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Tipsy Tales: Portal to Pinoy Folklore

Kara Santos

Have you ever wanted to step into a Fairy Tale storybook or enter the hidden realm of mythical creatures? How would you react if you came face to face with a dwende or a kapre? You can do that in Tipsy Tales, an immersive theatre featuring tales from Philippine folklore right in the comforts of Eastwood Mall in Quezon City.

Lambana (an allusion to nature spirits) is the first production of Tipsy Tales, a company that produces fully immersive theatrical experiences, the first of its kind in the Philippines. Unlike typical theatre shows, you’re not just part of an audience, but become the main character who interacts with unusual creatures. Each character has their own backstory and will either aid you or lead you astray as the story unfolds.

Additional character photos courtesy of Tipsy Tales

Aside from the engaging nature of the show, what makes the whole production unique is that it puts the spotlight on creatures from Philippine mythology and folklore. While most people are familiar with vampires, witches, and Hollywood movie monsters, not many are familiar with the mythical creatures from different regions of the Philippines like the dwende, sirena, nuno, kapre, tikbalang, manananggal and more.

Lambana is kind of like a real-life version of those “Choose your own adventure” type books with a few escape room elements thrown in. However, there’s less puzzle-solving and more focus is given to the storyline and interaction with live actors who improvise their dialogue based on how you respond. You can be a hero or villain in the tale. You’ll be faced with decisions that ultimately affect your fate.

If you’ve ever played episodic adventure video games like Telltale’s The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, Lambana is like that in real life. It’s also been compared by some media outfits to “Bandersnatch” (from the Netflix film Black Mirror), an interactive film where viewers make decisions that affect the storyline.

Things to know

Every show of Lambana runs for 75 minutes and has fixed timeslots throughout the day. You need to arrive 15 minutes before your allotted time and will not be able to join your group if you arrive late. The story has different variations each time it runs to avoid giving repeat-audiences the same experience. Since it’s an interactive show, you will be walking around various rooms.

Each room has customized scents and sounds for optimal audience immersion. I appreciated the Filipino details and costumes of the characters. The performance is tailored to the audience and the characters will profile you based on how you interact with them. All you need to do is get into character yourself and engage with them!

It feels very personalized because the characters actually address you by name. I even spotted a certificate displayed in one of the main rooms that actually had my name printed on it. Your group may get divided so you encounter different creatures in different scenarios. The ending of the story also varies depending on how you interact with the mythical creatures and your decisions throughout the show!

I’ve been to a lot of immersive museums in the metro, broken out of escape rooms and walked through horror house attractions, but I have to say that Tipsy Tales offers a trippy and unique otherworldly experience.

What to bring

So that you can fully immerse and won’t be distracted during the show, you will be asked to leave your bags, phones, and cameras in lockers in the waiting room. You can not take photos and videos of the actual experience. You’ll be allowed to take photos in the waiting room before and after the show.

Who should try it?

The show was created to introduce Philippine folklore and culture to Filipinos, expats based in Manila and international tourists. Visitors can choose the language they want the actors to speak in (English or Filipino) and their preference for the storyline (regular or scary). The intimate experience is ideal for small groups, with a maximum size of 15. You may be grouped with other people in your chosen time slot.

It’s a unique experience for those interested in Philippine mythology or those who like Dungeons & Dragons / role-playing type games looking for something new to do in the metro. It’s also an option for barkadas looking for a novelty experience for special occasions.

Thanks to Sab and Liza for the company!

It could also be an option for school field trips and a way for parents to introduce their kids (12 yrs old and above only) to stories of Philippine folklore. Special child-friendly shows (for those under 12 yrs old) may be arranged by request.

Seniors and guests with disabilities are entitled to free support during the show. While the experience is not fully wheelchair accessible, they will be arranging special events for people with disabilities throughout the year.

Rates & Special Promos

Salamangka & Engkanto Beer

This isn’t part of Tipsy Tales, but in keeping with the theme of Philippine folklore and Halloween, we also checked out Salamangka, a bar in Eastwood that specializes in coffee, cocktails and craft beer on tap. The bar’s design uses modernized elements from Philippine folklore including a mural of a balete tree and graphic artwork of mythical creatures.

Salamangka serves Engkanto craft beer and has a few homemade cocktails named after creatures like the aswang, manananggal, aswang, tiktik and more. It’s a nice place to get tipsy for real after your Tipsy Tales experience.

Address & Contact information

Tipsy Tales Immersive Theatre can be found on the 4/F of Eastwood Mall in Quezon City, near the Cinema Section. Shows run daily at 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:30 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm.

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