Karne: A Darkly Delicious Feast from FEU Theater Guild’s 91st Season

A darkly delicious twist on Roald Dahl’s classic, staged with Filipino classics: laughter and Adobo

This year, the Far Eastern University Theater Guild (FTG) is serving something bold, flavorful, and impossible to forget. Now on its 91st season, FTG presents Karne—an interactive dark comedy written and directed by Dudz Teraña, Senior Artist-Teacher of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and FTG’s artistic director.

Step into the aromatic, simmering home of a 1980s Filipino couple, where every look hides a secret, every silence is heavy, and the kitchen’s simmering pots hold more than just stew. Karne invites you to pull up a chair to a feast where humor, tension, and mystery blend in perfect, if unsettling, harmony.

A Filipino Twist on a Classic
Inspired by Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter, Karne moves the action to Lubotan, Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental in 1980, infusing the story with the textures, rhythms, and flavors of rural Filipino life. It’s absurd yet sincere, light yet laced with dread—a genre-bending mix of comedy, mystery, and intimate social commentary.

Full cast

Seamlessly blending Bisaya, Tagalog, and English, the play creates a living, breathing household you can almost smell and hear. “This play holds up a mirror to the lived realities of an individual, grounding itself in raw humanness,” says director Dudz Teraña. “It offers a more layered and flavorful approach to staging—bold in form, grounded in truth, and unapologetically relevant. Karne is not just something to look forward to; it’s an experience that lingers.”

What’s Cooking?
At the heart of the story is Mary and Police Captain Patrick Patrosa, a seemingly ordinary couple whose quiet evening at home begins to unravel—turning a simple dinner into a tangled reflection on love, expectations, and the fragile connections holding their lives and their community together.

Mary is portrayed by Maria Mayano (IAS’26), with Julia Nicole Ramas (FIT’26) and Janae Dionisio (IAS’28) alternating the role. Patrick is brought to life by RB Pascua (IAS’25), Aaron Bayani (IAS’25), and Arvin Javier (IAS’28).

The couple is joined by a colorful ensemble of friends, neighbors, and colleagues:
Dante – Jonas Cunanan (IAS’25), Renz Dotillos (IAS’26), Jharelle Villalobos (IAS’27)
Ellen – Dianne Andallo (IAS’26), Maria Ysabelle Delos Reyes (IAS’27)
Maloi – Bjorn Pestaño (IAS’26), Margarita Barrameda (IAS’26), Sheila Peralta (IABF’26)
Police Lt. Elnar – Arvin Javier (IAS’28), Shawn Tarala (IAS’27)
Patrolman Enopia – Kristian Samson (IAS’26), Justin Abalos (IAS’28)
Patrolman Credo – Dave Bambang (IARFA’29), Kirstan Orbegoso (IAS’27)
Mrs. Poblacion – Cassandra Herilla (IAS’27), Irish Oliveros (IAS’28), Trisha Tan (IAS’28)
Estong/Estang – Lorenze Moral (IAS’26), Nash Desonyo (FIT’28), Heleina Li (IAS’26)
Samuel, the market vendor – Julian Anabo (IAS’26), Migi Mesina (IAS’27)

Show Dates & Venue:
📍 FEU Center for the Arts Studio

Performance Schedule
September: 11–13, 18–20, 25–27
October: 2–4, 9–11, 16–18, 23–25, 30
November: 6–8
House Opens – 6:00 PM | Show Starts – 6:30 PM

Ticket Prices
₱200 – Students from outside FEU Manila
₱500 – Regular Guests
₱700 – VIP

Connect with FEU Theater Guild
Facebook: Far Eastern University Theater Guild
Instagram & TikTok: @feutheaterguildofficial
Twitter/X: @ftg1934

Whether you come for the laughs, the suspense, or the rich slice of 1980s Filipino life, Karne promises a meal—and a memory—you’ll carry long after the curtain falls.

Read More

“WONKA” to be released December 6, an early Christmas treat for Philippine fans

Step into a world of pure imagination, and get ready for an early Christmas present!

The release date for the much-anticipated “Wonka,” starring Timothée Chalamet as the beloved chocolate-maker, has been moved up to December 6 (formerly January 2024 yet) in international markets, including the Philippines. Thus, Filipino fans will be among the first to watch the film, which will be released locally one week ahead of the U.S. Watch the new trailer here:

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today. “Wonka” is an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

Directed by Paul King, with a screenplay he co-wrote with Simon Farnaby. Produced by David Heyman, Alexandra Derbyshire and Luke Kelly.

Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane (“The Day Shall Come”), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key (“The Prom,” “Schmigadoon”), Paterson Joseph (“Vigil,” “Noughts + Crosses”), Matt Lucas (“Paddington,” “Little Britain”), Mathew Baynton (“The Wrong Mans,” “Ghosts”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water,” the “Paddington” films, “Spencer”), Rowan Atkinson (the “Johnny English” and “Mr. Bean” films, “Love Actually”), Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”). The film also stars Natasha Rothwell (“White Lotus,” “Insecure”), Rich Fulcher (“Marriage Story,” “Disenchantment”), Rakhee Thakrar (“Sex Education,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Tom Davis (“Paddington 2,” “King Gary”) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (“Paddington 2,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Mary Poppins Returns”).

In cinemas December 6, “Wonka” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company.

Read More