MANILA -- After bringing to life several memorable characters on both the silver and small screens, Adrian Lindayag returns to the theater stage to reprise his very first role as an actor, Angel from "Rent," but with a bigger purpose—to defy stigma and transform pain into power now that he has embraced his HIV-positive status. 

“It was late 2017 when I was diagnosed as positive for HIV," Lindayag revealed publicly for the first time during the press conference of 9 Works Theatrical's revival of Jonathan Larson’s the hit musical "Rent." 

“People would always ask me what my next role or what is my dream role. I always say it is still Angel because I need to tell his story on a bigger stage,” he added.

According to Lindayag, it was the diagnosis that moved him to step into the limelight. 

“It is so magical how my first production and the thing that opened up my destiny for me is ‘Rent’ and Angel. Theater and ‘Rent’ changed my life,” he recalled. 

He went on, "I had to take a break from work. I was trying to find an avenue to rest my body physically. That is when I saw the audition in Ateneo Blue Repertory’s ‘Rent’ in 2018. Abby [Sulit], my musical director gave me a chance and cast me for the role of Angel. That was when I quit my corporate job and started to be an actor. Before that, I did not have any experience. She took a risk and it changed my life.” 

The Kapamilya star shared how Angel, the beloved drag queen and street musician in New York City's East Village known for her vibrant personality and unwavering support, played a pivotal role in healing and empowering him amid his HIV-positive diagnosis.

"I was inspired by the story of Angel who lived a full life even with HIV. That is what I want to embody. Somehow I feel like I have a second life,” he said. 

Over the past six years, Lindayag has built a thriving career, starring in the acclaimed movie"The Boy Foretold By The Stars," the digital series "Love Beneath the Stars," and TV shows like "Kadenang Ginto" and "Linlang." He has earned nominations for Best Actor from the MMFF, Gawad Urian, Young Critics Circle, Society of Film Reviewers, and the Eddys.

By coming out, the Kapamilya star hopes to show what an HIV-positive status looks like now-- strength, resilience, and above all triumph. 

"I’ve been living in shame for the past few years and I just got tired of it. I want to motivate them to get tested. Knowledge is power. You can live a full life and be a person like me, you would not even know. I take a pill and I took that test. I have friends who passed away from this disease because they were so scared to get themselves tested and visit the clinics. But these pills are free. Younger people do not have to die anymore," he explained. 

“Disclosing is not something I am obligated to do but I felt being part of 'Rent' again I felt the weight of how important it is especially for the youth because the prevalence went down to 15 years old because we lack education,” he added. 

The upcoming musical is 9 Works Theatrical’s second iteration of "Rent,”  the acclaimed musical that illustrates the struggles and dreams of a diverse group of artists in New York City's East Village as they strive to find love and purpose amid adversities during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“In our first run, we wanted to present it the way it was on Broadway. It was not our priority to get a message or advocacy across but it is now,” director Robbie Guevarra stressed. 

“There are so many things we are discovering in the material that recent events in the past 14 years have helped us re-shape and reinterpret the script. Our goal is not only share the story to Zillenials, we also want to educate them particularly about HIV/AIDS,” he added. 

According to Guevarra, while the revival will remain faithful to the original script, their second rendition will actively advocate for awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS.

“We made it a point to put it forward. We will be showing the effects as well as the causes as far as the material allows it. We are not changing texts, scenes or adding things not on the script. We are emphasizing more. We are bringing out more,” he said. 

“They are going to find more texture, everything we are making time to ‘make piga’ (scrutinize) even the melody. There is for instance, a melodic intro of a song there is no, but you could feel the weight of it. We are looking for things like that which could make the story richer and fuller,” Guevarra teased. 

“Rent” which will also star Jordan Andrews, Mister Universe Philippines Markki Stroem, Guji Lorenzana, Ian Pangilinan, among others will open on April 19.