On February 7–8, 2026, Ampalaya Monologues brought its brand of heartfelt storytelling to Pasinaya 2026, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ biggest multi‑arts festival held across multiple venues in Metro Manila.
Pasinaya’s 20th edition showcased hundreds of performances, workshops, and community arts moments across museums, galleries, and public spaces during National Arts Month. The festival aims to make art accessible to everyone, with workshops and performances happening in unexpected spaces like Museo de Intramuros and Calle Wright.
For Ampalaya Monologues, celebrating Season X as its 10th anniversary year, Pasinaya was a chance to bring monologue writing and performance to a wider audience and to connect with people from different walks of life.
Day 1: Writing Workshop at Museo de Intramuros
On February 7, Ampalaya Monologues hosted a monologue writing workshop at Museo de Intramuros. Taught by Mark Ghosn, the session invited students and young professionals to learn how to turn everyday moments, observations, and even news articles into powerful monologue pieces.
One highlight of the workshop was a live performance by Blaire John, presenting Me and Mrs Cruz, a monologue written by Mark Ghosn. The piece showed how something as simple as a news story can spark a personal narrative, and how those stories can grow into larger media like TV episodes.
Day 2: Performances at Calle Wright, Malate
The next day, Ampalaya Monologues took the stage at Calle Wright in Malate, a cultural and community space that’s part of Pasinaya’s Paseo Museo program.
The afternoon began with a monologue performance by Michelle Samby, followed by spoken word by Prin Poblete. The pieces were hosted by Mark Ghosn and Sonson O, who helped guide the audience through personal and emotional terrain with warmth and humor.
The crowd on Day 2 was largely teenagers and locals from the area who were curious about what this “hugot show” was all about. As performances unfolded, what started as a lineup of stories gradually became an open community moment — a space for shared laughter, reflection, and conversation about love and life.
Community Conversations About Love and Life
As the afternoon grew more relaxed, audience members began sharing their own takeaways, turning the performance into something like a community talk. One older audience member, Aling Mila, stepped forward to share her experiences and perspectives with the younger crowd, offering a reminder that love, heartbreak, and bittersweet memories are universal parts of life.
Her presence helped highlight something core to Ampalaya Monologues: no matter your age, background, or where you’re from, bitterness and longing are part of the human experience — and storytelling is one of the ways we bond over it.
The festival setting made this especially clear: art wasn’t confined to a theater stage, but happening in open spaces where audiences of all ages could feel invited in.
Why It Matters
Ampalaya Monologues’ participation in Pasinaya 2026 wasn’t just another festival stop. It was a way to introduce monologue writing and spoken word poetry to new communities, showing how personal storytelling can connect with people outside regular theatre audiences. It also underlined the group’s ongoing role in the broader scene of independent theatre in the Philippines, where live stories help us meet each other in honest, emotional ways.
By blending workshops, performances, and shared dialogue, Ampalaya Monologues showed that the power of monologue isn’t just about the performer onstage; it’s about how the audience feels seen, heard, and part of a larger conversation.