Benildean live theater is back with Pamilya—a full-length play from Sining LABinsyam,  a production house under the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Theater Arts program. Running throughout the month of November, this show tackles truth, misinformation, and family drama in a digitalized Filipino time.

Founded in May 2021 by the ID119 student-artists of Benilde’s Theater Arts program, Sining LABinsiyam (SiLAB) aims to bring underrepresented Filipino narratives into the contemporary stage. From their online productions of Ang Red Dress ni Makisig (2021), Bago Dumilim sa Labas (2022), and hybrid production Orgullo Compound (2022), the student-artists have gone a long way to improve their skills and finally showcase them in person for this live production. 

Pamilya, by Dr. Layeta Bucoy and directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, revolves around a dysfunctional Filipino family of seven, depicting the story with a series of tableaus and social media applications. With their unique personalities and varying beliefs, each family member must navigate their already strained relationship alongside new issues brought on by political disinformation. 

Its story presents the head of the family, Tatay, who works as a troll for a mayor as his primary source of income. The rest of his family attempts to understand and deal with the situation, each with their own motivations and leaving consequences along the way. In line with that, this narrative heavily tackles topics of both misinformation and disinformation.

What’s intriguing about Pamilya is how each family member is represented by a social media application, with issues and opinions on the aforementioned themes. With the persistence of fake news on social media platforms, Pamilya is a timely narrative to look out for, as this play will draw audiences into a story set in the Filipino digital age. 

Furthermore, the production portrays the various effects of disinformation on one’s relationships. As a clash of political beliefs and confusion arise among the story’s family members, it makes it more challenging for the family to keep their relationships glued together, with only the denial of the truth preventing them from becoming disconnected. 

With a timely story and buildup to an exciting return to live shows, audiences can expect a thought-provoking yet entertaining performance from the ID 119 Theater Arts students in this production.

Pamilya’s live run will be showing on these dates at the 6/F Black box of Benilde’s Design and Arts Campus: 

• Nov. 9, 2022, from 3 p.m to 5 p.m.
• Nov. 16, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m and 3 p.m to 5 p.m.
• Nov. 23, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m

Meanwhile, the online run of the show will be from Nov. 23 to 30 via Ticket2Me. Tickets are priced at ₱349 for the live shows and ₱250 for the online performances. 

Grab your tickets and keep yourself updated with Pamilya’s run by visiting SiLAB’s Facebook page.