In his career, Reyes composed 26 zarzuelas and 22 plays. He is widely regarded as the "Father of Tagalog Plays" and the "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela." Reyes was a co-founder of Liwayway magazine in 1922 and is credited with launching the Tagalog literary renaissance during his lifetime. He also founded the first theater company in the Philippines when he organized a group of friends who wanted to create their own stage productions. Reyes began writing plays at a time when the Filipino language was not considered important for literature. His works were popular among local audiences because they used easy-to-understand language and contained familiar scenes from daily life. Many of his plays are still performed in the Philippines today. He died at the young age of 36 after contracting tuberculosis. Here are some of Reyes' most famous works: Abangan Takaw ng Dati (The Enemy Within) - published posthumously in 1939 - is a drama about a young man who tries to win over his girlfriend's father by becoming a doctor. It is believed that this play is the origin of the modern day medical drama. Bakla ni Severino Reyes (Severino Reyes: Writer of Liwayway) - published in 2003 - is a book written by Dr. Jose Perez that discusses several of Reyes' songs and plays in detail. The book includes translations into English of some of the more popular songs.