| Period | Dominant Form | Key Features | Representative Figures | |--------|----------------|--------------|--------------------------| | Spanish colonial (1565‑1898) | Komedya & Moro‑drama | Liturgical, epic, heavily stylized | Juan de la Cruz, Francisco Balagtas | | American period (1898‑1946) | Balagtasan (poetic debate) | Improvised, rhetorical, socially engaged | Florentino Collantes, Severino Reyes | | Post‑war (1946‑1970s) | Sarswela & modern drama | Musical, melodramatic, nationalist themes | Lázaro Francisco, Nick Joaquin | | Contemporary (1990‑present) | Penekula (revival) | Hybrid, multimedia, community‑based | Myrna Castillo Kabuyan |
| Period | Dominant Form | Key Features | Representative Figures | |--------|----------------|--------------|--------------------------| | Spanish colonial (1565‑1898) | Komedya & Moro‑drama | Liturgical, epic, heavily stylized | Juan de la Cruz, Francisco Balagtas | | American period (1898‑1946) | Balagtasan (poetic debate) | Improvised, rhetorical, socially engaged | Florentino Collantes, Severino Reyes | | Post‑war (1946‑1970s) | Sarswela & modern drama | Musical, melodramatic, nationalist themes | Lázaro Francisco, Nick Joaquin | | Contemporary (1990‑present) | Penekula (revival) | Hybrid, multimedia, community‑based | Myrna Castillo Kabuyan |