Following a string of staging blockbuster hits, 9 Works Theatrical is stripping back the curtains and returning to the raw, evocative power of the stage.

9 Works proudly presents "YEMAYA," a Filipino translation of the acclaimed play Yemaya’s Belly by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes. Written by the same visionary behind the Tony Award-winning In The Heights, and with translation by Eljay Castro Deldoc, YEMAYA brings Hudes’ signature lyrical prose to this coming-of-age odyssey. 

Leading the production in his highly anticipated directorial comeback is Ed Lacson Jr., one of the most celebrated names in Philippine theater design and direction. Yemaya follows a young boy’s epic journey as he traverses the lands and seas in search for his true place in the world. What starts as a wondering of “what if” turns into an adventure of “what could be” in this fantasy-ridden tale of perseverance, hope, and the restless pull of the tides.

Deldoc’s Filipino translation of the material bridges the gap between Hudes' vibrant Latin American roots and the shared archipelago experiences of the Philippines, bringing the story closer to the realities of Filipinos. 

YEMAYA is coming this June 2026 at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell Makati. 

Tickets and full cast announcements will be released soon.

Follow 9 Works Theatrical on Facebook and Instagram at @9WorksTheatrical and on Twitter/X at @9WorksOfficial. 

#Yemaya9wtMNL