Candela Names 18 Fellows for 2026 Playwrights Summer Fellowship

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Founded by Darrel Alejandro Holnes, the tuition-free program supports Latin American and Caribbean writers.

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Candela has announced the 18 fellows selected for its 2026 Playwrights Summer Fellowship, also known as Summer Jam. The initiative is dedicated to expanding access to theatre education for playwrights, librettists, musical theatre writers and choreopoets of Latin American and Caribbean heritage.

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Founded by writer, director, and professor Darrel Alejandro Holnes and co-directed by scholar, director, and professor Dr. Daphnie Sicre , Candela was created to address inequities in access to professional theatre training and mentorship while building a thriving artistic community for writers across the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora.

"Panama is both part of Latin America and the Caribbean, so it's always felt natural for me to gather community around our common corridors of exchange rather than perpetuate imagined divisions," says Holnes. "Candela gathers theatermakers from across those corridors and puts them in the room with the field's most accomplished artists, as peers in a shared exchange of craft."

Carl(os) Roa-Cruz, LySaundra Janeé, Melina Nakos, Ana Candida Carneiro, Paul Torres Wong, Gretchen Suárez-Peña, Krystal Ortiz , Desi Moreno-Penson , Harrison Acosta, Letitia Bullard-Bosfield, Antonio Del Valle, Jesús Esteban Feliciano Batista (Jesús 'Chui'), Chandra Thomas , Ángel García, Nathan Leitão, Smita James, Marcus Scott , and Paloma Sierra.

Selected through a competitive application process, the fellows represent a dynamic range of artistic voices and lived experiences. Their work spans musical theatre, playwriting, performance, composition, lyric writing, and interdisciplinary storytelling, reflecting the breadth and vitality of contemporary Latin American and Caribbean theatre-making.

Dr. Sicre reflects: "As we welcome our fourth cohort of fellows, Candela stands as a reminder that our stories, voices, and artistic traditions matter. At a time when many institutions are retreating from commitments to representation and access, we remain steadfast in creating space for Latin American and Caribbean artists to learn, create, and thrive. This fellowship is more than professional development, it is an investment in the future of our communities, and the stories that deserve to be seen on stages around the world."

The tuition-free fellowship runs July 12-19, 2026, in New York City, providing participants with an immersive week of workshops, mentorship, peer exchange, professional development, and artistic collaboration. Fellows will develop new work, strengthen their craft, expand their professional networks, and engage with the broader theatre ecosystem.

Past faculty have included Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, and Obie Award-winning and -nominated artists, among them Quiara Alegría Hudes, Kristoffer Diaz , Dominique Morisseau , David Henry Hwang , Carmen Rivera , Itamar Moses , Michael R. Jackson , Daphne Rubin-Vega , and Zhailon Levingston .

Since its founding, Candela has become an important incubator for the next generation of Latin American and Caribbean theatre artists, creating opportunities for connection, artistic growth, and long-term professional development.

Founded in 2023 by Darrel Alejandro Holnes and co-directed by Dr. Daphnie Sicre , Candela expands access to professional theatre training and mentorship for playwrights, librettists, composers, lyricists, and musical theatre writers across the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora. Since its founding, the fellowship has served more than 40 fellows from over 26 countries, building a thriving artistic community rooted in self-empowerment and craft.

Headshots and bios for this summer's fellows and staff are available upon request.

Now in its fourth year, Candela has built a track record of connecting emerging and established Latin American and Caribbean theatre artists with prominent mentors; past faculty have included Quiara Alegría Hudes, Dominique Morisseau , David Henry Hwang , Michael R. Jackson , and Daphne Rubin-Vega , among others. The fellowship's focus on writers from across the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora aligns with a broader wave of programming centered on Latino artistic voices, including a free concert of new works by emerging Latino composers that the Quintet of the Americas is set to present at Queens Botanical Garden, as covered by BroadwayWorld here . Applications and additional information about Candela's fellowship are available through the organization directly.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Candela-Announces-18-Fellows-for-Its-Fourth-Annual-Playwrights-Summer-Fellowship-20260615)._