Candela Announces Fellows for Third Annual Playwrights Summer Fellowship Program

Candela, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to expanding access to theater education for playwrights, book writers, and lyricists of Latin American and Caribbean heritage, has announced the fellows selected for its third annual Playwrights Summer Fellowship program, a.k.a. Summer Jam.

Founded by writer/director and professor Darrel Alejandro Holnes, and co-directed by scholar/director and professor Dr. Daphnie Sicre, the fellowship this year is a beacon for musical theatre writers and playwrights 21+ who seek access to writing workshops, craft talks, mentorship, and a supportive artistic community led by some of Broadway and Off-Broadway's greatest musical theater writers and playwrights -free of cost.

"At its heart, Candela is a call to action: a reminder that artists don't need permission to be powerful. The blaze begins within," says Holnes. "Our focus is self-empowerment and breaking down barriers so that our community can strengthen their understanding of playwriting, book writing, and lyric-writing fundamentals, as well as improving and expanding their skillset and honing their craft."

This year, Candela welcomes 16 outstanding musical theatre writers and playwrights from across the globe into its 2025 cohort: Fran Astorga, Christin Eve Cato, Georgina Escobar, Mark-Eugene García, Khalif Gillett, Sasky Louison, Brett Macias, Maya Malan-Gonzalez, Angele Maraj, Alan Mendez, Anya Paiz, Jessica Peña Torres, Jermaine Rowe, Mario Vega, Maiga Vidal, and Roy Alexander Weise. This year's fellows represent a variety of nations including Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Mexico, St. Lucia, and a wide variety of languages and creoles.

Dr. Sicre reflects: "This program is not just about providing education-it's about community, access, and transformation. We are intentionally building a future where musical theatre writers and playwrights with Latin American and Caribbean heritage are not the exception but part of the standard."

The 2025 Playwrights Summer Fellowship will take place July 13-20 at the Dramatists Guild of America's Mary Rodgers Room, Medgar Evers College, and at various other locations throughout Brooklyn. Fellows will further develop their books, lyrics, and compositions through writing workshops, peer review sessions, master classes, craft talks, and professional development panels. The immersive week of master classes and professional development opportunities will also include viewings of Broadway shows, theater tours, backstage access, and time learning about institutions like the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which preserve important theater history.

This year's faculty, mentors, and guests include an extraordinary lineup of artists, educators, and industry leaders; among them are Tony Award winner Itamar Moses (The Band's Visit, Dead Outlaw), Obie winner, Pulitzer finalist, and Tony nominee Kristoffer Diaz (Hell's Kitchen), Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Aida, Yellow Face), Aurin Squire (A Wonderful World), and Tony Award winning Producer, Rashad Chambers (Purpose, Topdog/Underdog, The Inheritance). Also joining are playwrights and directors Caridad Svich, CQ, Carmen Rivera, Candido Tirado, Emmanuel Wilson, Peggy Robles-Alvarado, Roger Q. Mason, Zhailon Levingston, and dramaturg Amrita Ramanan of The Public Theater. Panelists and more guests are soon to be announced.

Candela is proud to stand alongside transformative partners and co-sponsors including the Dramatists Guild of America, Latinx Theater Commons, Signature Theatre, Brooklyn Arts Council, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York City Center, New York Theatre Workshop, NYU, and CUNY: Medgar Evers College, among others.