First Date Stories Brings Real Dating Tales to the Stage in Quezon City
Last Updated on October 13, 2026 by Don Werner Salas
The October 17 show combines audience-submitted stories with music, spoken word, theatre and improv at UP Diliman.
First Date Stories in Quezon City turns real dating memories into a two-hour stage show at the David M. Consunji Theater on October 17. Instead of following a single scripted romance, the program draws on true stories submitted by audience members, then hands them to musicians, spoken-word artists, actors and improvisers.
Audience Stories Become The Evening’s Script
Love stories tend to change depending on who tells them. First Date Stories makes that gap part of the program: awkward first meetings, relationships that lasted, dating disasters and heartbreak can all become material for the performers.
The project comes from Nobela Collective by Astrolikha, a multidisciplinary creative community for writers, poets, playwrights and performers. The group says the October event is designed as a platform for emerging artists in Metro Manila and South Luzon, with proceeds supporting future creative projects.
Four Performance Styles Share One Stage
Issa Villaverde will host the evening. Presh Capistrano handles the live music, while The South Spoken Collective brings spoken word and storytelling. The Playbook Club will stage theatre pieces, and Hausmates Improv rounds out the lineup with unscripted scenes.
That format gives each submitted story a different route to the audience. One memory might land as a monologue; another could be reshaped through music or an improvised scene. The official event listing describes the show as a mix of music, storytelling, theatre and improv rather than a conventional play.
For readers following recent stage work in Quezon City, Over Here Manila also covered Ballet Manila’s Ibong Adarna at Ateneo, another production that used performance to recast a familiar Filipino story.
Tickets, Schedule And Venue
First Date Stories is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the David M. Consunji Theater, Institute of Civil Engineering, T.H. Pardo de Tavera Street, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
Ticket tiers listed by the organizer are:
- Regular: ₱800
- VIP: ₱1,200, including reserved seating and a meet-and-greet
- Walk-in: ₱1,000
Advance reservations are available through the First Date Stories ticket form. The public event page lists prices starting at ₱800; ticket availability and walk-in capacity may change, so guests should confirm before travelling to the venue.
A Small-Stage Showcase For Emerging Performers
Nobela Collective describes itself as a space where writers and stage artists can test work, meet collaborators and build an audience. First Date Stories follows that model by using personal accounts as the starting point and sharing the stage across several emerging performance groups.
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