Amphibian Stage Announces Playwrights, Actors & Judges for SparkFest’26

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, Texas (April 27, 2026) - After a nationwide search, Amphibian Stage announces the artists selected to share their talents at SparkFest 2026. In 2026, SparkFest, the annual performing arts festival, will celebrate Latine Artists. The final weekend of the festival showcases staged readings of three new plays and the 4th Annual SparkFest Acting Competition. This year, three plays and 10 acting competition finalists were selected among a high volume of applicants, both locally and nationwide. 

This year, the Amphibian Stage team has recruited Maria Patrice Amon, Co-Artistic Director of TuYo Theatre and producer of the Latinx New Play Festival at La Jolla Playhouse, as their Executive Creative Consultant for SparkFest’26. Amon says “It has been an honor to be welcomed onto the SparkFest team. I am thrilled to be able to connect the network of Latine artists to the festival and celebrate the Latine community of Dallas/Forth Worth and beyond. ”

Playwrights whose submissions were selected will receive time with actors and directors to fine tune their plays during a full week of development. After the rehearsal process, their work is presented to the public at two performances. Theatre industry leaders from across the country are invited to attend.

The SparkFest Acting Competition returns for a fourth year with a new selection of actors. Finalists invited to compete in person will perform monologues and “cold readings” of scenes for the public. The 1st Place winner will receive $5000; the 2nd place finalist will receive $3000; the 3rd place finalist will receive $1000; the audience favorite will receive $500. Finalists will be judged by notable figures in the performing arts industry from outside of Texas. The judging panel is made up of Amelia Acosta Powell (Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville), Danica Rodriguez (Danica Rodriguez Casting), and one more judge to be confirmed. 

SparkFest’26 New Plays in Development

Los Feliz, or the live-in nanny play

By Benjamin Benne

Directed by Cat Rodríguez

When Irene, a Latina mother and doctor, living in an affluent neighborhood in Los Angeles, hires Guatemalan immigrant, Emilia, to be a live-in nanny, the two women discover the many bonds and barriers between them—but are they more than just employer and employee? Are they friends? Are they colleagues? Are they family?

Ama. Egg. Oyá. 

By Lori Felipe-Barkin

Directed by Laurie Woolery

Ama. Egg. Oyá. follows Ama, a determined woman in Hialeah, Florida, on her relentless journey to motherhood. Weaving together Santería, the pulse of modern-day Miami, and the rich rhythms of Cuban culture, this powerful story explores infertility, faith, and the deep longing for creation.

Escobar’s Hippo

By Franky D. Gonzalez

Directed by Rebecca Aparicio

A Colombian town along the Magdalena River plunges into chaos after a flatulent, destructive, easily offended, and adventurous hippo comes to town and wreaks havoc. The crisis worsens when people begin transforming into hippos themselves causing not only chaos but the beginnings of a revolution where humans are trampled by these new Hipposapiens. This play explores through absurdity and comedy the very serious and deadly consequences that come with the surrendering of humanity in favor of bestial urges and self-gratification.

SparkFest’26 Acting Competition Finalists

Amanda Reyes | Fort Worth, TX

Ashley Alvarez | Los Angeles, CA

Caleb de la Torre | Arlington, TX 

Casterline Villar | New York City, NY

Christine Carmela | New York City, NY

Janice Amaya | New York City, NY

Jovane Caamaño | Fort Worth, TX

Marlon Alexander Vargas | New York City, NY

Nayib Felix | New York City, NY

Sammy Rat Rios | Portland, OR