Fresh from the phenomenal, sold-out success of ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4,’ PETA leaves its mother stage for a school tour with yet another socially thought-provoking play.
This time, PETA partners with Move to Change Foundation, Inc. to present an interactive play that brings audiences into a world where they call the shots and help shape the narrative and the experience.
Alternate world
‘Gen G: GG na ‘to!’ is set in an alternate, water Philippines that is inundated and where the youth are placed in temporary ‘Balangay Gen Zones’ designed for survival while the adults seek solutions.
When the adults fail to return as promised, the youth are left to fend for themselves and their communities.
The audience becomes part of the Balangay, too, as they also get involved in voting, negotiating, and facing the consequences that shape what happens next.
According to a statement from PETA, the play is created in partnership with Move to Change Foundation, Inc. (M2C),
‘The production is part of Project GG: Game Changers for Good Governance, a youth-focused campaign that transforms civic education into lived experiences where young people learn that every voice matters and every act of participation helps shape more accountable communities and stronger democratic systems,’ it stated.
Theater for education
For almost 60 years, PETA has always envisioned exploring theater for education, people’s empowerment, and positive social change.
PETA activated these social engagements through workshops, collaborations with other productions, and presentations in institutions, commercial theater spaces, schools, and communities through civil society organizations and LGUs.
‘That’s really at the heart of PETA’s socially engaged work. We bring theater into communities and use it as a space where people can reflect on the society we have and, in a way, rehearse the kind of future we want,’ co-playwright and PETA Artistic Director J-mee Katanyag told BusinessMirror.
When it comes to tackling good governance, PETA believes it’s not only about the candidates we vote for but also about how people, especially the youth, make the right choices for a better society.
According to Katanyag, PETA has been doing this advocacy for decades, in plays like Rody Vera’s ‘Boto ni Botong,’ Vince de Jesus’ ‘Juan Tamad, Ang Diyablo, at ang Limang Milyong Boto,’ and the workshop performance Bagong Bilang, which Katanyag was part of when she was still with PETA’s youth arm, the Metropolitan Teen Theater League.
Other plays are ‘Charot,’ which Katanyag co-wrote with Michelle Ngu-Nario.
Project Gen G with Move to Change continues that mission. According to Katanyag, ‘So in a way, it’s part of a much longer continuum. The forms change, the generation changes, the questions change, but the mission remains: how can theater become a pathway to people’s empowerment and societal progress?’
Exploring Narrative Through the theme, ‘Care and Well-Being: Regeneration,’ PETA probes the meaning of change and care beyond self-care and kindness.
Care is also about the collective, she stressed. It’s about how people listen, share power and resources, stand by for their actions, open doors for the unseen and unheard, and build communities.
‘This is also where ‘Gen G: GG na ‘to!’ comes in. It asks young people not simply to imagine a better society, but to reflect and practice what it might take to build one together,’ noted Katanyag.
Powerhouse team
To stir the play is a creative team of accomplished theater practitioners. At the helm is director Ian Segarra; playwrights Katanyag and Jhudiel Sosa; musical director Kabaitan Bautista; set and props designer Julio Garcia; and costume designer Johnnie Moran.
The cast features a mix of emerging and established actors, including Lyle Viray as New Character, Johnrick Noynay as Dex, James Lanante as Sid, Camille Fabian as Chloe, Francheska Andaya as Achi, Cb Lagapa as Achi/Chloe, and Ada Tayao and Zoe Damag as Joker.
The show will be touring 12 schools from September to December 2026.
Beyond the performance, ‘Project GG’ will also engage young people through interactive experiences, workshops, community conversations, and other participatory activities designed to encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and collective decision-making.
While ‘Babae Sa Septic Tank 4’ was funny and absurd, ‘Project GG’ is more participatory.
‘They’re very different theatrical experiences, although I think both are interested in asking audiences-just as theater should always be-to take that ride and look at themselves and the society they’re part of, but in PETA style. In a fun comical but still resonating way,’ stated Katanyag.