Coconut Grove Theater Festival
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
April 16-19, 2026
​The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival returns with a weekend of new play readings by South Florida creatives, now including our Saturday's Children's Matinee, all at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove.
Email us at cgtfest@gmail.com for any questions!
Some shows are currently sold out. To be added to the waitlist in case tickets become available, visit cgtfest.com/waitlist.
Thursday, April 16 | 7:30 PM
The Lesser Leyendecker
Written by Arianna Rose | Directed by Ana Calise
A highly theatrical memory play about the real-life Leyendecker siblings, Mary, Joe, and Frank, whose artistic ambitions helped shape American illustration in the early 1900s. As Joe’s fame rises with the iconic Arrow Collar Man, Frank struggles with addiction, identity, and the shadow of his brother’s success.
Blending imagination, history, and family tension, The Lesser Leyendecker explores art, ambition, and the fragile bonds that hold a family together.
Friday, April 17 | 7:30 PM
Ama. Egg. Oyá.
Written by Lori Felipe-Barkin | Directed by Sara Jarell
When Ama, a Hialeah woman determined to become a mother, experiences another miscarriage, she turns to faith, folklore, and resilience in search of answers.
Told through Yoruba-style fables and blending modern Miami life with Santería traditions, this bilingual play explores infertility, motherhood, and the complicated emotions surrounding both. Ama. Egg. Oyá. is a vibrant and deeply human story of hope, loss, and spiritual connection.
Saturday, April 18 | 2:00 PM
The CGTFest Children’s Matinee
A special matinee designed for young audiences, featuring two 30-minute plays full of imagination and heart
William’s Great Adventure written by Brandon Urrutia, and directed by Emi Lirman follows William the Hippo from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as he journeys to Egypt in search of home with the help of his friends.
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What The Bread Says written by Vanessa Garcia, directed by Victoria Collado, and with songs by Nicole Garcia and Vanessa Garcia, tells the story of a girl and her grandfather who teaches her to bake bread while sharing their family’s history of escape and resilience.
Saturday, April 18 | 5:00 PM
Shadows and Light: The M Ensemble Story
Written by Mysia Anderson-White | Directed by Ali Tallman
Set against Miami’s changing landscape, this multimedia memory play traces the history of the M Ensemble Company, the oldest continuously operating African American theatre company in Florida from its origins at the University of Miami to present day. Centered around the lives and collaborations of the founders and artists who shaped the company, the play blends history, memory, and imagination.
Shadows and Light explores how community, resilience, and art sustain a cultural institution across generations.
Saturday, April 18 | 8:00 PM
Bunnies Inside of Her
Written by Ann Gillespie | Directed by Katherine Siegel
A darkly comedic retelling of the bizarre true story of Mary Toft, the 18th-century English woman who claimed to give birth to rabbits. What began as a small local scheme quickly spiraled into a sensational media frenzy that reached all the way to the court of King George I.
Twisted, satirical, and unexpectedly moving, Bunnies Inside of Her captures the spectacle, exploitation, and strange power of public fascination.
Sunday, April 19 | 4:00 PM
Second Coming
Written by Patrick Rodriguez | Directed by Joel Castillo
In this heartfelt dramedy, three lives unexpectedly intertwine: a teen mother navigating her future, a gay couple hoping to adopt, and a therapist turned nun facing a miraculous (or impossible?) pregnancy. As their paths collide, each must confront questions of faith, family, and responsibility.
Second Coming is a witty and compassionate story about the ways people try to build a future for themselves and those they love.
Sunday, April 19 | 7:30 PM
638: An Uncommonly Comical Review of an Accidental Assassination Attempt of Fidel Castro
Written by Edward G. Excaliber | Directed by Katerin Crespo-Montano
Set during a chaotic engagement party in 1960s Havana, this madcap farce imagines one wildly fictional attempt among the hundreds made on Fidel Castro’s life. When a series of mishaps seemingly leads to the dictator’s death, a frantic father is forced to don the beard and impersonate Castro for the evening.
With a fourth-wall-breaking narrator, slamming doors, and escalating absurdity, 638 delivers a fast-paced comedy of errors inspired by history.