Bangaw brings music, movement, and pressing social issues to the stage
In its 92nd season, the Far Eastern University Theater Guild (FTG) presents Bangaw, a Filipino play with music adapted from William Golding’s classic story, Lord of the Flies.
Written by Gold Villar-Lim, with music by Vince Lim, and directed by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) senior artist–teacher and FTG artistic director Dudz Teraña, the production explores the meaning of survival through a distinctly Filipino lens.
Bangaw is a bold theatrical experience that follows a group of students forced into isolation as they grapple with authority and sense of belonging in a fragile, self-made community. Rooted in contemporary cultural and political realities, the production questions leadership and identity in a society shaped by consequences of choices made in the present. Through an ensemble-driven performance, the play is a reflection on what it means to inherit a fractured world—and the responsibility that comes with shaping what follows.
Layered with original music by Gold Villar-Lim, with two additional songs by Dudz Teraña, Bangaw blends symbolic movement and raw emotional expression with rhythmic, realistic storytelling. Traditional and modern Filipino soundscapes pulsate throughout the production, serving as both atmosphere and metaphor for a nation caught between collapse and renewal.
Beyond performance, the work confronts pressing societal concerns—division, abuse of power, systemic failure, moral decay, and patriarchy—set amid enduring Filipino values such as bayanihan, resilience, and strategic intelligence, resulting in a multi-layered theatrical experience that challenges perspectives, provokes dialogue, and invites audiences to reflect on the kind of future being shaped today.
Set on a remote island in the Visayas, Bangaw follows a group of high school students from different schools who end up stranded after a plane crash. With no adults, no government, and no rules, their attempt to reconstruct order quickly unravels.
What begins as a mission of survival is disrupted by a growing fascination with hunting and the belief that a monster lurks in the forest. The group disintegrates further after a boar is killed and its head transformed into an idol—the Lord of the Flies. A hallucination is mistaken as proof of the monster’s existence, sparking a killing frenzy that claims two lives and brings their fragile civilization to a brutal collapse.
At the center of Bangaw is Raf (Sam Siasoyco), whose attempt to uphold order becomes a fragile anchor amid growing unrest. Opposing him is Jack (Aldin Covarrubias and Dave Bambang), whose descent into dominance and violence drives the group apart. Caught between reason and survival are the twins Sam (Dianne Andallo and Trisha Nilayan) and Erich (Maria Ysabel delos Reyes and Althea Sibulo), while Simone (Heleina Li and Julia Nicole Ramas) emerges as a quiet moral compass.
Adding complexity is Tabeks (Jharelle Villalobos and Edrud Madalan), who challenges rigid hierarchies, while the younger children—Tiny (Marjorie Uson and Francine Galvez), Matty (Melenne Hokase and Margarita Barrameda), and Caleb (Julian Rafael Anabo and Lorenze Moral)—align with Raf, embodying innocence and vulnerability amid chaos.
Supporting Jack are Apple (Janae Dionisio and Ayessa Raymundo), Pat (Bjorn Pestaño and Charlene Libo-on), Phil (Zoe Sisam and Shekinah Resurreccion), Robert (Justin Abalos and Renz Dotillos), Morris (Kevin Ricaforte and Miguel Galpo), and Roger (Shawn Tarala and Kirstan Orbegoso), forming a choir-like faction that amplifies tension.
The ensemble is rounded out by Marc Ducut, Kristian Samson, Johann Umali, John Andrei Cruz, and Cris Jay Cabides playing Baboy Ramo. Hovering over the narrative is the haunting Panginoong Bangaw, while the Piloto will be alternately portrayed by Aldin Covarrubias and Dave Bambang. Parachutists serve as distant echoes of the adult world left behind.
Bangaw promises to be a gripping theatrical experience that merges powerful storytelling, music, and movement to immerse audiences in a uniquely Filipino exploration of survival, morality, and the consequences of human choices.
Founded in 1934, the Far Eastern University Theater Guild (FTG) is one of the oldest student theater organizations in the Philippines. Currently under the artistic direction of Dudz Teraña, a PETA senior artist-teacher who has written and directed various theater productions, ranging from experimental works to musical and straight plays. The FTG is known for bold, socially relevant productions and a strong commitment to nurturing new talent, telling Filipino stories, and reimagining theater as a space for truth, provocation, and community.
‘Bangaw’ will run at the FEU Center for the Arts Studio on March 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, and April: 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 6:30 pm. Ticket prices are at ₱100 for students from FEU (all branches), ₱200 for students from outside FEU Manila, ₱500 for regular guests, and ₱700 for VIP. For tickets, connect via Facebook: Far Eastern University Theater Guild, Instagram and TikTok: @feutheaterguildofficial, and Twitter/X: @ftg1934.
