Cover A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’, featuring puppetry work by Siglo Pecho metaphorically strangling the OFW character, Bulan, portrayed by Sandino Martin (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’, featuring puppetry work by Siglo Pecho metaphorically strangling the OFW character, Bulan, portrayed by Sandino Martin (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
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Palanca awardee and Dulaang UP’s new artistic director, Arlo Deguzman, unravels his lived experience of the emotional landscape of being an Overseas Filipino Worker
For decades, the departure gates of Philippine airports have served as the silent witnesses to a painfully familiar national narrative. It has become a routine sight to see families sending off their loved ones, or greeting them with Duty Free goods during the Christmas and New Year seasons. Before these workers leave the country, they hold onto their best moments at home through meaningful conversations, feasting and nostalgia walks, eventually packing new memories and memorabilia to sustain them while they are away.
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) venture across oceans with high hopes of finding greener pastures for their families. In their everyday lives abroad, they boldly confront loneliness, homesickness, culture shock, language barriers and, frustratingly, even racism. Deemed the “modern-day heroes” of the country, they have become an integral pillar of the Philippine economy, creating a strong sense of government dependence on the taxes they remit. Yet, the solution to this cyclical and systemic problem is often only lightly touched upon; despite decades of this economic influx, the collective Filipino way of life remains largely un-elevated.
In case you missed it: Dulaang UP gears up for its 50th year with a twin-bill production in tribute to founder National Artist Tony Mabesa
Above Sandino Martin in Arlo Deguzman’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
Sandino Martin in Arlo Deguzman’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
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While media representations of migrant narratives are frequently documented in news broadcasts, films, television series and social media, this essential conversation has been noticeably lacking in Philippine theatre. Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP) aims to fill this void with their ongoing production, Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan.
Roughly translates to “the smallness of the present”, it derives its title from acclaimed singer-songwriter Noel Cabangon’s song of the same title. The song articulates reflections about life and the dynamism of time. This production headlines Sandino Martin in his theatrical comeback. In key scenes, he articulates Bulan’s internal conflict, enveloping audiences in the atmospheric manifestation of his melancholic mind and emotional turmoil, then shifts into realistic contextual cues that allow audiences to feel for him as the pressures from his family and career weigh on him.
Above A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
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As Dulaang UP approaches its 50th theatre season, the company is looking back at its humble beginnings to foster a communal celebration of its students, alumni and past collaborators. In their 48th Theatre Season, themed “Paano umuwi nang may pagpapasya?”, DUP probes the deep questions of intentionality in coming home.
The season honours the legacy of DUP’s founding artistic director, the late National Artist for Theatre Tony Mabesa, whose vision of a space for nurturing curiosity and sharp questioning remains alive. Following the first-ever all-student-led production, Para Kay Tony: Tungo sa Ginintuang Alaala, the company continues to expand student spaces by reviving the UP Playwrights’ Theatre. Now renamed DUP Playwrights and celebrating its 29th theatre season, the platform returns with Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan.
The play is written and directed by Arlo Deguzman, a multi-awarded playwright in the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. He brings a deeply personal lens to the production, picking up where he left off in the country after spending 15 years as a migrant worker across 50 countries.
Above A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
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Written from a profound place of diasporic experience, Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan serves as both a powerful contemporary work and an ode to our present-day heroes. Incorporating original song numbers with a live string ensemble, the production exhibited Martin’s prowess in music. Another notable element—a signature of past DUP works—is its koro (chorus) ensemble, which bridges classical theatre artistry with contemporary movements and choreography.
The audience is invited to witness a multifaceted family struggle: frustrations over unending remittances; a mother pressuring her OFW children to be resilient and to sacrifice their personal dreams for the sake of the family’s welfare; an elder sister navigating possibilities of emancipation from responsibilities; and a son who silently bears a deafening burden. By laying these stories bare on a runway stage that mimics airport conveyor belts, DUP invites audiences to contemplate generational trauma and family conflicts brought about by surrounding socio-political realities that hamper our ability to see better days.
The production promises a deeply resonant experience. Audiences might find comfort in knowing that some of the cast and crew members have been OFWs themselves, are contemplating becoming one, or are actively longing for loved ones currently abroad, as stated by the production in a statement and also through the visual installations in the hallway of IBG-KAL Theater. This play invites audiences to ponder the realities of Filipino life, the pursuit of personal dreams and the weight of adulthood that distances us from our inner child.
Read more: Dulaang UP’s ‘Nanay Bangis’ highlights a Filipino mother’s sufferance in the midst of war
Above A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
A scene from Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan’ (Photo: Loreta Arroyo)
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True to DUP’s foundational ethos of merging passion and out-of-the-box thinking, Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan features a collaborative ensemble. Industry professionals and returning alumni lead the cast, including Martin, Tess Jamias, Fermin Villegas, Sheryll Ceasico, Marichu Belarmino, Jojo Cayabyab, Hazel Maranan, Domileo Espejo and Mitzie Lao. Crafting their creative footprints right alongside these veterans are current artist-scholars Kerr Allen, Angel Manansala, Raymond Aguilar, Julianne Quimio, Ralph Onrubia, Janae Delos Santos and Cy Guerrero.
This synergy extends to the artistic team, which comprises alumni, guest artists and artists-in-training ranging from freshmen to graduating students. Joining Deguzman are Angel Dayao (Music Direction and Sound Design), alongside Neil Shane Alcain and Jisu Jang. The team also features Siglo Pecho (Puppetry Design), Jonas Gabriel Garcia (Dramaturgy), Kirby Dunnzell (Movement Collaborator), Dan Wesley (Associate Movement Collaborator), Aaron Misayah (Scenic Design), Tilda Oreta (Costume Design), Third Salamat (Lighting Design) and Jada Bartolome (Projection Design).
Ang Kaliitan ng Kasalukuyan runs until March 29, 2026, at the IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman. Shows are scheduled for Thursdays and Fridays at 7.30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
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About
Before assuming the Art and Culture Editor position, Franz has always had a penchant for visual and performing arts. He is passionate about exploring and writing about the local cultural scene and rediscovering the country’s storied past and rich heritage. Besides working on this luxury lifestyle magazine, Franz is an avid book reader, local traveller, museum-goer, chorister, and community theatre playwright.
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Franz earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas. He writes about local visual and performing artists and their craft; drinks wines, liquors, and spirits and talks about the creativity of their respective winemakers and master blenders; tries to learn more about business and investments; respects the tradition and artistry that go behind the making of watches and jewellery; and appreciates the genius of architecture and creative design.
As head of Tatler Philippines’ pool of writers, he helps them bring impactful and socially relevant stories to light.
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