Tinago, Cebu City.
Directed by Vanessa Fe and written by 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 (Dave Feril) appears on a live interview to share the story behind his bestselling book. His plan is disrupted when Ana (Judee Kriselle Rallos), a young woman whose lived experience was silenced, repackaged, and sold as fiction, arrives on set and refuses to remain invisible. Her presence turns the broadcast into a public reckoning.
The confrontation exposes the fault lines of the creative industry, revealing complicity, victim-blaming, and how controlled narratives can turn stolen truth into award-winning fiction.
Fe notes that the story is not new, only repackaged in the same way Mateo repackaged Ana’s truth.
“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,” Fe said.
The production marks Fe’s directorial debut, shaped by a long creative partnership with Avila, who first developed the story with her in college.
2TinCans Producing Artistic Director Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson hopes audiences leave with reflection 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,” she said.
Ang Kawatan is part of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, a monthly theatre series running April to November 2026. Rooted in the Bisaya concept of kulukabildo, the series features eight emerging Cebuano directors under the 2TinCans Directors Program, following The Second Eulogy by Mario Alcoriza.
The cast includes Shiella Pestaño-Gemperoa, Shane Rennel Ayong, and Grant Bacaltos, with stage management by Regina Binueza.
Ang Kawatan runs June 27 at 7:00 PM and June 28 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM at The Kabilin Center. Tickets are available via 2tincans-philippines.yapsody.com.
