The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) has launched the first live theatrical installment of its satirical film franchise with “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sht! It’s Live sa Cheter!”, which runs until August 16 at the PETA Theater Center in New Manila, Quezon City.
The production extends the franchise’s longstanding exploration of art-making and its contradictions, translating its film universe into a stage work built on layered storytelling, satire and self-reflexive humor. It retains the series’ established tone of exaggeration and absurdity while turning its attention to the processes and disorder of theatrical production.
At its core is a play-within-a-play: a staged adaptation of Aurelio Tolentino’s “Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas,” first performed in 1903 and regarded as a landmark in Philippine theater history. In this reinterpretation, the historical text is reframed within the heightened world of the “Septic Tank” franchise, where artistic ambition, celebrity culture and political themes intersect.
The narrative follows Eugene Domingo, who assembles the “Ugeng-gengs,” a group of aspiring performers she personally recruits, and brings together a disparate creative team to mount the production. As the staging develops, her attempts to maintain control over an increasingly unwieldy project become a central source of tension and comedy.
Playwright Chris Martinez said the work deliberately avoids fixed conclusions about its themes. “The play doesn’t try to resolve that. It just puts it onstage,” he said, describing it as an invitation for audiences to engage rather than settle on answers.
The production continues the franchise’s established approach of examining creative industries through satire. Earlier installments focused on independent filmmaking, commercial cinema and historical representation. This fourth chapter extends that lens to the theater world, reflecting on performance, process and audience complicity.
Director of the first three films in the series, Marlon Rivera, who also appears in the production, underscored its central provocation: “Once the tyrant is expelled and the star is covered in shit, does the audience walk out clean, or are they left holding the ticket stubs of their own complicity?”
Besides Domingo, the production also features Melvin Lee, Andoy Ranay, Meann Espinosa, JC Santos, Stella Cañete-Mendoza and Joshua Lim So, alongside Marlon Rivera. The “Ugeng-gengs” ensemble includes Ron Alfonso, Kiki Baento, Roi Calilong, Jay Cortez, Nyla Festejo, James Lanante, Carlon Matobato, Eli Namoc, Reggie Ondevilla, Air Paz and Ada Tayao.
Early demand has translated into strong ticket sales, with the production reporting two sold-out weeks and several performances fully booked across its run.
“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sht! It’s Live sa Cheter!” runs until August 16, 2026 at the PETA Theater Center. Tickets are available via TicketWorld and Showbuyers.