PETA marks theater comeback with Batang Rizal

After Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) big digital breakthrough during the pandemic: a string of successful online show streams and virtual workshops, the pioneering Filipino theater company is making a big theater comeback for its 55th Theater Season! 

The return to the theater features no less than a PETA classic, Christine Bellen’s Batang Rizal! First to launch online via streaming from October 14-16, the well-loved musical will be the first show to open PETA’s theater stage in November.

Co-written, directed for stage, and choreographed by Dudz Teraña, with musical direction, arrangement, and composition by Vincent de Jesus, Batang Rizal is a remarkable piece because of its ability to resonate with audiences across generations. Its power rests in its simplicity and relatability, while carrying a deep challenge for audiences to become everyday heroes.  

Even after a decade and a half, the magic of Batang Rizal has not wavered. PETA artistic director, and Batang Rizal video director, Maribel Legarda, says that one of the most powerful aspects of the show is “how Rizal’s story is told not through the eyes of an adult but that of a child’s.”