Faith, sin, and rebellion take center stage in Balay Dolor: A Live Draft, the debut production of Exit Left Collective, happening this November 8, 14–16, 2025, at Areté, Ateneo de Manila University.
Written by Iago Guballa, recipient of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature (2024), and directed by Robert Bradly Hao, Balay Dolor tells the story of a secluded reformatory school for wayward boys, now reduced to a lone priest and three students. When the priest’s prodigal brother—a wanted criminal—returns unannounced, his arrival brings with it the ten plagues of Exodus. What begins as an uneasy reunion unravels into a reckoning between faith and sin, punishment and desire, salvation and ruin.
This Live Draft offers an intimate yet elevated script reading, where the writing itself takes center stage—brought to life by an ensemble of emerging artists and a growing vision of stage direction, movement, and design.
Helmed by director Robert Bradly Hao, the production features a creative team including Kat Batara as dramaturg, Tata Tuviera as set designer, Paul Adrian Martinez and Gwyn Zenarosa on costume design, Rafa Sumilong on lighting design, Carlos Hombrebueno on sound design, and Regina de Vera as intimacy consultant. Visual storytelling is further shaped by Pat Ong (photography) and Diandra Lee (graphic design).
Hao shares, “The unconventional space to tell the story. Trying to find the key points of believing something is there when it isn’t.” Meanwhile, Guballa reflects on his evolving creative process: “Balay Dolor 2025 has shown me that despite growing older and growing as an artist, the bedrock of my craft stays the same—in some ways, nothing ever changes.”
Through this Live Draft, Exit Left Collective continues its commitment to championing contemporary Filipino playwrights and expanding the possibilities of live performance. The result is a work that is both introspective and theatrical—a reckoning of faith, flesh, and everything in between.
🎭 Balay Dolor: A First Look
📅 November 8, 14–16, 2025
📍 Areté, Ateneo de Manila University
🎟️ Tickets available at tinyurl.com/BalayDolorTickets
