Star Powerhouse

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 ....

  The Sandbox Collective proudly announces the full cast of Spring Awakening , the groundbreaking Tony Award–winning musical that will open the company’s 12th season and 2026 lineup in Manila. Directed by acclaimed theater director Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan, this landmark production brings together a stellar mix of Philippine theater veterans and rising stars, promising a transformative experience for audiences. With book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, and based on Frank Wedekind’s original play, Spring Awakening explores the turbulent journey of adolescence, where silence is rewarded and curiosity is punished. The musical tackles timeless and socially relevant themes including mental health, sexuality, teen pregnancy, family dynamics, self-discovery, and the challenges of growing up in a society that often suppresses youth expression. Leading the cast are theater luminaries Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Ana Abad Santos, and Audie Gemora, who embody the adult characte...

  The Sandbox Collective will open its 2026 Season with the Tony Award-winning rock musical, SPRING AWAKENING . The musical is set to open in February 2026 at a brand new theater: The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, Makati City.  Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Duncan Sheik, SPRING AWAKENING is a contemporary rock musical based on the Frank Wedekind play of the same name.   Set in 19th-century Germany, it tells the stories of teenagers exploring their burgeoning sexualities and rapidly-changing bodies. But seeking answers to the mysteries of life proves challenging in the face of uncommunicative parents, rigid institutions, and conservative society. Set to an electrifying alternative rock score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Spring Awakening channels its characters' adolescent frustrations and repressions into the angst and power ...

 TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS: A Play About Life – In Letters is set to make its Philippine premiere this November 2024. Featuring true stories and real letters, the play is based on the book-turned-play-turned-limited TV series. Written by acclaimed author Cheryl Strayed (bestselling author of Wild) and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise), the straight play chronicles the journey of Strayed as Sugar, an anonymous advice columnist whose radical empathy won the hearts of many readers. TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS will feature Calzado in the role of Sugar. She will be joined by three other cast members who will lend epistolary voices to the letter writers. Joining Calzado are Rody Vera, Gabby Padilla and Ketchup Eusebio as the letter writers. Rounding out the cast are Gawad Buhay awardees Regina De Vera and Brian Sy (swing/letter writer at certain performances). Rody Vera is a multi-awarded playwright, screenwriter, actor, and singer. A pillar of the Philippi...

 On the heels of two successful runs of the musicals  The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee  and  Little Shop of Horrors , The Sandbox Collective will cap off its 10th-anniversary season with the straight play  Tiny Beautiful Things . The bestselling book-turned-play-turned-TV show was first published in 2012 by Cheryl Strayed. Based on her experiences as an anonymous advice columnist, the play is told in epistolary form, with a revolving door of Letter Writers appearing onstage to ask Sugar for advice on life. Featuring real letters from real people, Tiny Beautiful Things highlights the common threads that connect our experiences as humans. Celebrated actress and TV host Iza Calzado will step into the role of Sugar, making her straight play debut. Her career, spanning over two decades, includes standout performances in acclaimed projects such as Sigaw , Milan , and the fantasy series Encantadia . Since beginning her career in 2002, Calzado's versatility h...

Duncan Macmillan’s Lungs makes its Philippine premiere With climate change worsening, people growing more complacent about their carbon footprint, and the death of the planet becoming ever more imminent, one couple considers the unthinkable — having a baby.