Artistic Director

Niel de Mesa

actor, dancer, director, choreographer, instrumentalist, showhost, freestyle ice skater, production designer, composer, arranger, writer, singer, teacher, manager, marketing and pr

“PERFECT STORYTELLING!”


“His Play mirrored our own selves!”


“Niel showed a sensitivity, humor, preciseness, and innovative use of language one would expect from an artist much older.”


“His plays are personal and real…truly exceptional in terms of the arts!”


“his plays are uniquely inspiring for the work of God at hand.”


“Singularly, he is the most prolific and versatile local playwright of this/his generation.”


Multi Awarded in the field of Performing arts, Niel was given the prestigous Dean's Award for Theatre Excellence (ADMU), several Moderator's Award for Service in the Theatre Field, Supporting Roles in several plays, and was adjudged as the Most Outstanding Individual for Service and Excellence 2000 by the Dean of Ateneo. He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University AB Interdisciplinary Studies with honors. As a professional thespian he has essayed lead/major roles in plays such as: Ibsen's An Enemy of The People, Beckett's Waiting for Godot , Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice , Tinio's May Katwiran ang Katwiran , Tolentino's Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas musical , Rivera's Marisol, Duet for Bear and Dog, Waiting for Lefty , Shaeffer's Equus , The Little Mermaid and The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe musical , Karols a x'mas musical, Zarathustra is Dead, Chekhov's Proposal --most of them with Tanghalang Ateneo, Trumpets, and other theater companies. As a director he directed numerous events/launches, Children's shows, Mall shows (e.g. Little Mermaid) , one act plays and big musicals such as: Begotten Anew Musical, Lumabay-Labay musical, FAME, Philadelphia, Sierra Lakes,Tinoso, Pal, Wayside Café, The Case of the Crushed Petunias, Red Carnations, Call Me Flory, Pamamanhikan, The Eye of a Needle, Hiraya, Ala-alamat Musical, Subtext (which won Best stageplay of 2004- 24/7 Nocturnal Awards) , Tatlo-tatlo, Ferris Wheel, Impromptu, Huling Ensayo Para Sa Iyo, Sampung Minuto Bago Makaraos, Old Apologies, Over and Over, I Laugh You among others. He has also dabbled into production and costume designs for plays like Trumpets' Little Mermaid , Ionesco's Sopranong Kalbo , FAME , Twelfth Night, Desdemona, Amore, Rhythm and Motion concert , Blue Roast 99, BastAmove concert, Stages Production Specialist's Alice Xmasland, he is also a member of PATDAT, Philippine Association of Theater Designers and Technicians. He started a hand art & graphic design business—Thumbnails Studios—who did graphics for Trumpets' Joseph the Dreamer, KNB, Kilabot ng Makiling, Ang Punong Inspektor, and for ADE Dance Project, PBT, Miriam Ballet . As a dancer he attended classes with Swiss Chamber Ballet, Powerdance , and was a scholar in Julie Borromeo's Performing Arts Studio , his training enabled him to learn Tap, Flamenco, Basic Ballet, Hip-hop, Jazz, and Modern. He had also been critically acclaimed for his choreography (in the Philippine STAR and Manila Bulletin) for the Ateneo College Glee Club U.S. Tour, the MTV of Bukas Palad, the Company of Ateneo Dancers, Liturgical Dance Services, FAME the musical, Once on this Island, Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas the musical, Hiraya the musical, and Tinoso - an experimental dance play. He has taught acting and dance classes from ABS-CBN Talent Center to Trumpets Playshop to the far-flung provinces of Cebu and Ilo-ilo. As a musical arranger, he did the minus-ones and musical scoring of My Emperor's New Clothes musical, Crane Wife, Sa Dulo ng Bahaghari musical, Panaginip sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-araw, Ningning sa Silangan, Ang Punong Inspektor, Merchant of Venice as well as doing arrangement for his original musicals. He is considered as a one of the experts in children's theatre here in the Philippines, handling, directing, hosting events for kids (e.g. SM Star Club, Parties etc.) and workshops on Children's Musical Theatre for over 5 years now. He has a flair for doing shows for and by children with special needs such as Amazing SpiderMa and Pilandok. As a writer and composer he has written plays and musicals such as: How Love Came to Juan Tamad, Bakhita, Kilabot ng Makiling, Sue the Zoo, Nosibasila?!, Circus of the Sun, Babel, POP, Angels in Hell, The Crane Wife, ( all musicals )--as well as straight plays— Alyansang Alimango, Bibidabida, Bernardo Bernarda Bernardino, Lola Eling , Everything's Worse When It's Traffic, Wanted: Sort-of-a-Lady Bedspacer, Crimes of Infanticipation, Sampung Minuto Bago Makaraos, Stalled In San Salvador, The Arty Party, The Magical Shanty, God lives on K-6 th , Mine Ice, December Hints Of Mistletoe, Jesus Cries, Deus Ex Machina, Huling Ensayo Para Sa Iyo, Old Apologies and Nothing But the Truth, Nang Makauwi Na Po, Win-Win, Starring Miss Lea Salonda,Over and Over, Ayayayayaya!, Ang Durungawan, Immaturity Descending, and currently finishing What's a Rhyme for Pantomime?, Do You Still Have Language?, and Kapihan sa Lamitan. Hailed by critics as the only prolific writer of this generation, he won the first prize in the Don Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature 2002 for his play SubTEXT and for 2003, I Laugh You . He is also a voice instructor, singer, photographer, show host, radio/voice dubbing talent, TV ad talent, and band multi-instrumentalist. He taught Philippine Literature in English, Script Analysis, and Intro to Theatre in DLSU-CSB Sda Dept. He is currently teaching Creative Writing for Drama II at the Ateneo de Manila Fine Arts Dept. He is the proprietor of Quickstep dance studio. He is the founder, Full-time Head Steward, and Artistic Director of Koiné Theater Foundation which gives scholarships to poor streetchildren, out-of-school youths who wish to be trained in the performing arts (i.e. Rap, Voice, Acting, Ballet, Hiphop, Jazz, Music & Movement, Values) and bring theater to the masses. Through Koiné, he teaches Liturgical dance courses regularly for religious congregations and youth ministries (i.e. Canossians, Salesians, Redemptorists, etc.).