iChill Productions is the studio of Kuya Manzano — 28 years of making stories happen, on stage and on screen, across Spain and the Philippines. Producer, director, actor, casting director and writer: the studio brings all of that experience to every project.
Founder / Creative Director: Kuya Manzano
Kuya Manzano is a Spanish-Filipino actor, singer, host, director and producer who has been performing since 1998. Born in Spain, he sang in around 30 zarzuelas and operas in major theatres across Spain and Portugal, did musical theatre such as Man of La Mancha and Peter Pan, and hosted TV programs for Zarzueleros.com, Debates de VTV and Carabanshow. Since 2011 the Philippines has been home.
Producing & directing
- Director – producer of the feature film Changing Direction (Spain – Philippines), an official selection at Festival del Sol (Spain) and El Lugar Sin Límites (Ecuador).
- Director, producer and writer of the short films Marriage War and El sexo enemigo.
- Director – producer of the theatre play El Mal de Sirenita, of Disney in Concert and of Broadway in Concert in Spain.
- Executive producer of the musical A Chorus Line and of the Raza Hip-Hop 99 concert in Spain; producer of the children’s theatre show Saint John’s Night.
- Directing and producing shows at iChill Theater Cafe in Manila; video producer for Musicals on line and Zarzueleros.com.
Casting
- Casting director for Dojo TV and for opera and zarzuela in Spain.
- Casting associate at Rainbow Modelling Agency in the Philippines; casting assistant on the feature film Juana la loca.
Writing
- Feature film script for Changing Direction; scripts for Marriage War, El sexo enemigo and the play El Mal de Sirenita.
- Script collaboration on the feature films Heneral Luna and Pedro Calungsod.
Acting & performing
On stage: Ibarra in Noli me tangere (Dulaang UP), Spanish General Ramon Blanco in Miong (Repertory Philippines), General MacArthur in Sindak 1941, Kublai Khan in Marco Polo at the CCP, and Hamlet. On screen: GomBurZa, Heneral Luna, Sisa, Lav Diaz’s Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, and series including Can’t Buy Me Love, Bad Genius and I Love You Since 1892.
Teaching
Former theatre teacher at Candil Theatre School in Spain; today he trains people in storytelling.
The iChill chapter
In Manila, that career found a home of its own. For seven years iChill Theater Cafe in Sampaloc was a venue for the arts — plays, concerts, open mics and screenings — and from 2016 to 2020 it hosted the iChill Manila International Film Fest, welcoming films from around the world.
When the worldwide lockdown closed the physical venue, iChill moved online. Today it is iChill Productions: a production house for film, theatre, social media and AI content.
What we’ve made
- Changing Direction (Cambio de Sentido) — feature film.
- Marriage War (En el amor y en la guerra) — short film.
- El Mal de Sirenita — theatre play produced and directed in Spain.
- Kuya Manzano on Broadway — free concert at Rizal Park, 22 August 2014.
- iChill Manila International Film Fest — editions from 2016 to 2020.
How we work
Warm, direct and collaborative. We work in English and Spanish, across the Philippines, Spain and online.
Get in touch
Prefer email? Write to info@ichilltheatercafe.com and tell us what you are making, when you need it and where it will live.