Established in 1976 by National Artist for Theatre Tony Mabesa, Dulaang UP is the production arm of UP's Speech Communication and Theatre Arts Programs. Our legacy lies in our history of staging Filipino masterpieces and world classics for Philippine audiences. Our theater isn't just a venue; it's a vibrant gathering place where diverse artists, enthusiasts, and audiences converge.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ
๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
Dulaang UP provides critical and innovative performances to a diverse audience. Our mission is to develop a dynamic, inclusive community where silenced voices are heard and stories of truth are told. We believe that theater should reflect and resonate with the diverse experiences of our Filipino audiences. At Dulaang UP, we see theatre as art and social practice through performances dedicated to questioning and challenging boundaries of theatremaking.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ
We are a training ground for young talent, and a venue for new and published works. Our theater is a mentoring space where collaboration and critical thinking thrive. In our commitment to nurturing students as artist-leaders, we collaborate to bridge artists and audiences, and the academe and the industry.
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Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (Dulaang UP or DUP) is known for staging masterpieces of Philippine and world theatre to a Philippine audience. Founded in 1976 by National Artist Tony Mabesa, Dulaang UP supports the Universityโs academic theatre programs in the undergraduate and graduate levels, and works alongside the UP Playwrightsโ Theatre (UPPT) and UP Dulaang Laboratoryo (Dulaang Lab). UP Playwrightsโ Theatre was also established by Tony Mabesa in 1986 to showcase original Filipino plays, while UP Dulaang Laboratoryo focuses on student thesis productions and special projects, supervised by the theater faculty of the University of the Philippines. DUP has been directed by notable figures including Tony Mabesa, Josรฉ Estrella, Dexter Santos, and Banaue Miclat-Janssen. Its first season in 1976-1977 featured works such as Shakespeareโs Much Ado About Nothing and Amelia Lapeรฑa-Bonifacioโs Ang Bundok. The company has staged over 180 plays, including adaptations of Shakespeare, Brecht, Ibsen, Chekhov, Moliere, Wilde, Williams, Miller, Lorca and Strindberg, alongside original Filipino works by National Artists Nick Joaquin and Wilfrido Ma. Other homegrown writers whose works have been staged by DUP include Severino Montano, Anton Juan, Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio, Rene Villanueva, Butch Dalisay, Floy Quintos, and Chris Millado. DUP has been recognized for its excellence by various institutions, including the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), and the Philippine LEAF Awards. Notable alumni and collaborators include Shamaine Buencamino, Eugene Domingo, Irma Adlawan, Dennis Marasigan, Candy Pangilinan, Mario OโHara, Chito Roรฑo, Joel Lamangan, Pen Medina, Loren Legarda, Malou de Guzman, Ces Quesada, Romnick Sarmenta, and National Artists Ishmael Bernal, Rolando Tinio, and Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio. Much more veritable artists of the Philippine entertainment industry have performed in Dulaang UPโs performance spaces in the University which include the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theatre, Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, and the IBG-KAL Theater. The artistic and administrative aspects of Dulaang UP are managed by full-time faculty members and staff of the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts.
