Creative industry vanguard and The Sandbox Collective’s Managing Artistic Director Toff De Venecia announces his temporary departure from the company to pursue his postgraduate studies abroad. After 11 years of visionary leadership, the Aliw award-winning and Gawad Buhay nominated theater director will be replaced by The Sandbox Collective’s Marketing and PR Director and award-winning actress Sab Jose as the company’s new Artistic Director.
As a cultural advocate and public servant, Toff spearheaded many initiatives in his home province of Pangasinan such as the Anakbanwa Arts Residency Program, the Galila Arts Festival, Placemaking Dagupan, and the construction of the soon-to-rise Victorio Edades and Salvador Bernal Cultural Center in honor of the two Dagupeño National Artists. His continuing collaboration with Buensalido Architects in projects like the San Fabian Bikers Den and the Manaoag Creative Hub yielded a citation at the World Architecture Festival Awards in the Ethics and Values Category.
Toff also orchestrated various national initiatives such as the Philippine Creative Tourism Summit, the upcoming Creative Tourism Conference, the nationwide celebration of the Philippine Creative Industries Month, and the Congressional CREATE Awards. He also represented the country in various international fora such as the World Conference on Creative Economy in Bali and at the United Nations headquarters in Bangkok.
Toff’s landmark national policies include the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, The Cultural Mapping Act, the One Town One Product Act, The Eddie Garcia Movie Workers Welfare Welfare Act, The Gabaldon School Buildings Conservation Act, the National Performing Arts Companies Act, the Philippine Space Act, among others. He also co-founded the Philippine Creative Cities Network to help empower local authorities towards creative governance.
Toff co-founded The Sandbox Collective with Anna Santamaria in order to mount new, groundbreaking and cutting-edge theatrical work. He has directed numerous plays and musicals for various theater companies, including All Shook Up, Side Show, Little Shop of Horrors, 13: The Musical, A New Brain, Dani Girl, The Boy in the Bathroom, No Filter, No Filter 2.0, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, Ang Tugon Ni Conchita, F(r)iction, The Glass Menagerie, Little Shop of Horrors, and most recently Next To Normal. He is also the outgoing Vice President of PHILSTAGE, the proud alliance of Manila-based professional companies in the theatrical arts. He concludes his directorial run with Side Show this July 2025 – a musical that launched his career over 15 years ago.
Sab Jose is an award-winning actress and entrepreneur, who holds a Master of Arts degree in Musical Theatre from the Guildford School of Acting, England, U.K. She is a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and track in Advertising and Public Relations. Jose also pursued her postgraduate studies in Marketing at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. She served as The Sandbox Collective’s Marketing & PR Director for over a decade. Off stage, Jose is a certified memorial celebrant with a passion for grief education and bereavement care. She was a grief consultant for Next to Normal.
Sab is a Gawad Buhay nominee and an Aliw Award winner (Best Lead Actress in a Play) for her performance in the two-header play Lungs. She also essayed roles in various local productions such as Eto Na! Musikal nAPO!, Shrek, Grease, Peter Pan, RENT, The Wedding Singer, among others.
Jose has also dabbled in writing, teaching and directing. She directed Shared Spaces for Ateneo Blue Repertory and was the program director for Stage Camp at Rockwell. Sab also served as assistant director and acting coach for 9 Works Theatrical’s American Idiot, The Sandbox Collective’s Dani Girl, and the hit original plays No Filter and No Filter 2.0. Jose was the managing editor for the published format of No Filter by Summit Books. 2025 marks her 15th year in professional theater.
Continued Advocacy and Arts Education
Bringing in almost two decades of experience, Jose is honored and thrilled to continue The Sandbox Collective’s growth and trajectory. Jose states, “The Sandbox Collective has grown tremendously under Toff’s visionary leadership and I am inspired to take on this new role and challenge.”
As for what to expect for the upcoming season, Jose excitedly shares that a season slate is in the works, and will be announced soon.
She hopes to expand the company’s repertoire and diversify The Sandbox Collective’s market, while staying true to its core and DNA.
“In recent years, Sandbox has found a voice in advocacy theater. That’s something I’m hoping to continue. I would also love to put my Masters Degree to good use, echo what I’ve learned, and contribute to the growing theater industry. Let’s just say that Arts Education is something I’ve always wanted to pursue and push for. I’m excited to offer a playground where we can cultivate new work and talent,” Jose shares.
The Final Curtain – For Now.
Side Show: The Musical is Toff De Venecia’s final directorial stint before his leave.
De Venecia shares, “To be able to bookend this chapter of my life, with Little Shop last year and now this, is the stuff of dreams. I couldn’t be more grateful. But yes, this is also farewell. After this production, I’ll be pursuing higher learning abroad to learn more about innovation, public policy and public value and hopefully apply what I learn there back at home when I return.”
SIDE SHOW: THE MUSICAL opens on July 26, 2025 and will run until August 17, 2025 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Black Box Theater, Circuit Makati. Tickets are available at ticket2me.net/sandboxsideshow. Follow @thesandboxco on Instagram for more information.
SIDE SHOW: THE MUSICAL is licensed through Concord Theatricals.
