WHO WE ARE

Sabrina is an artist-researcher exploring the intersections of ecology and community development. She writes and devises performances with various youth groups including youth in agriculture, survivors of gender-based violence, incarcerated parents, and climate justice leaders in the Philippines, India, and Canada.

She is currently the resident dramaturg of Tanghalang Ateneo, and the Education & Research Director of Sulong! Philippines,

Her writing and performance work have been staged and read in the Virgin Labfest Fellowship Program, International Women Playwrights Readathon, Hektomeron Festival of Romania, Atlantic Pacific Theater, and various universities all over the Philippines.

Most of all, she identifies as an amateur mycophile and hiker.

Tara’s craft is dedicated to making a way for the silenced to be heard. Through storytelling, she seeks to provide an avenue for often overlooked ideas, allowing people to gain insight from perspectives they may have never previously encountered.

Tara graduated Magna Cum Laude and Program Awardee from the BFA Theatre Arts Program of the Ateneo De Manila University in 2020. She was part of various theatre organizations, including Tanghalang Ateneo and Ateneo Blue Repertory. Some of her most notable works include: Antigone vs. the People of the Philippines (2019), an adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone cited in the Philippine Daily Inquirer as one of the honorable mentions of the “Best of Theatre in 2019” under the “Best Works” category; and a devised piece entitled A Woman’s Place, which she co-devised and performed at the Asian Pacific Bond of Schools Festival.

Currently, Tara is a freelance director and actor, the Externals Manager for Sightlines Actors Space, and the founder and a pioneer of Jungle Gym Play Laboratory. You will most likely find her obsessing over a new hyper-fixation which could be a band, a video game, a new gadget, or an animated show.

Cholo lives a hermit-like existence in the space shared by creative practice and psychology. He endeavors to be a healer, seeking to address personal and societal numbness through the therapeutic potential of art. Following the words of the late Paolo Knill, he wishes to champion the “aesthetic over the anesthetic.”

Cholo’s creative practice falls in the realm of theatre and music. He has acted, produced, directed, and designed sound and music for both live and online performances. He is an avid music lover, spending his time playing, producing, or simply listening to music. He is one of the moderators and artistic directors of *Teatro Baguntao*, a student theatre group in the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School, and is a part of various community-oriented artist collectives (including Jungle Gym).

Cholo is currently completing his MA in Counseling Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he also interns as a trainee counselor and psychological first responder. He holds an undergraduate psychology degree and a Loyola Schools Award for the Arts in Theatre Arts (Performance) from the same university.

A beginner skateboarder in real life, and a veteran Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater player, Cholo lives by the saying, “skate *everything*.” He is based in Metro Manila, Philippines.

Kirby is a performance-maker and storyteller with a stark fascination towards participatory work and multi/anti-disciplinary research. They channel the erratic and explosive energy of play and stay always inquisitive when it comes to discovering and exploring new modes of making. Their creative practice revolves around various creative disciplines, channeling their desire to become a multi-hyphenated artist and storyteller.

They have worked with institutions like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Department of Education, The Japan Foundation, Manila, Department of Disaster Risk Reduction Management Services, on projects that range between artistic management, cultural education, artistic research, and performance-making.

They’re currently as a copywriter for an award-winning ad agency.

Kirby’s currently pursuing writing, music, and graphics design. They dream of building their own clothing brand and record label in the years to come.

Maia is a performer and cultural worker who advocates for the rights of women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and victim-survivors of sexual violence. With roots in musical theater, world music, and choral music, Maia weaves past performance practice into current workshop facilitation and learning experience design – thus pursuing the arts for community development and social justice.

Maia’s notable past works include “Daluyong ng Diwa” at Expo 2020 Dubai, “Mabining Mandirigma” with Tanghalang Pilipino, and psychological first aid provision for post-earthquake survivors through DepEd-DRRMS. Aside from being a Jungle Gym pioneer, Maia is also a lead vocalist for the power world music band Anima Tierra, and an artistic team member for the Kilyawan Consortium of Voices Children’s Choir.

Maia rehabilitates what remains of their inner child by attending therapy, painting weird things, and feeding maya birds in their backyard.