Applications Now Open For Candela's Third Annual Playwrights Musical Theatre Summer Fellowship

Candela has announced the opening of applications for its Third Annual Playwrights Summer Fellowship, a.k.a. Summer Jam, taking place July 13-20, 2025 at the Dramatists Guild of America's Mary Rodgers Room in New York City.

This year, Candela reaffirms its commitment to uplifting Latine and Caribbean musical theatre writers and playwrights with a continued focus on book writers, lyricists, and composers in the genre. While musical theatre flourishes on global stages, there are few-if any-programs specifically designed to nurture Latine and Caribbean voices in this form. Candela seeks to change that.

Founded by writer-director and professor Darrel Alejandro Holnes and co-directed by scholar-director Dr. Daphnie Sicre, Candela lights the path toward higher-level training for emerging theater writers of Latin American and Caribbean heritage. The week-long program is completely free to all selected fellows, made possible through generous support from individual donors and partner institutions.

"This program is a love letter to our culture and a launchpad for our stories," says Holnes. "I created Candela to give back what so many in our community are still denied: access, mentorship, and a seat at the table."

Dr. Sicre adds, "While it's thrilling to see two Latine musicals on Broadway right now-it's a long-overdue moment of visibility and celebration. But we also can't ignore that it's been nearly a decade since we last saw a new Latine musical on the Great White Way. Candela is here to shorten that gap. We're building a pipeline, not just to Broadway, but to sustainable careers in musical theatre for Latine and Caribbean writers worldwide."

This year, Candela will accept around 10 musical theatre writers who will take courses that support the development of their books, lyrics, and compositions with Broadway and Off-Broadway professionals. Fellows will participate in writing workshops, guest talks, and cultural excursions-including visits to NYC institutions like The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Candela's curriculum blends culturally responsive pedagogy, cohort-building, and practical professional development. In past years, keynotes, faculty and guests included luminaries such as Dominique Morisseau, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Kristoffer Diaz, Michael R. Jackson, Aurin Squire, David Henry Hwang, Jaime Lozano, and Daphne Rubin-Vega, among others.

In the past, we have had musical theatre artists-from across the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean, representing languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Sranan Tongo, and Kreyòl. Fellows from past years have gone on to earn major grants, form collectives, and develop work with institutions like the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Juilliard, NYU, Princeton, and more.

Candela is proud to be in community with initiatives like the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC), whose Musical Theatre Carnaval in 2026 will spotlight groundbreaking new works by Latine writers and composers.

Candela 2025 is presented in partnership with the Dramatists Guild of America, Latinx Theater Commons, New York University, and Medgar Evers College, among other sponsors and contributors.

Applications are now open. Applications for this summer's program, link here, are open now and close June 13th. Acceptance notifications will be sent by June 15. Fellowship starts July 13th.