Dennis Gaviola

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Dagitab

Totel V. De Jesus

<p>MANILA -- “Dagitab” creator Giancarlo Abrahan can’t help but feel ecstatic that his original Cinemalaya film and Guelan Luarca’s play adaptation are running nearly simultaneously.</p><p>With Scene Change, the theater company he co-founded, the play version returns for another limited two-weekend run from September 20-28, at a larger venue: Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati. There are only six performances. The first run in July was held at the Fine Arts Black Box Theater at Ateneo de Manila University, which seats fewer than 100. The new venue doubles the capacity to 200 seats per show.</p><p>“Dagitab” premiered in 2014 at the 10th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival where Abrahan won the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards. Eula Valdes, who played the female lead character, also brought home the Balanghai Trophy for Best Actress.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:785px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758189886003544292362_17869763622432551_3423830339406251936_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>Scene Change/Facebook</em></span></span></span>Now, it is back in cinemas as part of “Pelikula ng Bayan: Sine50,” along with other five acclaimed movies. “Pelikula ng Bayan: Sine 50” is a project of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, in celebration of the Philippine Film Industry Month and the 106th year of Philippine cinema.</div><p>From September 17-23, for only P50 per ticket, one can enjoy “Dagitab” and the other films, namely “Apocalypse Child,” “Big Night,” “Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus,” “Miss Bulalacao” and “Patay Na Si Hesus.” In total, it’s only P300 for all six titles, or the same price, even less than the cost of a ticket for any current film being shown in most movie houses. They are being shown in Gateway, Robinsons Galleria Ortigas, SM Mall of Asia and Ayala Malls TriNoma.</p><p>The story follows college professors Jimmy Tolentino (Nonie Buencamino) and Issey Tolentino (Eula Valdes) as their marriage begins to crumble. Both are award-winning literary writers, and most of the action unfolds during a summer creative writing workshop in the mountains. Jimmy falls for a supernatural figure, Lorena (Max Eigenmann), who he believes is the ghost of a former lover. Meanwhile, Issey embarks on a romance with her much younger godson, literary prodigy Gab Atienza (Martin del Rosario). Gab, in turn, forms a close friendship with his workshop roommate, poet Angelo (Sandino Martin).</p><p>The stage adaptation, written and directed by Guelan Luarca, has Agot Isidro playing Issey, Jojit Lorenzo as Jimmy, Elijah Canlas as Gab, Benedix Ramos as Angelo and Sam Samarita as Lorena.</p><p>Abrahan serves as dramaturg. Other members of the creative team are D Cortezano (set design), JM Cabling (movement), Jethro Nibaten (lighting) and Carlos Hombrebueno (sound).</p><p>We sat down with Abrahan, who shared with ABS-CBN News insights into his past work and upcoming projects. Excerpts:</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Was the idea of adapting the movie proposed by Guelan Luarca to you or the other way around?</strong></div><p>We first talked about the possibility of adapting “Dagitab” for the stage during the pandemic. ‘Dagitab’ was just screened via Cinema One&#x27;s YouTube channel. This was around September 2020. Guelan was still artistic director of Tanghalang Ateneo and I was helping them in their Zoom theater projects called Bahay Tanghalan. Stuck at home, we were dreaming of what we would do when the pandemic restrictions had been lifted. Guelan suggested that I adapt ‘Dagitab’ for the stage. Even then it sounded like a pandemic fever dream to me.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:785px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758189853023546256259_17869763631432551_2764738405995634791_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>Scene Change/Facebook</em></span></span></span></div><p>Eventually, I left for graduate school in New York in August 2021. ‘Dagitab’ had to be filed under the category of pandemic ‘panaginips’ (dreams), something that was probably not going to happen.</p><p>Less than a year later, Guelan moved to New York where the seeds of putting up a theater company were planted. We went home after graduating in 2024 —Guelan in June, while I went home in December. (Apparently this was just last year!). By February, Scene Change (Sc.) was producing the re-run of “3 Upuan.” By the end of that run, we announced our decision. Guelan was going to adapt and direct the stage version of ‘Dagitab’ with me as dramaturg.</p><div><strong>Did you just let him do it his way? As dramaturg, how much was your involvement in the development of the play version?</strong></div><p>I didn&#x27;t want to adapt ‘Dagitab’ myself because it was difficult for me to unsee the many versions of the film that was already living inside my head. There was the film that we submitted in Cinemalaya. There&#x27;s this film I still want it to be if ever I got the chance to re-edit.</p><p>The film has a running time of two hours. But the first cut was about four hours long. Double the length of the final version, and still at that rate, we were not able to shoot everything written on the screenplay. And so, there are elements that were in the screenplay but did not make it to the film that are now in the play.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:785px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758189725909545136525_17869763679432551_5863080250513799944_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>Scene Change/Facebook</em></span></span></span>I gave Guelan a couple of different versions of the screenplay for reference. But I gave Guelan the freedom to transform the screenplay. While I initially specified lines, and identified specific scenes and particular images that I wanted to keep, Guelan had the liberty to write his own version. I even said that I would have been okay if the only things he kept were the title and the names of the characters (laughter or insert laugh emojis).</div><p>Kidding aside, we were certain the stage version was not merely about translating the scenes from the movie onto the stage. Guelan was primarily interested in finding a mechanism that would make ‘Dagitab’ authentically theatrical.</p><p>“It was only upon reading the first draft of the play out loud with the cast that I gave my feedback to Guelan. And I&#x27;d like to think it was not me explaining to him what the ‘Dagitab’ that I had written was about. It was me explaining to him what the ‘Dagitab’ that he was writing was revealing itself to be. It was me listening to Guelan what he personally found most meaningful in this new version, what he found exciting.”</p><div><strong>Who are the people behind Scene Change? Kindly give us a background.</strong></div><p>Guelan Luarca, Martha Comia, JC Santos, Jojit Lorenzo, D Cortezano, and myself are the partners who comprise Scene Change (Sc.) As I mentioned earlier, we just formed the company this year. Scene Change (Sc.) is a production company that aims to make brave, new, and globally-engaged works that stretch the richness and complexity of the Filipino experience.  But of course, every one we work with, from the actors to all our staff are also part of the company! That includes Agot.”</p><div><strong>How did Benedix and Elijah get their roles. Were there auditions or common choices na sila?</strong></div><p>Elijah, I had always wanted to work with. Dati pa! At inaasar ko siya na lagi niya akong hinihindian. Finally, pumayag na siya!n When the film version came out in Cinemalaya, Elijah was also an actor in the Janice O’hara film ‘Sundalong Kanin’. And that was more than a decade ago. So it&#x27;s exciting to see him in ‘Dagitab,’ hindi na ganoon kabata. Pero actually sa kuwento, siya pa rin ang pinakabata!</p><p>Guelan has a running joke that he wants to steal actors from musicals to perform in straight plays. And because he was really impressed by Benedix when he saw him perform during the first run of ‘Bar Boys,’ markado siya para hatakin umarte sa straight play.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758189645326547368986_17869763646432551_4769977869859104662_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>Scene Change/Facebook</em></span></span></span><strong>Now with the original film version of ‘Dagitab,’ was it planned or coincidence lang na may FDCP-organized run sa cinemas?</strong></div><p>Sobrang coincidence na lalabas ang pelikula kasabay ng staging ng Scene Change (Sc.) ng ‘Dagitab’! Pero grabe, ang saya di ba! I mean, who gets to say that? That you can watch this thing you wrote — on stage and on the big screen during the same time period...medyo wild!”</p><div><strong>Were the characters like Issey and Jimmy based on real people?</strong> </div><p><strong></strong>Every single character is based on so many different people. Some people I know deeply, some people I&#x27;ve only heard of. I reference specific details that might remind you of certain people. In creating the characters, I also drew from the many different versions of myself. And even as a dramaturg now, I find myself showing the actors some videos to show how I imagine certain characters to speak. So, it&#x27;s a little bit of many different things, really. Sometimes a lot, but never just one person in particular.</p><div><strong>What are your plans, new scripts and projects? </strong></div><p>Scene Change has been quite busy. And we&#x27;re very excited about our lineup: We have yet another run of “3 Upuan” with a new cast (Paolo O&#x27;Hara, Cris Pasturan and Jasmine Curtis-Smith) coming up this October. We&#x27;re co-producing a staged reading of another Guelan Luarca play next year. I&#x27;m developing a play about choir gays — mga baklang mahal si God (gays who love God).</p><p>We also hope to develop new work by other playwrights through our company. I think there&#x27;s also a couple of films somewhere on the horizon.</p><p>And I have a short appearance in Sari Dalena&#x27;s “Cinemartyrs” that&#x27;s premiering in Cinemalaya this October!<strong></strong></p>

<p>'Dagitab' creator Giancarlo Abrahan can’t help but feel ecstatic that his original Cinemalaya film and Guelan Luarca’s play adaptation are running nearly simultaneously.</p>

'Dagitab' creator Giancarlo Abrahan can’t help but feel ecstatic that his original Cinemalaya film and Guelan Luarca’s play adaptation are running nearly simultaneously.

Giancarlo Abrahan grateful for ‘Dagitab’ simultaneous film, stage run

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Giancarlo Abrahan grateful for ‘Dagitab’ simultaneous film, stage run

Totel V. De Jesus

Published Sep 18, 2025 06:11 PM PHT

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Dagitab

Scene Change

Cinemalaya

Giancarlo Abrahan

Guelan Luarca

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