Amphibian Stage presents Spark Fest

Photo courtesy of Amphibian Stage

Amphibian Stage's annual Spark Fest consists of three weekends of workshops, staged readings, and comedy events. The festival kicks off with Light Up the Runway & Kickoff Party on July 15, where six influencers make up three teams that compete to create the best gown or costume with limited time and the unusual items we find lying around the theater.

Schedule of events

July 15: Light Up the Runway & Kickoff Party
July 16 (2 pm): Elusive (First Read) - Charles Jackson Jr.'s Elusive is an experimental dramatic fantasy about the effect that having an absent mother has on a child.
July 16 (5 pm): Oleanna Part II (First Read) - Professor and student battle personal beliefs, power dynamics, and politics to find common ground in Chris Cragin-Day's Oleanna Part II.
July 16 (8 pm): Sets on Sets - The show where some of the funniest local comedians perform their stand up sets in front of different theatrical backdrops. Featuring comedians Alvin Newsome, Anna Barden, Lilli Lopez, Shahyan Jahani, and Zach Webb.
July 17: Storytelling Workshop - Led by Julia Cotton, this workshop will help unique voices find the tools, structure, and levity they need to bring their story to life.
July 21 and 23: through a glass darkly (Developmental Reading) - Campers and counselors must bind together to navigate love, loss, mysterious disappearances and alternate dimensions in through a glass darkly by Erin Malone Turner.
July 22 and 24: The Amazing, Fabulous and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia (Developmental Reading) - Juan Garcia's plan to make a bold, luxurious return to Oaxaca is perfect, so long as the truth doesn't come out in The Amazing, Fabulous and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia by Kathleen Culebro, translated and adapted from La Verdad Sospechosa by Juan Ruiz de Alarcón.
July 23 (3 pm): Steven Dietz Playwriting Masterclass - Prolific playwright Steven Dietz brings his playwriting masterclass, The Living Play, to Amphibian Stage.
July 23 and 24: Haunted Play (Developmental Reading) - In a time of great uncertainty, how does the Theatre grapple with an enveloping sense of malaise? Find out in Haunted Play (A Tale of the Naïve and Macabre), written and directed by Steven Dietz.
July 28: "Reclaiming My Space" Storytelling Performances - Five diverse North Texas artists (J. Davis-Jones, Laila Kharrat, Coyote Rock, Devon Kodzis, and Julia Estelle Cotton) share authentic, personal stories inspired by the prompt “Reclaiming My Space.”
July 29 and 30: Ashley Ray - Stand-Up Comic Residency - Ashley Ray is the most famous bisexual solo polyamorous black queer comedian, actor, and writer currently based in Los Angeles.
July 30: "The Craft and Art of Comedy Writing" Panel - Three professional comedic writers and performers - Paul Varghese, Julia Cotton, and Ashley Ray - explain their journey from notebooks and open mics to being featured on HBO, Comedy Central, NBC, ABC, Adult Swim, VICE, and Cosmopolitan.

Amphibian Stage presents the annual Spark Fest, a celebration of live entertainment in Fort Worth. This year's festival will shine a spotlight on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, offering a vibrant array of events including theatre, dance, comedy, and music.

Ongoing events throughout the festival include a chance to help paint and unveil the wildflower mural inside of Amphibian’s theatre, designed by muralist Thu Anh Nguyen and painted by all visitors; Philippa Pham Hughes’ short animated film “The Greatest Poem,” inspired by poet Walt Whitman, screening in the lobby; and poet Thu Anh Nguyen’s found poetry, woven together from responses by AAPI individuals across the country reflecting on what it means to be Asian and/or Pacific Islander in America.

Events and performances

June 6: Light Up the Runway - Picture Project Runway meets Chopped with a splash of RuPaul’s Drag Race flair as the as Fort Worth’s finest come together, pairing creativity with panache, all vying for the coveted title of “Best Amateur Fashion Designers.”
June 7 (7 pm): “We Are The Greatest Poems” - Social Sculptor, Cultural Strategist, and Curator Philippa Pham Hughes will lead a discussion about identity, community, country, and care through poetry.
June 7 (8 pm): Arkai Music - Fresh off their European tour, Arkai Music comes to Fort Worth to perform their original style of classical-meets-electronic music.
June 8: Shafi Hossain - Hossain is chemical engineer turned comedian whose wit and charm have earned him accolades, including being named one of New York’s Funniest Stand Ups.
June 9: This is My Story - Local AAPI community members will take the stage and share their tales of resilience, identity, and belonging in an evening of authentic storytelling. After the performances will be a reception with the storytellers featuring Indian street food catered by Hao’s Grocery and Cafe.
June 17: Beginner’s Dance Workshop - Umami Playground will host a beginner’s workshop to learn House dance.
June 18: Umami Playground - SparkFest’s closing act, Umami Playground is a dance collective known for their fusion of street styles like popping, breaking, and house. The event will be followed by a reception.

New Play Development

Did You Eat? (밥먹었니?) by Zoë Kim (June 12 @ 8 pm and June 15 at 11 am) - Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) is an autobiographical solo show about how we learn to love, how we love, and how we love ourselves. Kim leads the play, transforming into her various family members, unraveling a candid story about her family and her life
barren by Alex Lin (June 13 @ 8 pm and June 15 @ 3 pm) - Yifei is barren. What crueler irony is there for a baby doctor who can’t have a baby? One that tasks her with ensuring a safe, happy, and healthy delivery for her formerly estranged younger sister, Max. barren is the story of two sisters who confront two entirely different fates in finding, creating, and embracing family.
You Are Cordially Invited To The End of The World! by Keiko Green (June 14 @ 8 pm and June 16 @ 2 pm) - M has always had a complicated relationship with their parents. But when Greg gets a terminal diagnosis, their small family feels the pressure of time running out. Greg wants to expand his world, as he commits the rest of his life to fighting climate change, while his wife Viv wants nothing more than to keep Greg confined to their home. In this theatrical spectacle, M uses metatheatricality and the joy of dance and theatre to explore themes of grief, dying, and our connection to the Earth.

Acting Competition

June 13 (5:30 pm): Round 1: Monologues - Ten actors, carefully selected from across the nation, will take the stage to deliver their chosen monologues in front of a live audience and three esteemed judges from beyond Texas.
June 14 (5:30 pm): Round 2: Scenes - Building on their initial performances, the ten actors face a new challenge when they will be given a scene with just 30 minutes to prepare. They'll then take to the stage once more, embodying character and action with spontaneity. Judges will give feedback and the actors will strive to perfect their performances for the Final Round.
June 15 (8 pm): Final Round - The actors will perform their monologues from Round 1 and their scenes from Round 2, incorporating judges’ notes and feedback from their original performance. Judges and audience members will deliberate and select winners. The audience can celebrate at a reception with all of the contestants after the announcement of the winners, featuring Nepalese snacks catered by Taipo Restaurant.

Events and performances

June 6: Light Up the Runway - Picture Project Runway meets Chopped with a splash of RuPaul’s Drag Race flair as the as Fort Worth’s finest come together, pairing creativity with panache, all vying for the coveted title of “Best Amateur Fashion Designers.”
June 7 (7 pm): “We Are The Greatest Poems” - Social Sculptor, Cultural Strategist, and Curator Philippa Pham Hughes will lead a discussion about identity, community, country, and care through poetry.
June 7 (8 pm): Arkai Music - Fresh off their European tour, Arkai Music comes to Fort Worth to perform their original style of classical-meets-electronic music.
June 8: Shafi Hossain - Hossain is chemical engineer turned comedian whose wit and charm have earned him accolades, including being named one of New York’s Funniest Stand Ups.
June 9: This is My Story - Local AAPI community members will take the stage and share their tales of resilience, identity, and belonging in an evening of authentic storytelling. After the performances will be a reception with the storytellers featuring Indian street food catered by Hao’s Grocery and Cafe.
June 17: Beginner’s Dance Workshop - Umami Playground will host a beginner’s workshop to learn House dance.
June 18: Umami Playground - SparkFest’s closing act, Umami Playground is a dance collective known for their fusion of street styles like popping, breaking, and house. The event will be followed by a reception.

New Play Development

Did You Eat? (밥먹었니?) by Zoë Kim (June 12 @ 8 pm and June 15 at 11 am) - Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) is an autobiographical solo show about how we learn to love, how we love, and how we love ourselves. Kim leads the play, transforming into her various family members, unraveling a candid story about her family and her life
barren by Alex Lin (June 13 @ 8 pm and June 15 @ 3 pm) - Yifei is barren. What crueler irony is there for a baby doctor who can’t have a baby? One that tasks her with ensuring a safe, happy, and healthy delivery for her formerly estranged younger sister, Max. barren is the story of two sisters who confront two entirely different fates in finding, creating, and embracing family.
You Are Cordially Invited To The End of The World! by Keiko Green (June 14 @ 8 pm and June 16 @ 2 pm) - M has always had a complicated relationship with their parents. But when Greg gets a terminal diagnosis, their small family feels the pressure of time running out. Greg wants to expand his world, as he commits the rest of his life to fighting climate change, while his wife Viv wants nothing more than to keep Greg confined to their home. In this theatrical spectacle, M uses metatheatricality and the joy of dance and theatre to explore themes of grief, dying, and our connection to the Earth.

Acting Competition

June 13 (5:30 pm): Round 1: Monologues - Ten actors, carefully selected from across the nation, will take the stage to deliver their chosen monologues in front of a live audience and three esteemed judges from beyond Texas.
June 14 (5:30 pm): Round 2: Scenes - Building on their initial performances, the ten actors face a new challenge when they will be given a scene with just 30 minutes to prepare. They'll then take to the stage once more, embodying character and action with spontaneity. Judges will give feedback and the actors will strive to perfect their performances for the Final Round.
June 15 (8 pm): Final Round - The actors will perform their monologues from Round 1 and their scenes from Round 2, incorporating judges’ notes and feedback from their original performance. Judges and audience members will deliberate and select winners. The audience can celebrate at a reception with all of the contestants after the announcement of the winners, featuring Nepalese snacks catered by Taipo Restaurant.

WHEN

WHERE

Amphibian Stage

120 S Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USA

https://sparkfestfwtx.com/

TICKET INFO

Prices vary by event.

All events are subject to change due to weather or other concerns. Please check with the venue or organization to ensure an event is taking place as scheduled.