HappeningPH Theater! A Restaging and a Premiere of The Corner Studio & Headroom’s PASIYA Twin Bill Coming Soon!

The Corner Studio partners with design firm Headroom to stage a twin bill of original works that examine what it means to choose, to speak, and to live with the consequences of both.

One half of the twin bill is the restaging of People v. Dela Cruz, following its successful premiere earlier this year. In the imagined Philippines’ first-ever jury case, six jurors are locked in a room to decide one man’s fate. What begins as deliberation quickly unravels into ego, politics, prayer, personal bias, and social performance. Beneath the satire lies a serious question: what does it mean to wield the power to decide over another human being?

That same question of power reverberates differently in Every Male or Female, which makes its world premiere as part of PASIYA. Set during the Philippine women’s suffrage movement in 1935, the naturalist play centers on a historical moment when freedom was not only contested from the outside, but also wrestled with from within. It explores the tensions, hesitations, and contradictions surrounding women being asked to exercise the right to vote for a Constitution that, at the time, did not fully guarantee that very right.

PASIYA will be staged at Headroom’s emerging venue, transforming the space into a home for intimate, socially engaged performance. 

“For Headroom, PASIYA is exactly the kind of work we want our space to hold: stories that are intimate, urgent, and deeply rooted in the Filipino experience,” says Headroom’s Kevin Nieves. “As a design firm opening our venue to live performances, we are excited to witness our space come alive with stories that linger, that engages the audience with questions, and invites them to ponder even after the curtains have closed.”

Premiering on June 12, PASIYA brings together two distinct stories bound by a shared question: what does freedom really look like when people are forced to decide?

“From the past to the distant future, choices will always be part of our story,” says Eldrin Veloso, who wrote and directed both plays. “It’s interesting to analyze our own human nature in theoretical settings vis-a-vis situations with real consequences. When it all boils down to what’s in front of you, what do you really choose? Do you truly have a choice? Do you act to change those choices? These are the questions PASIYA hopes to hold up as we commemorate our nation’s independence.”

Veloso also joins the cast, alongside Pauline Arejola, Althea Aruta, JP Basco, Rain de Jesus, Aaron Dioquino, Vea Noroña, and Emlyn Olfindo-Santos. Pat Gregorio serves as associate director and stage manager, Shaira Carandang as production designer and Almie Layog as associate stage manager.

PASIYA runs from June 12 to 21, 2026 (2:30pm shows every Saturday and Sunday, 7:00pm shows every Friday and Saturday). Tickets are available at tcs.helixpay.ph.

Follow The Corner Studio on its socials for more details. (Facebook | Instagram | TikTok)

People v. Dela Cruz
written by Eldrin Veloso

After its successful premiere early this year, People v. Dela Cruz returns with six jurors locked in a room to decide the fate of one man. But before they can deliver a verdict, their own prejudices, politics, piety, egos, appetites, and possibly even Wi-Fi withdrawal begin to take over.

Set in a country testing its new jury system, the play turns legal deliberation into a sharp, chaotic, and darkly funny clash of personalities where facts are debated, feelings are weaponized, and everyone is convinced they understand the law.

Justice remains uncertain. The drama does not.

___________

Every Male Or Female
written by Eldrin Veloso

On the day of the 1935 constitutional plebiscite, three Filipinas gather before a women’s association meeting where one of them is expected to urge other women to vote. But as they confront the irony of ratifying a Constitution that withholds women’s suffrage, the political argument spills into the private sphere.

In the course of one late morning, the fight over national freedom becomes a tense and intimate reckoning over principle, power, and a woman’s right to choose.

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