MANILA -- Written in 1993 by Jun Robles Lana, the play "Anino sa Likod ng Buwan," which won the grand prize of the Bulwagang Gantimpala Playwriting Competition, will return onstage after it had its film adaptation in 2015.

The three characters are portrayed by equally talented actors Ross Pesigan, Elora Españo, and Kapuso actor Martin del Rosario as Nardo, Emma, and Joel, respectively.

Photo by Erickson dela Cruz

Recently, The IdeaFirst Company's first-ever live production opened its doors for a rehearsal visit.

Two of the three stars, Pesigan and Españo aren't strangers to acting onstage and have worked with the director of the play Tuxqs Rutaquio back in 2011 via Layeta Bucoy's Filipino translation and adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus."

It's a reunion for the three.

For Pesigan, what he missed about working with Rutaquio is his process. Though the Dulaang UP production wasn't the last production he worked on with the director since they did several Virgin LabFest (VLF) plays later on, Pesigan said, "It's been a while since his last. This is his long-overdue comeback."

While Españo wasn't part of the performing cast in "Titus Andronicus," she was working behind the scenes with Jethro Joaquin in the sounds department.

"It's my first time to work with Tuxqs as an actor," she said. “Natuwa ako kasi collaborative nga siya. Actor din siya, so he knows how it works. He doesn't treat his actors like puppets. He allows his actors to discover deeper the characters they're portraying.”

A neophyte onstage but a seasonedv TV and film actor and a Sparkle artist, del Rosario described his director: "First time ko ma-meet, first time ko rin maka-work si Direk Tuxqs... I thought he’s the type who instructs his actors to do this and that. He's very collaborative. May mga inputs na ina-accept siya from us. Ang sarap buuiin ang character kung ganun ang director."

The play was inspired by true accounts in the ''90s and the three actors shared their minds about why it merits a revival in 2025.

For Pesigan, "It's part of our history. It's worth re-telling."

Españo stressed, "It reflects social and political struggles. And these are still very true even till day and age."

"The play sheds light on the struggles of the victims of armed conflicts," del Rosario added. 

The armed conflict between the Philippine military and the communist resistance at the beginning of the 1990s forms the backdrop to this study of three individuals -- with the two leads as "internal refugees." 

The story mentions several military operations in the province of Marag Valley, which was believed to be the seat of the communist government.

Back then, thousands of residents were forced to leave their homes and were displaced. Some hid in the forest. Many of them died due to starvation, diseases, and the atrocities and human rights violations.

Political and social refugees and internally displaced people faced many challenges, including health, safety, shelter, high mortality rates, abuse of basic rights, especially for women and children; and disruption of livelihoods -- to name a few.

"Anino sa Likod ng Buwan" opens on March 1 andd runs until March 23 at the PETA Theater.