The Sandbox Collective mounts a strictly limited staged reading of Duncan Macmillan’s acclaimed People, Places, and Things on August 15 and 16, 2026, featuring Bela Padilla and Gabby Padilla alternating in the lead role.
This August, The Sandbox Collective presents a strictly limited staged reading of Duncan Macmillan’s People, Places, and Things, an unflinching portrait of addiction, recovery, and the fragile search for identity. Running for four performances only on August 15 and 16, 2026 at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati, the production is directed by Sandbox Artistic Director Sab Jose. Bela Padilla and Gabby Padilla alternate in the lead role of Emma, a successful actress whose carefully constructed life begins to unravel as she enters rehabilitation.
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About The Play By Duncan Macmillan
First staged at London’s National Theatre in 2015, People, Places, and Things has become one of the most celebrated plays of the last decade, praised for its compassionate yet unsparing examination of addiction and healing. Through Emma’s journey, Duncan Macmillan asks difficult questions about performance, memory, truth, and what it really means to recover when the lines between identity and self-deception begin to blur.
Joining Bela and Gabby Padilla is an accomplished ensemble that includes Jake Cuenca as Mark, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Audie Gemora, Robbie Guevara, Reb Atadero, Brian Sy, Mariella Laurel, Pamela Imperial, Miel Abong, and Salve Villarosa van Schoonhoven.
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Why The Staged Reading By The Sandbox Collective Is Worth Seeing Now
The Sandbox Collective has built a reputation for championing contemporary works that challenge audiences as much as they move them. Following Spring Awakening earlier this year, the company continues that commitment with a play that confronts addiction not through easy answers, but with honesty, empathy, and emotional precision.
Presented as a staged reading, the production places the focus squarely on Macmillan’s writing and the performances—allowing one of contemporary theater’s most powerful scripts to take center stage.
The Sandbox Collective’s staged reading of People, Places, and Things runs at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Makati on August 15–16, 2026, with four performances only. For more information, visit www.thesandboxco.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
People, Places, and Things is Duncan Macmillan’s acclaimed contemporary play about addiction, recovery, and the search for truth and identity. It follows Emma, a successful actress whose carefully constructed life unravels as she enters rehabilitation and confronts memory, addiction, and the difficult process of healing.
The Sandbox Collective’s staged reading of People, Places, and Things runs on August 15–16, 2026 at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Makati, with four performances only.
Bela Padilla and Gabby Padilla alternate in the lead role of Emma. They are joined by Jake Cuenca, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Audie Gemora, Robbie Guevara, Reb Atadero, Brian Sy, Mariella Laurel, Pamela Imperial, Miel Abong, and Salve Villarosa van Schoonhoven.
The Philippine staged reading of People, Places, and Things is directed by Sab Jose, Artistic Director of The Sandbox Collective, continuing the company’s commitment to presenting contemporary plays that spark meaningful conversations.
The Sandbox Collective has announced that ticket details for People, Places, and Things will be released soon. Audiences can follow The Sandbox Collective’s official social media channels or visit www.thesandboxco.com for updates.
