PETA's Walang Aray Leads 14th Gawad Buhay With 19 Nominations

The year 2023 was pretty big for the Phlippine theater landscape. The post-pandemic comeback of the industry broke records in ticket sales as well as the number of shows produced, owing it the season of "revenge theater." This also meant a busy year for Philstage and its independent jury, which recognizes eligible theater productions for the year through the annual Gawad Buhay.

Serving as the Philippines' premier theater accolade, Gawad Buhay is often compared to Broadway's Tony Awards and the West End's Olivier Awards. It was established in 2008 and is now on its 14th edition, given the pandemic-induced theater hiatus. Only professional theater groups affiliated with the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group Inc. (Philstage) qualify for nominations and citations. Citations are announced twice a year—for 2023, the first half was revealed in August 2023, and the second half was released in January 2024. From these citations, a list of nominations is selected; then, winners are chosen from the nominations. The whole process involves deliberation and votation by an independent jury of journalists, critics, and theater practitioners.

A total of 13 shows produced by Philstage member companies in 2023 were considered for the 14th Gawad Buhay nominations:

• Bawat Bonggang Bagay (The Sandbox Collective)
• Lungs (The Sandbox Collective)
• Breakups and Breakdowns (Upstart Productions)
• Laro (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• Unica Hijas (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• Nekropolis (Tanghalang Pilipino)
• Red (The Necessary Theatre)
• Twenty Questions (Theatre Titas)
• Walang Aray (PETA)
• Sandosenang Sapatos (Tanghalang Pilipino)
• The Last Five Years (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• Tick, Tick...Boom! (9 Works Theatrical)
• Snow White and the Prince (Repertory Philippines)

PETA's Walang Aray leads the pack with 19 nominations. This is followed by Tanghalang Pilipino's Sandosenang Sapatos and Nekropolis with eight nominations each, and Barefoot Theatre Collaborative’s The Last Five Years and Laro with seven nominations each.

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List of Nominees for the 14th Gawad Buhay

Outstanding Original Script:

• Guelan Luarca (Nekropolis)
• Mikaela Regis (Unica Hijas)

Outstanding Book of a Musical:

• Rody Vera (Walang Aray)

Outstanding Original Score:

• Vince Lim and Rody Vera (Walang Aray)

Outstanding Musical Direction:

• Rony Fortich (The Last Five Years)
• Vince Lim (Walang Aray)

Outstanding Choreography:

• Gio Gahol (Walang Aray)
• Stephen Viñas (Sandosenang Sapatos)

Outstanding Costume Design:

• Jaylo Conanan (Walang Aray)
• Marco Viaña & Paw Castillo (Sandosenang Sapatos)

Outstanding Lighting Design:

• D Cortezano (Nekropolis)
• Gabo Tolentino (Red)
• Meliton Roxas Jr. (The Last Five Years)

Outstanding Sound Design:

• Jose Buencamino (Red)
• Happy Constantino (Walang Aray)
• Arvy Dimaculangan (Nekropolis)

Outstanding Set Design:

• Mark Daniel Dalacat (Red)
• Julio Garcia (Walang Aray)
• Joey Mendoza (The Last Five Years)
• Tata Tuviera (Nekropolis)
• Tata Tuviera (Unica Hijas)

Female Lead Performance in a Play:

• Joy delos Santos (Unica Hijas)
• Ash Nicanor (Unica Hijas)
• Justine Peña (Lungs)

Male Lead Performance in a Play:

• Reb Atadero (Lungs)
• JC Santos (Red)

Female Featured Performance in a Play:

• Mitzi Comia (Nekropolis)

Male Featured Performance in a Play:

• Jojo Cayabyab (Laro)
• Gio Gahol (Laro)
• Phi Palmos (Laro)
• Ross Pesigan (Laro)

Female Lead Performance in a Musical:

• Alexa Ilacad (Walang Aray)
• Marynor Madamesila (Walang Aray)
• Felicity Kyle Napuli (Sandosenang Sapatos)
• Shaira Opsimar (Walang Aray)
• Gab Pangilinan (The Last Five Years)
• Wincess Jem Yana (Sandosenang Sapatos)

Male Lead Performance in a Musical:

• Jon Abella (Walang Aray)
• Gio Gahol (Walang Aray)
• Khalil Ramos (Tick, Tick… Boom!)
• Myke Salomon (The Last Five Years)

Female Featured Performance in a Musical:

• Kiki Baento (Walang Aray)
• Neomi Gonzales (Walang Aray)
• Kayla Rivera (Tick, Tick… Boom!)

Male Featured Performance in a Musical:

• Reb Atadero (Tick, Tick… Boom!)
• Bene Manaois (Walang Aray)
• Johnnie Moran (Walang Aray)
• Floyd Tena (Sandosenang Sapatos)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Play:

• Laro (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• Nekropolis (Tanghalang Pilipino)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical:

• Sandosenang Sapatos (Tanghalang Pilipino)
• Tick, Tick… Boom! (9 Works Theatrical)
• Walang Aray (PETA)

Outstanding Stage Direction for a Play:

• Pat Valera (Unica Hijas)
• John Mark Yap (Laro)
• Charles Yee (Nekropolis)

Outstanding Stage Direction for a Musical:

• Topper Fabregas (The Last Five Years)
• Ian Segarra (Walang Aray)
• Jonathan Tadioan (Sandosenang Sapatos)

Outstanding Production of Existing Material for a Play:

• Laro (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• Red (The Necessary Theatre)

Outstanding Play – Original or Translation/Adaptation:

• Nekropolis (Tanghalang Pilipino)

Outstanding Production of Existing Material for a Musical:

• The Last Five Years (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative)
• Tick, Tick… Boom! (9 Works Theatrical)

Outstanding Musical – Original or Translation/Adaptation:

• Walang Aray (PETA)

Outstanding Production for Children:

• Sandosenang Sapatos (Tanghalang Pilipino)

There are no nominations for Outstanding Translation or Adaptation, and Outstanding Video and Projection Design.

Notes on Gawad Buhay Rules for Restagings and Reruns

According to Gawad Buhay rules, only restagings (not reruns) are eligible for the awards. "To be considered a restaging, a production must have been 'radically restaged': differently directed and designed (in terms of set, lights, costumes, sounds, projections, and choreography, where applicable)."

tick, tick...Boom!, Sandosenang Sapatos, Lungs, and Red were considered as restagings under their respective production companies. But Every Brilliant Thing, which ran alongside Lungs for Sandbox Fest 2023, was considered as a rerun, not a restaging.

It should also be noted that Gawad Buhay rules say: "All individuals involved in a restaging will be considered eligible in their respective categories, provided they have not previously done that same role or task in the earlier production of the relevant material by the relevant company. This is regardless of whether or not said individual was cited or nominated for their previous work. "

This is why the following individuals were not considered for the citations and thus, the nominations:

• Jef Flores (tick, tick… Boom!, 2016; Winner - Male Lead Performance in a Musical)
• Tanya Manalang (tick, tick… Boom!, 2016; Nominee - Female Featured Performance in a Musical)
• Robbie Guevara (tick, tick… Boom!, 2016; Nominee - Outstanding Stage Direction for a Musical)
• Daniel Bartolome (tick, tick… boom!, 2016; Musical Director)
• Mio Infante (tick, tick… boom!, 2016; Set Designer)
• Joed Balsamo (Sandosenang Sapatos, 2013; Musical Director)
• TJ Ramos (Sandosenang Sapatos, 2013; Sound Designer)
• Sab Jose (Lungs, 2019; Nominee - Female Lead Performance in a Play)
• Bart Guingona (Red, 2014; Winner - Male Lead Performance in a Play)
• Bart Guingona (Red, 2014; Nominee - Outstanding Stage Direction for a Play or Musical)

Eligibility under Production of New Material (Original or Translation/Adaptation) also requires that the show "must not have been produced in a non-laboratory setting before. Laboratory settings include workshops, readings, and festivals such as the Virgin Labfest." Unica Hijas, which was first staged at the Virgin Labfest, was qualified as a new production because the previous staging was in a laboratory setting.