New Works Recipients
TACA New Works Fund Grant Recipients
TACA believes that new works of art are vital to a vibrant arts community. New works support local artists, explore new ideas, inspire innovation, challenge traditional thinking, and keep art fresh and relevant. In today’s world, it is also imperative that we amplify and support artistic creation by artists underrepresented in the current canon of their respective artistic genres.
Since the launch of the New Works Fund in 2012, 33 new works have been supported with over $1,000,000 in grants, further establishing North Texas as one of the nation’s major cultural incubators.
2025 New Works Fund Grantees
CARA MÍA THEATRE
Texas Mariachi | $22,500
TEXAS MARIACHI is CMT's new ensemble, celebrating the legacy of mariachi music in Texas. In collaboration with the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), the play draws from oral histories collected by the Voces Oral History Project and features mariachi standards and original songs by composer Julián Gámez-Arizola, performed with a live mariachi band. Written and performed by an ensemble of CMT’s regular collaborators, most of whom are Latinx artists, the play fuses North American text-based traditions with physical theatre methods of Latin American and European ensembles. It is an ambitious work honoring those who have dedicated their lives to mariachi, while exploring universal questions of resilience, passion, and identity through the emotional language of mariachi music.
DALLAS CHILDREN'S THEATER
The Pigeon Gets a Big Time Holiday Extravaganza! | $40,000
The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza! Is a holiday musical for young audiences written by Mo Willems and Adam Tobin, based on Mo’s beloved picture books. Using mesmerizing projections, puppetry, and catchy melodies, this festive production will whisk audiences away to a woodland winter wonderland populated by their favorite characters from the picture books of Mo Willems. Children will learn valuable lessons about facing anxiety, the spirit of giving, and the importance of friendship and community during the holiday season.
This rolling world premiere musical collaboration between Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) and six other Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) theaters (First Stage in Milwaukee, Seattle Children’s Theater, The Coterie in Kansas City, The Rose Theater of Omaha, Children’s Theater of Madison, and Main Street Youth Theater in Houston) will feature original songs by Deborah Wicks La Puma.
DALLAS THEATER CENTER
Malcolm X & Redd Foxx Washing Dishes
at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem | $40,000
In the sweltering summer of 1943, during World War II, the play imagines two young men, Little (Malcolm X) and Foxy (Redd Foxx) forge an unlikely bond over leftover fried chicken while washing dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem. As the world outside erupts in chaos, their friendship is tested by betrayal, ambition, and the weight of history. Inspired by true events, this world premiere imagines a pivotal encounter between two future icons: Malcolm X, a transformative civil rights leader, and Redd Foxx, a groundbreaking comedian and cultural figure. The play explores how fleeting connections can carry generational significance and how humor, hardship, and hope intersect at life’s crossroads. Set against the backdrop of a Harlem race riot and growing national tension around civil rights, the piece blends dramatic storytelling with sharp wit and historical resonance.
Co-developed with TheatreSquared, the play is the latest work by Jonathan Norton, a Dallas native and accomplished playwright whose work often centers on overlooked moments in Black American history. Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem offers a deeply human lens into the lives of two young men on the cusp of greatness.
PRISM MOVEMENT THEATER
Scrap Heart | $22,500
Scrap Heart is a visually rich, emotionally resonant theatrical production that tells the story of a broken-down android who, despite being physically damaged, dedicates himself to repairing other broken robots. As he lovingly restores each of them, these broken robots come to life, recreating their lives through incredible performances seamlessly blended with technology. Through our heroic android's quiet persistence, the android doesn’t just rebuild machines—he builds connection, purpose, and eventually, a chosen family of his own.
"Scrap Heart" utilizes a combination of deaf performers and performers with disabilities and is designed specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, while remaining universally engaging for all. This story is told through an incredible blend of circus arts, projections, LED programming, robotics, sign language and dance.
2024 New Works Fund Grantees
CARA MÍA THEATRE
YEMAYA FLAMENCO | $30,000
Cara Mía Theatre is collaborating on an exciting new work with The Flame Foundation flamenco dance company and Michelle N. Gibson’s New Orleans Original BuckShop from Dallas, Texas along with Mulato Teatro from Ticumán, Morelos, Mexico. Entitled YEMAYA FLAMENCO, this production explores the various iterations of the Yoruba goddess Yemaya through dance, music, song, poetry, and storytelling, weaving traditional and contemporary incarnations of Yemaya from her African roots and her evolution in Spain, the Caribbean, and the Americas as she encounters colonization and Flamenco.
TEATRO DALLAS
Maria Sabina y Los Niños Santos | $25,000
Maria Sabina y Los Niños Santos is a deeply immersive theatrical production that endeavors to transport audiences into the life of Maria Sabina, the revered Mazatec curandera. This transformative and ambitious project artfully combines theater, movement, video projection, and poetry to create a rich, sensory experience that invites spectators to traverse the intricate layers of Maria Sabina's life, spirituality, and cultural heritage. As the story unfolds, the audience will venture into her role as a spiritual guide, as seekers from across the globe are were irresistibly drawn to the wisdom she possessed.
Undermain Theatre
h*llo k*tty syndrome by Brian Dang | $25,000
In May 2025, Undermain Theatre will present the world premiere of Brian Dang's h*llo k*tty syndrome, an absurdist comedy about HK, a police officer who has just quit their job and returns to their hometown after breaking up with their partner and starting a fight with their brother-in-law. They are constantly questioned by the other characters about their happiness and urged to remove their mascot headpiece. As the play progresses, Dang effectively breaks down the barriers that separate audience and actors so that by the end of the play, the audience answers questions to determine the play's ending.
Pegasus Media Project
Convergence: Weaving Displacement Narratives | $35,000
Convergence: Weaving Displacement Narratives is a multidisciplinary, multimedia initiative exploring themes of displacement, identity, and family history through immersive arts experiences. By blending choreographic arts with advanced technologies like VR, AR, XR, and AI, the project delves into the emotional, cultural, and historical dimensions of displacement. The creation involves a multigenerational collaboration of Pegasus Media Project participants, including youth, adult filmmaker apprentices, their mentors, and teachers. Through this immersive environment, "Convergence" encourages community dialogue, bridging diverse perspectives and highlighting the rich tapestry of human experiences that displacement brings to the forefront.
Soul Rep Theatre Company
Madam Queen by dianne tucker | $10,000
Soul Rep Theatre Company seeks to develop the world premiere of a multi-disciplinary production of the late Dallas playwright, dianne tucker's final script, MADAM QUEEN, completed a few months before her death on January 1, 2022. Inspired by the true story of Stephanie St. Clair, the Martinique born woman who became the "Queen" of the numbers game in Harlem in the 1920's-30's and one of the first Black female millionaires in the country, tucker penned a screenplay, MADAM QUEEN, that her husband has asked Soul Rep to adapt to the stage in a multi-disciplinary format.
2023 New Works Fund Grantees
CARA MÍA THEATRE
YANGA│ $25,000
Jaime Chabaud, Playwright
Tomas Ayala-Torres, Translator
In collaboration with Soul Rep Theatre Company and Mulato Teatro
New Work Stage: Rework/Revise
Estimated Completion: February, 2024
DALLAS THEATER CENTER
I AM DELIVERED’T │ $10,000
Jonathan Norton, Playwright
New Work Stage: Nearing Completion/Complete
Estimated Completion: February 2024
NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER
HUGH HAYDEN: AMERICA │ $50,000
Hugh Hayden, Sculptor
New Work Stage: Planned Idea
Estimated Completion: September 2024
VERDIGRIS ENSEMBLE
MIS-LEAD │ $40,000
Kirsten Soriano, Composer
New Work Stage: In Development
Estimated Completion: April 2024
2022 New Works Fund Grantees
ARTS MISSION OAK CLIFF
NO STRINGS │ $20,000
Seth Magill, Co-Creator & Writer
Anastasia Muñoz, Co-Creator & Director
Kirschen Wolford, Co-Creator & Composer
New Work Stage: Planned Idea
Estimated Completion: July 2023
CARA MÍA THEATRE
ORÍGENES/ORIGINS │ $20,000
Sorany Gutiérrez, Co-Writer & Actor
Frida Espinosa Müller, Co-Writer & Actor
David Lozano, Co-Writer & Actor
Alicia Martínez Álvarez, Co-Writer & Director
In collaboration with the Laboratorio de la Máscara (Mexico City)
New Work Stage: In Development
Estimated Completion: April 2023
DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
T A B E R N A C L E │ $30,000
Chanel DaSilva, Choreographer
New Work Stage: Planned Idea
Estimated Completion: May 2023
SOUL REP THEATRE COMPANY
A NEW PLAY │ $30,000
Erin Malone Turner, Playwright
New Work Stage: Planned Idea
Estimated Completion: May 2023
DALLAS CHILDREN’S THEATER
LIFE DOESN’T FRIGHTEN ME │ $25,000
Paige Hernandez, Playwright
In collaboration with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC), Children’s Theater of Madison (Madison, WI), and The Rose Theater (Omaha, NE)
New Work Stage: Planned Idea
Estimated Completion: March 2024
Past New Works Fund Grantees
AFRICAN AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE
Homeschooled (2012) │ $25,000
Jonathan Norton, Playwright
Performance Dates: September 2013
BRUCE WOOD DANCE PROJECT
Chasing Home (2016) │ $70,000
Albert Drake, Choreographer
Joseph Thalken, Composer, Pianist, Arranger & Conductor
Performance Dates: June 2017
CARA MÍA THEATRE COMPANY
The Dreamers: A Bloodline (2012) │ $25,000
Cara Mía Artistic Ensemble
Performance Dates: May-June 2013
CHILDREN’S CHORUS OF GREATER DALLAS
This is the Key & Song to the Moon (2018) │ $25,000
Alan Bullard, Composer
Performance Dates: April 7, 2019
CRY HAVOC THEATER COMPANY
Endlings (2019) │ $25,000
Mara Richards Bim, Creator
Performance Dates: October 2020
DALLAS BACH SOCIETY
Le Mozart Noir (2014) │ $25,000
In collaboration with Contemporary Ballet Dallas
Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Composer
Valerie Shelton-Tabor, Choreographer
Performance Dates: February 2016
DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
Tribute (2016) │ $30,000
Matthew Rushing, Choreographer
Ted Rosenthal, Composer
Performance Dates: November 2016
Uncharted Territory (2017) │ $20,000
Bridget L. Moore, Choreographer
Performance Dates: November 3-5, 2017
DALLAS CHILDREN’S THEATER
Skippyjon Jones (2014) │ $25,000
Linda Daugherty, Playwright
Nick Martin, Composer and Librettist
Performance Dates: January – February 2015
Yana Wana’s Legend of the Bluebonnet (2017) │ $25,000
A co-production with Cara Mía Theatre Company
María F. Rocha and Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Authors
Héctor Martínez Morales, Composer
Evelio Flores, Choreographer
Performance Dates: March 23 – April 8, 2018
Last Stop on Market Street (2019) │ $25,000
Creators: Gloria Bond Clunie, Matt de la Peña, vickie washington, M. Denise Lee, and Robyn Flatt
Performance Dates: TBA
DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Caravan: A Revolution on the Road (2018) │ $37,500
Terence Blanchard, Rennie Harris and Andrew Scott
Performance Date: April 9, 2019
Negotiating Dialogues (2019) │ $15,00
Creators: Carmen Menza, Mark Menza, Eric Farrar, Joel Olivas, and musicians of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; as part of the DSO’s Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family SOLUNA International Music & Arts Festival
Performance Date: September 2021
DALLAS THEATER CENTER
Stagger Lee (2012) │ $50,000
Will Power and Justin Ellington, Playwrights
Performance Dates: January – February 2015
Deferred Action (2015) │ $50,000
A co-production with Cara Mía Theatre Company
David Lozano and Lee Trull, Playwrights
Performance Dates: April – May 2016
Penny Candy (2017) │ $55,000
Jonathan Norton, Playwright
Performance Dates: June 5 – July 14, 2019
The Supreme Leader (2019) │ $20,000
Don X. Nguyen, Playwright
Performance Dates: October & November 2021
DARK CIRCLES CONTEMPORARY DANCE
PETE: A New Dance Musical (2019) | $25,000
Joshua L. Peugh, Choreographer
Performance Dates: September 2019
FINE ARTS CHAMBER PLAYERS
Universal Language (2014) │ $25,000
Margaret Barrett, Composer
Dr. David Silva, Librettist
Performance Dates: November 2014
JUNIOR PLAYERS
Junior Players Presents: The Aftermath (2019) | $15,000
Creators: Erin Burdette and Michael Federico
Performance Dates: June 2020
KITCHEN DOG THEATER
The Thrush and the Woodpecker and
Blackberry Winter (2015) │ $50,000
Steve Yockey, Playwright
Performance Dates: May – June 2016
SECOND THOUGHT THEATRE
Booth (2013) │ $40,000
Steven Walters and Erik Archilla, Playwrights
Performance Dates: May – June 2014
THE DALLAS OPERA
Everest (2014) │ $25,000
Joby Talbot, Composer
Gene Scheer, Librettist
Performance Dates: January – February 2015
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2018) | $50,000
Joby Talbot, Composer
Gene Scheer, Librettist
Performance Dates: TBA
UNDERMAIN THEATRE
Abraham Zobell’s Home Movie: Final Reel (2013) │ $40,000
Len Jenkin, Playwright
Performance Dates: January – February 2014
He’s Born, He’s Borne (2019) | $25,000
David Rabe, Playwright
Performance Dates: TBA
VOICES OF CHANGE
Tibet Fantasia (2013) │ $20,000
Xi Wang, Composer
Performance Dates: March 2015