Award-Winning Director and Playwright Floy Quintos Passes Away at 63
Award-winning director and playwright Floy Quintos passed away this morning, April 27, as confirmed by his niece Celina Quintos. He celebrated his 63rd birthday last April 17.
"It is with the heaviest of hearts that I, on behalf of my family, announce that Floy Quintos, esteemed playwright and director, but more importantly beloved brother, son, uncle, cousin, nephew, and friend, has returned to the arms of the Lord. He passed suddenly in the ER from a heart attack this morning, April 27th, 2024," she posted at 2:02 p.m.
Who was Floy Quintos?
Floy Quintos, a celebrated figure in the Philippine art scene, has long been recognized for his multifaceted contributions as a stage director and playwright. A recent play was The Reconciliation Dinner, which was first staged in November 2022 by Dulaang UP. It is a dark comedy that looks into the dynamics among a group of friends who hold divergent political views in the aftermath of the 2022 elections. The hit piece, which starred Frances Makil-Ignacio and Stella Canete-Mendoza, was again staged in May 2023 at the PMCS Blackbox Theater.
His role extends beyond the theater as he has also made significant impacts as a curator for various prestigious museums, such as Musee Branly in Paris for Anting- Anting: The Secret Soul of the Filipino (2017); and was the creative force behind large-scale events, including the 2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony.
In terms of the visual arts, he played a key role in establishing the Taoid Museum in Laoag and contributed to the textile collections of the Ayala Museum and Museo Kordilyera in Baguio. He was also the owner of Gallery Deus in Manila.
Quintos has won seven Palanca Awards, the longest-running literary competition in the country, including recognitions for Ang Kalungkutan Ng Mga Reyna (First Prize for One-Act Play in Filipino, 2008), An Evening At The Opera (First Prize for One-Act Play in English, 2011), and Fluid (Second Prize for Full-Length Play, 2005).
Most Notable Works
Quintos' latest play, Grace, is scheduled to run from May 25 to June 16 at the PCMS Blackbox Theater, Circuit Makati. He was working with director Dexter M. Santos on this new play based on a religious controversy in 1948. Santos and Quintos have been working together for the past 11 years; this is their seventh collaboration.
Some of Quintos' most notable works as a playwright are: Fluid, Laro, Shock Value, Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna, Atang, Suor Clara, Evening at the Opera, Fake, and Collection. These are all available as a two-volume set, Floy Quintos: Collected Plays, through Ateneo de Manila University Press.
"Our family is still making arrangements for the wake at Arlington Memorial Chapels, and will post updates on the date and time once we have them. We ask for your prayers, love, and support as we navigate this tremendous loss.
Floy Quintos was a beacon of Philippine culture and the arts, but also shone so much firelight for the people closest to him. The country, the world, and our home are much darker with this light snuffed out too soon. We hope to share our light with each other through this time," Celina further said in their family's statement.
