1st MSTR Awards recognizes excellence in theater
The Manila Society of Theater Reviewers (MSTR) recently announced the winners of the 1st MSTR Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in theater across Metro Manila for productions presented in 2025. Quomodo Desolata Es? Isang Dalamhati, a contemporary adaptation of Nick Joaquin’s classic A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, won Best Production of a Play and garnered three other awards, including Best Achievement in Design for its sets, costumes, lighting, and movement. Best Production of a Musical was given to Si Faust, a rock opera based on the Goethe classic and the music of Wolfgang.
For the Emerging Talent Award, Benedix Ramos was singled out for his performances in Bar Boys: The Musical, Dagitab, and Next to Normal. GA Fallarme and George De Jesus, who both passed on last year, were honored for their Outstanding Contribution to Theater.
Founded in 2025, MSTR was organized to promote, support, and celebrate the theater industry of Metro Manila. Composed of regular reviewers writing across print and online platforms, the Society fulfills its mission through consistent, publicly accessible theater reviews and through the presentation of annual awards honoring the year’s outstanding theatrical work. Furthermore, MSTR seeks to cultivate and elevate discourse on theater among industry practitioners, journalists, academics, and the general theatergoing public.
With the theater community thriving, MSTR founder Nikki Francisco saw how “meaningful engagement requires a reliable and diverse critical voice,” thus prompting the creation of the Society “to help ensure that productions, artists, and companies shaping our cultural life are met with thoughtful reviews that treat this art form with rigor, respect, and perspective.” She believes that “a strong culture of criticism also empowers audiences, helping them to navigate an increasingly busy season, understand intentions behind the work, and engage more deeply with what they’re seeing.”
Co-founder and convenor Vincen Gregory Yu adds that Manila’s theater ecosystem “is not just a phenomenon of the ‘now‘; it’s also a history in the making, one show at a time. We hope to contribute to a more robust public conversation—one where reviews and analyses are seen not as gatekeeping, but as forms of care for the art and the people who make it.”
Sixty-six eligible productions were considered for the awards, based on the following MSTR criteria: fully staged theatrical works developed, created, and premiered in the Philippines, including productions by professional companies, campus-based or student-led organizations, and thesis performances. These works must have been seen by a minimum of three voting members.
The winners of the 1st MSTR Awards were chosen by the following voting members: Vladimir Bunoan (ABS-CBN News Online), Gibbs Cadiz (Philippine Daily Inquirer), Christa De La Cruz (Esquire Philippines), Nikki Francisco (TheaterFansManila.com), Arturo Hilado (Independent), Emil Hofileña (TheaterFansManila.com/Independent), Ricky Toledo (The Philippine STAR), Chito Vijandre (The Philippine STAR), and Vincen Gregory Yu (The Diarist/Independent).
In addition to winners, the society also recognized honorable mentions in all categories, reflecting the depth and competitiveness of the year’s theatrical output. Here’s the list of winners:
Best Achievement in Design
D Cortezano (set), Ali Figueroa (costumes), Jethro Nibaten (lighting), and Ronelson Yadao (movement) – Quomodo Desolata Es? Isang Dalamhati
Emerging Talent Award
Benedix Ramos (performance), Bar Boys: The Musical, Dagitab, and Next to Normal
Best Featured Performance in a Musical
Marvin Ong, Side Show
Best Featured Performance in a Play
Benedix Ramos, Dagitab
Best Lead Performance in a Musical
Maita Ponce, Si Faust
Best Lead Performance in a Play
Jojit Lorenzo, 3 Upuan
Best Director
Guelan Varela-Luarca, 3 Upuan and Quomodo Desolata Es? Isang Dalamhati
Outstanding Contribution to the Theater
GA Fallarme
George De Jesus III
Best New Filipino Work
Quomodo Desolata Es? Isang Dalamhati – translation by Jerry Respeto and adapted by Guelan Varela-Luarca
Best Production of a Musical
Si Faust – produced by Arete Ateneo and directed by Nelsito Gomez
Best Production of a Play
Quomodo Desolata Es? Isang Dalamhati – produced by Arete Ateneo and directed by Guelan Varela-Luarca
For information on the Manila Society of Theater Reviewers and the MSTR Awards, visit mstrawards.com or follow @mstrawards on Facebook and Instagram.
