MANILA -- Young actors from television and film who are introduced to acting for theater isn’t new these days. Given the very low pay and physically, emotionally draining rehearsals, what’s rare is if these entertainment celebrities would stay and love doing stage plays and musicals.

In recent years, to be specific, there’s Kapamilya star Jake Cuenca, who aside from doing soaps and films challenged himself to act for Sandbox Collective and 9 Works Theatricals local adaptation of “Lungs. He won an award for it.

There’s Aicelle Santos who for many years did the lead role for the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s massive hit, the original musical “Rak of Aegis” and eventually going international with “Miss Saigon.”

This list of TV-film to theater actors goes on with the likes of Rachelle Ann Go, Gerald Santos, Christian Bautista, Erik Santos, Mark Bautista, among others.

Now from the new generation of young celebrities making a mark in the industry, here comes the hot love team of KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad, popularly known as KDLex.

A few weeks ago, PETA announced that the two will headline its comeback production, “Walang Aray,” a musical adaptation by Rody Vera of Severino “Lola Basyang” Reyes’ zarzuela “Walang Sugat”.

• Alexa Ilacad, KD Estrada to star in PETA’s musical farce ‘Walang Aray’

“Walang Aray” is a farce that follows the same storyline as “Walang Sugat”. Though the set and costume designs are from the Spanish period, the dialogues use modern-day language.

It is about young lovers Tenyong and Julia. Tenyong is an idealistic youth who chooses to join the armed revolutionary movement. Julia’s mother decides she should marry instead the rich spoiled kid Miguel. Because there’s no word coming from Tenyong, she decides to go on with her mother’s plan. On their wedding day, the injured Tenyong shows up and begs Julia to marry him instead. As it turns out, Tenyong isn’t wounded after all, and the crowd exclaims the title of the musical.

KD Estrada will play the male lead Tenyong, while Alexa Ilacad will play Julia, alternating with theater artists Gio Gahol and Marynor Madamesila.

Melvin Lee, long-time resident actor-director of PETA, said the KDLex was the best choice for the roles.

“One requirement because it’s been a three-year-hiatus is to reach the audience that PETA hasn’t tapped. We thought why not cast mainstream actors? Based on the research of our marketing team, ang sumusundot na malakas ay sina KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad. So, we just took our chance,” Lee said.

He recounted how he got the contact number of Lauren Dyogi, head of Star Magic, through theater-TV director Andoy Ranay.

“We had a meeting with management of Star Magic and presented the whole project. After a week, nagmuni-muni, then ayun, join na. We just took our chance,” Lee said.

They’ve started rehearsing and Estrada and Ilacad loved the dynamics inside the theater.

“First day pa lang, they were so warm and welcoming sa amin, we immediately felt we belong,” Ilacad said.

• Why Alexa Ilacad was initially hesitant to do PETA'S 'Walang Aray'

“I discovered how much I want to do this,” said Estrada when asked what he discovered when he accepted the role.

“That’s all my answer to this. I realized how much I want to be a theater actor,” Estrada added, earning an applause from the audience composed of media people, theater actors, directors, playwrights and other stake holders.

For Ilacad, she said more than discovery, “it’s more realization how I have to stop fear take over my life, and take away opportunities from me because I am afraid. This has been a big challenge accepted.”

She recounted at first, she was very nervous and there’s crippling fear. She imagined she’d mess it all up. She asked for a sign and one day, she saw a post on Instagram about conquering fear.

“If there’s one thing stopping you is fear, why don’t you go and get it,” she said, quoting the post. “I realized it’s time to challenge myself. Am scared, but after a few days of rehearsals, I’ve been enjoying my time working with these people [PETA actors]. They are people who inspire me.”

Reviving an ‘outdated’ zarzuela

The partnership is not only limited with Star Magic and PETA. Earlier in the picture, there was Jun Reyes and his creative content company Indie.Go Media. Reyes is also the great-grandson and creative heir of Severino, the author the 1898 zarzuela “Walang Sugat,” on which “Walang Aray” was based.

Categorically asked what would his great-grandfather feel if he were alive and saw the excerpt, Reyes said Severino will be amazed.

“[This] retelling of the story with the creative [team from PETA] is more relevant. It’s history retold in fresh way. [Severino] will be very happy having a fresh idea for the classic ‘Walang Sugat’,” Reyes added.

Rody Vera recounted the original idea came from Reyes himself.

“It was around 2007 or 2008, Jun wanted to make a film adaptation of ‘Walang Sugat’. It all started from there. Hindi naka-angkla. It was just a tongue-and-cheek story. Sadly, hindi natuloy,” Vera said.

“It was only in 2018 noong binigay ko kay Maribel [Legarda] 'yung script. For 10 years, nasa loob ng folder sa computer. So, thank you to PETA for bringing it to life.”

Legarda is the artistic director of PETA. From the screenplay, Vera did a re-write for the stage adaptation.

The original plan for the film was a jukebox musical using select songs from established musicians like the Eraserheads, APO Hiking Society, among others. Upon reading the script, Legarda wanted to use original songs instead of OPM hits.

“Initially I was a bit reluctant because some of the scenes in the screenplay were written with the chosen OPM song in mind,” Vera said.

One major factor considered was the high cost of royalties to be paid to the music publishers. “Pucha, ang mahal nga,” Vera said, laughing.

Enter Vince Lim who was asked to compose the original songs and do the musical direction.

Vera and Legarda liked what they heard and the rest is history.

“Walang Aray” was first performed during a PETA Laboratory session in 2018 with only a few scenes under the direction of Ian Segarra with original music and musical direction by Lim. When it was staged again in 2019, it was the whole play though still raw and rough. It earned positive response from audiences and select group of invited theater critics.

“When we staged it for the first time, we had a very, very low budget. No props. We just used boxes but the audience loved it. It clicked,” Segarra said.

The “long excerpt” that was shown on Monday covered Act 1 and it had a 10-minute break because of the length. It has earned rave reviews and positive feedback from critics and fellow theater actors.

Some say it’s the perfect comeback production for PETA after its three-year-long hiatus from doing live shows. Many agree it could be the next big hit musical after “Rak of Aegis,” “Care Divas” and “A Game of Trolls.”

On getting popular celebrity actors like Estrada and Ilacad, Legarda said the tradition began in the mid-1970s when the future National Artist for Film Lino Brocka was PETA's executive director.

Legarda said, “Lino always felt it’s good for film actors to come and do theater because their experience of the theater will improve their craft as performers, and at the same time, their give back, is that they lend their celebrity to help theater become more popular to new audiences.”

Star Magic's Dyogi, said in another statement: “We are thankful to PETA for this partnership. We know this experience will help our artists, Alexa and KD, in their craft. This joint venture will surely be fruitful not only for PETA and Star Magic, but also for the entire industry, and most importantly for the artists who are part of the production.”

Other cast members are PETA artists Jarred Jaicten, Kiki Baento, Carlon Matobato, Gie Onida, Norbs Portales, Neomi Gonzales, John Moran, Tom Bienvenida, Donn Boco, Gerard Dy, Yeyin Dela Cruz, Ada Tayao, and Ayla Garcia, with Gardo Exconde and Csai Habla as the swings.

Besides Segarra and Lim, there’s Happy Constantino as sound designer, Gahol as choreographer, Julio Garcia as production designer and Ayla Garcia as voice coach. They are joined by guest artists, David Esguerra for lighting design and JayLo Cunanan as costume designer.

“Walang Aray” will have 40 shows from February 17 to May 14 at the PETA Theater Center. Leloi Arcete, media relations head of PETA, said as of now, Estrada and Ilacad will have 12 shows distributed in those three months.

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