‘Yemaya,’ ‘Man of La Mancha’ lead latest Gawad Buhay citations
MANILA — “Yemaya” by 9 Works Theatrical, “Man of La Mancha” by Repertory Philippines and PETA’s “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!” emerged as the most frequently cited productions in the second round of citations for the 17th Gawad Buhay Awards.
“Yemaya” received 18 citations across categories, followed by “Man of La Mancha” with 16 and “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4” with 15, based on the released list. PETA’s “Endo.” received seven citations, while the Philippine Opera Company’s “Master Class” received five.
The Gawad Buhay Awards, presented by the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group (Philstage), recognize achievements in Philippine theater. The citations are part of the selection process for the 2027 awards ceremony.
The second round considered five productions: “Endo.,” a PETA co-production with Ticket2Me through PETA Plus; “Master Class”; “Man of La Mancha”; “Yemaya”; and “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
The citations were determined by an independent jury of theater practitioners, journalists, reviewers and academics. Under the awards’ rules, a citation makes a production or an element of it eligible for a nomination but does not guarantee one.
Among the acting citations, Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Rissey Reyes-Robinson were recognized for their lead performances in “Endo.,” while Eugene Domingo received a citation for her lead performance in “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4.” Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo was cited for “Master Class.”
For male lead performance in a play, Tommy Alejandrino and Benedix Ramos received citations for “Yemaya,” alongside Esteban Mara for “Endo.”
In the musical categories, Katrine Sunga was cited for her female lead performance in “Man of La Mancha,” while Nonie Buencamino received a citation for male lead performance. Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante and Sarah Facuri were cited for featured female performances, while Steven Hotchkiss, Marvin Ong and Alfredo Reyes received citations for featured male performances in the same production.
“Yemaya” and “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4” were cited for outstanding ensemble performance in a play, while “Man of La Mancha” received the citation for outstanding ensemble performance in a musical.
Here’s the complete list of second-round citations:
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Chris Martinez — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Eljay Castro Deldoc — “Yemaya”
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Teresa Barrozo — “Yemaya”
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Farley Asuncion — “Man of La Mancha”
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Raflesia Bravo — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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JM Cabling — “Yemaya”
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Jim Andrew Ferrer — “Man of La Mancha”
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Gino Gonzales — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Ericson Navarro — “Yemaya”
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Hershee Tantiado — “Man of La Mancha”
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D Cortezano — “Man of La Mancha”
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D Cortezano — “Master Class”
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David Esguerra — “Endo.”
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Jethro Nibaten — “Yemaya”
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Barbie Tan-Tiongco — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Teresa Barrozo — “Yemaya”
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Kabaitan Bautista — “Man of La Mancha”
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Rards Corpus — “Master Class”
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Angel Dayao — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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D Cortezano — “Endo.”
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Julio Garcia — “Man of La Mancha”
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Gino Gonzales — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Ed Lacson Jr. — “Yemaya”
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Joey Mendoza — “Master Class”
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Bene Manaois — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Jasmine Curtis-Smith — “Endo.”
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Eugene Domingo — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo — “Master Class”
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Rissey Reyes-Robinson — “Endo.”
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Tommy Alejandrino — “Yemaya”
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Esteban Mara — “Endo.”
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Benedix Ramos — “Yemaya”
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Kate Alejandrino-Juan — “Endo.”
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Sheena Belarmino — “Yemaya”
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Stella Cañete-Mendoza — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Bituin Escalante — “Yemaya”
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Sheenly Gener — “Yemaya”
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Ness Roque — “Yemaya”
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Raphne Catorce — “Endo.”
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Anthony Falcon — “Yemaya”
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Herbie Go — “Yemaya”
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Andoy Ranay — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Marlon Rivera — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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JC Santos — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Katrine Sunga — “Man of La Mancha”
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Nonie Buencamino — “Man of La Mancha”
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Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante — “Man of La Mancha”
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Sarah Facuri — “Man of La Mancha”
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Steven Hotchkiss — “Man of La Mancha”
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Marvin Ong — “Man of La Mancha”
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Alfredo Reyes — “Man of La Mancha”
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“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!” — PETA
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“Yemaya” — 9 Works Theatrical
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“Man of La Mancha” — Repertory Philippines
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Ed Lacson Jr. — “Yemaya”
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Maribel Legarda — “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!”
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Nelsito Gomez — “Man of La Mancha”
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“Master Class” — Philippine Opera Company
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“Man of La Mancha” — Repertory Philippines
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“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter!” — PETA
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“Yemaya” — 9 Works Theatrical