Puregold is taking its commitment to champion Filipino creativity beyond the retail space with the launch of Teatro Panalo, an inaugural theater festival created to discover, develop, and bring new Filipino plays and musicals to the stage.
Produced and organized by Wishbone Collective, Inc. and presented by Puregold, Teatro Panalo is designed as an incubation theater festival where original Filipino works can grow from scripts into fully realized stage productions. The program will provide selected playwrights with professional dramaturgical guidance, production resources, and the opportunity to engage directly with live audiences.
At the heart of the festival are 12 original Filipino works—eight straight plays and four musicals—that will receive full production as part of Teatro Panalo. Each selected playwright will also receive ₱100,000 in financial compensation.
But the opportunity does not end with the festival. Following the staging, one straight play and one musical will receive full-length development grants, giving the winning works another opportunity to undergo further artistic development and potentially move toward commercial production.
For Puregold, Teatro Panalo is another expression of its belief that meaningful experiences should be made accessible to more Filipinos.
“Puregold has always been present in the everyday lives of Filipino communities,” said Ivy Hayagan-Piedad, Senior Marketing Manager of Puregold. “Through Teatro Panalo, we hope to be present in another meaningful way by creating spaces where people can come together, exchange new ideas, and see Filipino artistry come to life on stage.”
Hayagan-Piedad added that the initiative reflects a broader understanding of what it means to serve a community.
“Being of service to a community is not limited to what happens inside our stores. It also means listening to what matters to people and supporting experiences that help communities feel seen, connected, and represented,” she said. “Theater has the power to create that kind of shared experience.”
A New Platform for Filipino Playwrights
Festival Director Vincent de Jesus emphasized that Teatro Panalo is not simply a competition for new theater material. It is also an opportunity to nurture Filipino playwrights and help them develop their work alongside experienced theater practitioners.
“We’re looking for authentic voices, fresh perspectives, and stories that deserve to be seen on the stage,” de Jesus said. “The festival is designed to help playwrights realize the full potential of their work through collaboration with experienced theater practitioners, while also giving audiences the opportunity to encounter exciting new Filipino stories.”
Teatro Panalo is open to amateur and professional Filipino playwrights aged 18 and above at the time of application. Entries may be written in either Filipino or English and must be original one-act works classified as either straight plays or musicals.
The festival is open to different genres, styles, and theatrical forms, provided that the submitted work is an original piece intended for approximately 35 to 40 minutes of stage performance.
However, adaptations, translations, and AI-generated creative works are not eligible for submission.
Teatro Panalo Submission Deadline
Interested playwrights must submit their entries by 11:59 p.m. on September 11, 2026.
Applications must include a completed one-act script, synopsis, logline, playwright’s development vision, and other required supporting documents. Musical entries must also include demo recordings.
Following the initial screening, a shortlist consisting of 16 straight plays and eight musicals will be announced on October 6, 2026.
Shortlisted playwrights will then be invited to present their works before the Selection Committee from October 14 to 16. The final lineup of eight straight plays and four musicals will be announced on October 16.
The selected playwrights will enter Wishbone Collective’s professional incubation program, receiving dramaturgical guidance and production support as their works are prepared for the stage.
The inaugural Puregold Teatro Panalo festival is currently scheduled to take place from February to March 2027, where audiences will finally get the chance to experience these new Filipino stories in a live theater setting.
For de Jesus, the festival could become the starting point for stories that may eventually make a much bigger impact.
“Original stories have always shaped communities, reflected generations, and inspired change. With Puregold Teatro Panalo, the next great Filipino play may be waiting behind an unopened script. Puregold is inviting playwrights from across the country to bring those stories to the stage.”
For Filipino playwrights with an original story waiting to be told, Teatro Panalo could be the opportunity to move that story from the page and into the spotlight.
Complete festival mechanics, eligibility requirements, and application details are available through the official Puregold Teatro Panalo submission form: Puregold Teatro Panalo Submission Form
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