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The company announced post-show talkbacks on mental health, sex education,
and coming of age in the 21st century.
The Sandbox Collective officially opened Spring Awakening, the Tony Award-winning musical based on the novel of the same name by Frank Wedekind. Audiences were delighted with a mix of touching yet angst-induced performances from the cast who play teenagers from late 19th century Germany discovering themselves in a repressive society.
In many ways, the themes tackled are reflections of what the Filipino youth are still suffering from today.
Narratives about sex education, reproductive health, and LGBTQIA+ issues remain contentious, which is why staging Spring Awakening remains relevant despite its dated milieu.
Recognizing this, The Sandbox Collective, took on the responsibility to extend guidance to its audiences by conducting post-show talkbacks in collaboration with its advocacy partners: Mental Health PH, Unprude, and LoveYourselfPH.
This is an educational initiative by the company to help use theater as a safe space to talk about difficult dialogues.
Mental Health PH Co-Founder and Executive Director Roy Dahildahil joined the first talkback session and emphasized the importance of preventive measures in dealing with mental health.
“When we talk about mental health, we have to recognize it doesn’t have to be on the clinical and the critical na agad,” Roy said.
“Malaking chunk ng kailangan natin i-push din is on the prevention part para hindi na tayo umabot sa extremes na part.”
Established in 2016, Mental Health PH is an advocacy organization that has been one of the major forces in the mental health space in the Philippines. It serves a growing community of over 43,000 members nationwide.
Destigmatizing sex, navigating gender and identity
Sex health and therapy app Uprude will also join the conversation as it advocates for open conversations about sex and sex education in the Philippines.
Unprude CEO and the first Filipino Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Sexology Dr. Rica Cruz said that the theater has always been an open and powerful avenue to start tough conversations.
“We partnered with Spring Awakening because it tells the truth about what happens when young people grow up without honest sex education,” Dr. Rica said.
“Silence does not protect. It leaves young people confused, ashamed, and vulnerable.”
Leading HIV advocacy group LoveYourselfPH will also join the talkback sessions as it emphasizes the need for a safe space for the youth to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The talkback sessions will happen after every Sunday matinee show of Spring Awakening. The full schedule of the talkbacks is available on The Sandbox Collective’s instagram, @thesandboxco.
SPRING AWAKENING is the inaugural show of The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati. The show will run until March 22, 2026. Tickets are available on Ticket2Me (tinyurl.com/SandboxSpring2026).
SPRING AWAKENING is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI), New York, NY, USA.
For more information, follow The Sandbox Collective on Facebook, Twitter and Tiktok – @TheSandboxCo. You may also visit our website at www.thesandboxco.com.
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