Stage Notes: Review of Lyric's 'Sweet Charity;' Fowler grant recipients announced

After a nationwide search, Amphibian Stage announced the talent and judges for SparkFest 2026 which will celebrate Latine Artists. This year, three plays and 10 acting competition finalists were selected among a high volume of applicants, both locally and nationwide. The final weekend of the festival showcases staged readings of three new plays and the 4th Annual SparkFest Acting Competition.

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 with theater industry leaders in attendance.

The SparkFest Acting Competition returns with a new selection of actors. Finalists invited to compete in person will perform monologues and “cold readings” of scenes for the public with cash prizes for the top three and the audience favorite.

The judging panel is made up of Amelia Acosta Powell (Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville), Danica Rodriguez (Danica Rodriguez Casting), and another judge to be announced.

This year’s New Plays in Development include Benjamin Benne,’s Los Feliz, or the live-in nanny play; Lori Felipe-Barkin’s Ama. Egg. Oyá and Franky D. Gonzalez’s Escobar’s Hippo.

Finalists for the acting competition include Amanda Reyes and Jovane Caamaño of Fort Worth; Caleb de la Torre from Arlington; Ashley Alvarez from Los Angeles; Sammy Rat Rios out of Portland; and New York City actors Janice Amaya, Christine Carmela, Nayib Felix, Marlon Alexander Vargas and Casterline Villar.

SparkFest’26 will June 5-14 at Amphibian Stage. For the latest updates, click here.

Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund announces 2026 grant recipients

The Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund (DFTAMF) announced this week that it has awarded two new grants to local artists and creators Jenny Ledel and Steven Walters.

The Fund, created in memory of Dallas theater artist Donald Fowler, provides support in the form of seed grants to artists living in the Dallas Metroplex, for them to complete their works of theater, including plays and musicals. The two 2026 grant recipients will each receive $5,000 to assist with costs for creation and revision of their works.

The grant to Jenny Ledel will support the development of her new play Dust Rises.

“In 1914, American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright received a telegram that a tragedy had unfolded at his personal home Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin. This play explores the events that led up to the graphic violence that took place over 100 years ago,” Ledel said about her work. “This story explores white privilege, feminism and patriarchy.”

Ledel continued, “What a joy and a thrill to receive this vote of confidence for my play. With the help of the Fund, I will be able to study this story in the exact location it occurred. I will be able to speak there with historians in person about the fine details surrounding this event. The grant funds will also be used to perform a staged reading of the completed draft in Dallas.”

The grant to Steven Walters will support the continued development of Grant which tells the story of President Ulysses S. Grant’s of reunificaiton of the country after the Civil War.

“To protect the newly freed Black citizens and maintain order, Grant must confront political resistance in Washington, widespread violence below the Mason-Dixon Line, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.” Walters said in the announcement, “I am humbled to receive an award named in honor of Donald Fowler, a wonderful human and tireless advocate for the arts in North Texas.”

These grants mark the sixth and seventh awards by the Fund. In addition to performances in Dallas, projects supported by the Fund have traveled to the Baylor University New Play Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Off-Broadway in New York City.

Applications for the next grant cycle will be available in January 2027.

Lyric Stage captures both the vulnerability and excitement of Sweet Charity

Lyric Stage’s current production of Sweet Charity proves exactly what the company’s purpose and mission is – that being its dedication to the development and preservation of the musical. Mission accomplished. This was a show that demanded technical precision, athletic choreography and an almost painful amount of emotional transparency and vulnerability. Plus, it seems that we have not seen this production on a Dallas stage in recent years. What Lyric Stage does is set a high standard through probably one of the most thrilling shows on stage in Dallas right now.

From the first notes of Cy Coleman’s score, the five-person orchestra led by Hans Grim introduced the musical with the overture that then accompanies the action, but also drives it. A small band but big in sound, Guillermo Villa’s trumpet delivered that throwback vibe to classic musicals but also a rich swagger to the sound. Ellen Kaner’s reeds underlined the score with tender revelations both buoyed by the strong rhythm section.

At the center of this whirlwind is Annabelle Woodard’s performance of Charity Hope Valentine that was a revelation. She captured that sassy but sweet attitude mixed with a tenderness that felt deeply genuine. She navigated Charity’s serial heartbreaks with a plucky comedic timing that never hid her yearning for connection. Woodard chewed the scenery like a pro never wavering on Charity’s cheerful spirit all while delivering on complex dance numbers and belting out hefty vocals with charming humor and heart. From her first shimmy to the last dance, Woodard made it easy to root for Charity the entire time.

Woodard was certainly the star, but the cast was a strong mix of talents. Noelle Saul and Kayla Starr Bryan were sublime as the jaded Helene and Nickie, Charity’s fellow dancehall hostesses. Anthony Ortega’s scene as the famous Italian actor Vittorio was gold. He mixed just enough camp in to deliver an unforgettably funny performance. As Charity’s potential husband, Brandon Wilhelm was a delight as the shy and awkward nice guy who blossoms with his new girlfriend.

Don’t sleep on the ensemble who all absolutely slayed every dance number while still delivering unique characters to their respective scenes.

Tricia Guenther’s choreography was heavily influenced by Bob Fosse and was executed with razor-sharp discipline. The moves by this ensemble was a masterclass in stylized grace that threw back to that era’s vibe but also impressed with its contemporary vitality. “Rich Man’s Frug” alone was a dizzying display of technique that has wonderfully been seared into my memory banks.

Sweet Charity works not just due to the exciting elements of song and dance, but director Penny Ayn Maas’ understanding of the heart and soul of the Neil Simon book. And perhaps also a cautionary tale: no matter how many times you are pushed into the lake, you get back up, dry yourself off and keep on hoping. Also, it reminds me that most men are shitty but what’s new there? Sweet Charity was an absolute heart-on-its-sleeve, delight staged to near-perfection. Charity sings “If You Could See Me Now” and with closing night soon, you better.

The show runs through Sunday.

–Rich Lopez

Stage Notes: Review of Lyric’s ‘Sweet Charity;’ Fowler grant recipients announced

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