Featured image courtesy of Porvenir.
MANILA, Philippines — Following its acclaimed initial success, this month, Porvenir revisits Tennessee Williams‘ “Summer and Smoke” and brings, “El Fuego del Alma” (The Fire of the Soul), a full intimate found-space production adapted by playwright Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by Mark Mirando.
Previously presented as a staged reading at Sine Pop in Cubao, the production reimagines Williams’ 1948 play within a provincial Philippine setting, exploring questions of desire, faith, repression, and longing through a distinctly Filipino lens.
Pictured on scene featuring Alma Ortega. Background images: Characters of Juanito and Rosa. Image courtesy of Porvenir.
At the center of the story is Alma Ortega, a woman whose spiritual convictions and emotional desires pull her in opposite directions. Raised within a world of propriety and expectation, Alma struggles to reconcile the life she believes she should live with the life she secretly longs for.
For Deldoc, the goal was never to reproduce the American South. He writes in a press statement, “Our goal was never to imitate Tennessee Williams.”
“We wanted to discover what remained when the story was placed inside a Filipino context.”
The adaptation asks whether the emotional distances explored by Williams are universal. The conflict between duty and desire, faith and intimacy, silence and expression are questions that continue to resonate in Filipino families and communities.
“We wanted to create a version of this story that feels close to home,” says director Mark Mirando. “Alma’s longing, her restraint, and her search for connection feel deeply Filipino.”
(Center) Sandino Martin as Juanito. Image courtesy of Porvenir.
The project’s journey saw a gradual evolution. Initially developed under the title “Alab at Usok“, the work evolved through workshops, revisions, and conversations before emerging as “El Fuego del Alma“. Earlier this year, the staged reading received strong responses from audiences and members of the theater community, calling it “a signal exemplar of evocative psychological theater.”
The July 2026 run marks the project’s first full staging. The intimate found-space production transforms Sine Pop into a shared theatrical environment where audiences sit close to the performers. The stripped-down approach emphasizes human relationships, emotional immediacy, and the quiet tensions that drive the play.
The role of Alma Ortega is shared by Nour Hooshmand, Harriette Mozelle, and Opaline Santos. Acclaimed screen and theater actor Sandino Martin alternates with Vincent Pajara as Juanito.
The production also features Madeleine Nicolas, Rolando Inocencio, Sheryll Ceasico, JP Lopez, Janna Cortes, Ingrid Joyce, Johnny Maglinao, and Tristan Bite.
Madlen Nicolas as Mrs. Ortega. Image courtesy of Porvenir.
For Porvenir, the production continues the company’s commitment to reimagining classic works for contemporary Filipino audiences while creating space for new voices and independent theater practice.
“Williams wrote about people who struggle to say what they truly want,” says Mirando. “Many Filipinos understand that experience. That emotional distance, that hesitation, that longing. We wanted to place those feelings inside our own language, our own communities, and our own histories.”
Official poster courtesy of Porvenir.
“El Fuego del Alma” runs July 17–19, July 31, August 1–2, and August 21–23 at Sine Pop, Cubao, Quezon City.
Friday performances are at 7:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday performances are at 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
Tickets are priced at ₱1,800 and are available through Ticket2Me.
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