Spark Theatre Festival NYC at 28th Street
- Emerging Artists Theatre’s Spark Festival showcases over 60 new works-in-progress and short pieces by emerging playwrights. - The three-week festival runs through Apr 26, 2026 at The 28th Street Theatre (TADA) in Manhattan. - See the festival schedule and participating productions here: newjerseystage.com
Spark Theatre Festival NYC is in its final week at the 28th Street Theatre, packing more than 60 new works into a three-week run that ends April 26. (tdf.org) Emerging Artists Theatre opened the spring edition on April 6 at TADA!, 15 West 28th Street in Manhattan. TDF lists full-price tickets at $20 to $40 for the festival. (tdf.org) The lineup spans musicals, plays, solo performances, storytelling, and dance, with performances running nightly and multiple slots on weekends. New Jersey Stage reported that most productions get one performance, while shorter pieces are grouped into shared bills. (newjerseystage.com) The festival is built for works still being tested in front of an audience. Emerging Artists Theatre told applicants last fall that Spark presents polished works-in-progress, sometimes as staged readings and sometimes off-book, with optional talkbacks for audience feedback. (dance.nyc) That format has become a larger part of the group’s pipeline for new work. TDF says the event began as the New Works Series and now operates spring and fall festivals that together showcase more than 100 shows a year and give more than 400 artists stage time. (tdf.org) This spring edition is also the festival’s 20th anniversary. BroadwayWorld and New Jersey Stage both say the program has doubled in size since its early years and expanded beyond plays to include dance, music, cabaret, drag, sketch comedy, and other hybrid forms. (broadwayworld.com) (newjerseystage.com) The 2026 roster mixes emerging writers with better-known stage and screen names. New Jersey Stage said Joyce Bulifant and Christopher Sieber appeared in Luke Yankee’s *The Jesus Hickey* on April 19, and Dorothy Lyman workshopped her play *My Windows* on April 12. (newjerseystage.com) For artists, the festival doubles as a low-cost tryout. Dance/NYC’s posting said there were no submission or festival fees for the spring cycle, and participants could receive a 50/50 box-office split after meeting an audience guarantee tied to running time. (dance.nyc) For audiences, the pitch is simpler: one room, one night, and a chance to see pieces before they settle into finished form. The festival runs through Sunday, April 26, at the 28th Street Theatre. (tdf.org)
