ILOILO City – Theater met the table in a tasty fusion of performance and Ilonggo culinary identity as the 11th Iloilo Theater Festival (ILOTF) spotlighted the city’s pride as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy through this year’s theme, “Add Theater to Taste”.
Held from May 2 to 4 at the University of San Agustin Iloilo, the festival featured 17 stage productions and brought together over 330 artists from across Iloilo and Negros.
Festival Artistic Director Eric Divinagracia said the theme was a creative response to Iloilo’s global recognition in the culinary world — blending the flavors of local theater with the richness of Ilonggo food culture.
“What is theater when you mix it with food? Does life have more flavor when there is theater?” Divinagracia asked, as he underscored the power of performance to elevate everyday experiences, including gastronomy, into reflective artistic expression.
A standout segment, Halo-Halo atbp., showcased four short plays — ISSUE-PAO, BATCH’S CHOICE, FEE’S BALL, and Sa—Kapehan—all penned and performed by young Ilonggo artists. These works tackled school life, community challenges, and youth perspectives, seasoned with humor and local cultural references.
“Halo-Halo atbp. stands out because it’s written by the youth and reflects the issues they face in school,” Divinagracia said. “Also, the partnership with our local epic cuisine makes the experience richer.”
The event also drew renowned figures from the Philippine and international theater scenes, including Bernice Aspillaga and She Maala from the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), filmmaker Elvert Bañares, US-based theater writer Amanda Cruz, and Dr. Anton Juan of the Sigrab Conference.
Now on its 11th year, the Iloilo Theater Festival continues to be a platform for regional collaboration, cultural storytelling, and creative experimentation, affirming Iloilo’s status as not just a city of great food — but also of great theater./PN
