MANILA, Philippines – Teatro Balagtas, a Manila-based community theater group, remains steadfast in its mission to confront different social issues through its performances. The group was among the first to tackle extra-judicial killings head-on in their plays during the Duterte administration . “It has yet to be resolved because our system is slow.
The families of the victims still haven’t gotten justice. It caused deep trauma for the survivors and everyone,” Alvin Astudillo, one of the founding members of Teatro Balagtas, said about extrajudicial killings. LEGACY.
Members of Teatro Balagtas perform different stories for their Mga Kuwento ni Lolo Sixto series annually. The group continues to pursue other social issues in their plays based on their experiences. Established in 2008, Teatro Balagtas is a Manila-based community theater group named after bard Francisco Balagtas, who lived in this district where he fell in love with Selya, the muse of his greatest work “Florante at Laura” – a touchstone of Philippine literature.
The late activist Sixto Carlos Jr. founded Teatro Balagtas. “He had dreamed of establishing a theater group for disadvantaged youth in his hometown (Pandacan) and naming it after the poet.
He was able to fulfill it after he retired,” said Jessie Villabrille, Teatro Balagtas’ co-founder and creative director. Brave resistance Like most of Teatro Balagtas’ plays, Villabrille is the writer of “Bitan,” the opus tackling extra-judicial.
