A scene from Jerry O'Hara's play titled "O'Donnell," which was part of Virgin Labfest 2023. Photo by Kiko Cabuena/File  

MANILA -- Virgin Labfest, an annual festival of "untried, unstaged, and untested" one-act plays, is now accepting entries for its 2025 edition. 

Filipino playwrights can submit their works online until 11:59 p.m. on February 29. The manuscripts should have a maximum running time of 40 minutes, or about 25 to 35 pages long. 

Organizers said the works must not have previously been published in book form, staged commercially for more than two performances, and awarded any literary or drama prize in major competitions on or before the closing day of Virgin Labfest 2024 on June 30. 

The entries may be in Filipino or English, with Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Ilocano works also accepted if they have accompanying Filipino translations. Organizers said they will consider other Filipino languages and dialects based on the availability and capability of performers. 

A total of 12 plays will be selected for the 20th edition of Virgin Labfest in June 2025. 

Virgin Labfest is a partnership project of The Writer’s Bloc, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc., and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). More details are available on CCP's website and social media pages. 

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