Samalamig Cold Readings: Where Every Line Is a Surprise

A sizable crowd gathers behind the hidden doors of Vault, a speakeasy tucked away at Tittos Latin BBQ & Brew in Greenhills. Old friends say their hi's and hello's. Strangers sit beside people they have just met. Orders of nachos and cocktails come in.

But this is not your usual night out. Instead of having an up-and-coming band perform their songs or covers in front of the crowd, a well-known theater artist and audience members who are picked out at random read the first drafts of new Filipino plays. It is Wednesday night, and this is Samalamig Cold Readings.

"It's a safe space for playwrights to actually have their plays read habang wino-workshop pa nila," introduces Samalamig Cold Readings co-founder Gelo Esperanzate during the series' fifth installment last September 17. "Excited kaming nandito kayo para ma-experience niyo 'yun. Kahit kami, hindi namin alam kung anong laman ng plays. Itong mga play na ito ay bago, hindi rin kami ang pumili, para talaga walang bias. Para mamaya, makikitawa rin kami."

Guest artist Gab Pangilinan and Samalamig Cold Readings co-founder Gelo Esperanzate read "The Proposal" by Jobert Landeza

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The Unrehearsed and Unfiltered

In theater parlance, "cold reading" is when an actor reads a script for the very first time, with no prior rehearsal or study. It's a spontaneous, on-the-spot performance that relies on an actor's instincts—how they interpret the text, make quick character choices, and interact with other actors in real-time. Every twist and turn of the narrative and every surprise of the lines are experienced by both readers and audience members at the same time.

It's different from a staged reading, which is a more polished presentation of a play. Actors still hold scripts, but there are props, costumes, or sets, as if it's a full show, but not quite. The actors are familiar with the material, have worked with a director, and have rehearsed their lines, beats, and stage movement. We often see this at the staged reading slots of the annual Virgin Labfest at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

"The format is pretty simple; everything had to be cold read. That includes us because we also might end up reading the script, just in case none of the audience wants to join in. The process is that we collect all of the scripts, and we ask a theater veteran friend to curate them for us. They select the short plays and arrange the pieces in order of being read," Gelo tells Esquire Philippines.

Every Samalamig session features three flash dramas, often not exceeding 10 minutes each, from new or emerging playwrights; plus a draft of a one-act play from a more tenured writer after a 15-minute break. In the past, never-before-seen drafts from Eljay Castro Deldoc (Para Kay B, Si Maria Isabella at ang Guryon ng mga Tala, Pilipinas Kong Mahal With All the Overcoat) and Guelan Varela-Luarca (Dagitab, 3 Upuan, Kisapmata) were read in front of an audience.

Readings like these allow the playwrights to hear their works out loud. It is, after all, different when a writer types it up on a page than when an actor performs the lines. This invaluable step tests the pacing of the dialogue, such as whether the sentences are snappy enough for banter or engaging enough for a monologue; and identifies parts that may or may not land as intended, especially jokes.

Cold reading of "In Loving Memory" by Mae Malaya

For Samalamig, the open and low-pressure environment provided by a speakeasy or a cozy café encourages feedback and conversations—not only about the technicalities of the drafts, but also of the insights that the playwrights want to ponder on. "After every play, we open the floor for questions and a quick talk back."

Plus, it also allows volunteer readers (whose names are selected by drawing lots) to share the stage with a professional artist and perform in front of an audience—with no judgment. "We invite professionals who have years of experience but are still energetic enough to be able to engage in a cold read-slash-improv," Gelo adds. 

The Past, Present, and Future of Samalamig Cold Readings

"It had two starts. My co-founder and I, Carl Cuevas, started with wanting to start a small-scale production for newbies when we often hung out at Cubao Expo, around 2017 or 2018. That didn't pan out much. Jump to around 2022 when I got extremely frustrated with not ever getting in the Virgin Labfest but not knowing where I could improve and how I could improve—wala pang playwright workshop back then. So around 2023, we started talking, and then that's what got the ball rolling, many thanks to our first guest artist, who believed in creating a safe space for aspiring playwrights, Phi Palmos," Gelo tells us. Phi most recently starred in Delia D. at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

The first Samalamig Cold Reading happened in April 2024 at Brewman in Cubao Expo, where three sessions were held with Phi. Sessions would start as early as 5 p.m., as writers, artists, and audience members would read and listen to new short plays over cups of coffee. The second season, with two sessions so far, opened in May of this year at Vault—with a more workforce-friendly starting time of 8 p.m. The last two sessions' guest artist was Gab Pangilinan (Pingkian, Mula sa Buwan, Ang Huling El Bimbo, Rak of Aegis).

Cold reading of "Libing Things" by Rhain Alcoriza

Door charge for early registrants (announced through their social media) is at P800, which already comes with one drink. Walk-ins are always welcome for P1,000. This fee goes to Samalamig Cold Reading's venue rental and operations, as their short-term goal is to survive, Gelo said.

"With the amount of productions being mounted, we're fighting for our lives just to grab attention."

The long-term vision is to bring Samalamig on the road, taking their unique brand of cold readings to other cities across the country and maybe inviting as guests the likes of Vic Robinson (Pingkian, Ang Huling El Bimbo, Sa Wakas), who hails from Iloilo. "Someday."

Samalamig Cold Readings isn't just building a safe space—it's building a movement, one surprise line at a time.

The next Samalamig Cold Readings is happening in the first quarter of 2026. For updates, follow PopQuiz!PH on Instagram and Facebook. PopQuiz!PH also hosts trivia nights.