Teatro Vivo is excited to announce the selection of four new plays written by local, Austin-based playwrights for their 2026 Austin Latinx New Play Festival (ALNPF). Those plays include:

111 Fires and 1 Flood at the Guatemalan Natural History Museum by Khristián Méndez Aguirre

Altares by Claudia Zapata

Entrelazadas – Intertwined by Alison Vasquez

T-minus-15 by Diamante Martinez

The 2026 ALNPF will present staged readings of each of these plays on April 23 – 25, 2026 at the ZACH Theatre campus. You can read more about each play below. More details about tickets and performance times will be announced soon! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all the updates on the 2026 ALNPF! This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.

Teatro Vivo se complace en anunciar la selección de cuatro nuevas obras escritas por dramaturgos locales residentes en Austin para su Festival de Nuevas Obras Latinx de Austin (ALNPF) de 2026. Dichas obras son:

111 Fires and 1 Flood at the Guatemalan Natural History Museum by Khristián Méndez Aguirre

Altares by Claudia Zapata

Entrelazadas – Intertwined by Alison Vasquez

T-minus-15 by Diamante Martinez

El ALNPF 2026 presentará lecturas dramatizadas de cada una de estas obras del 23 al 25 de abril de 2026 en el recinto del ZACH Theatre. A continuación puedes leer más sobre cada obra. ¡Próximamente se anunciarán más detalles sobre las entradas y los horarios de las representaciones! ¡Síguenos en Facebook e Instagram para estar al día de todas las novedades sobre el ALNPF 2026! Este proyecto cuenta con el apoyo parcial de una subvención Elevate de Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.

Read more about the 2026 ALNPF Selections:

111 Fires and 1 Flood at the Guatemalan Natural History Museum (written by Khristián Méndez Aguirre) follows a conservation biologist named Oscar on a loopy, voice-over-narrated trip to an old, dusty museum to find answers for forest conservation in post-war Guatemala. 

Altares (written by Claudia Zapata)  is a multigenerational narrative about the queer identities that comprise families, whether visible or hidden. Through the creation of a Day of the Dead altar and historical flashbacks, a family comes to reconcile the pain of a misunderstood death and to acknowledge the necessary persistence of memory in acknowledging their own queer histories.

Entrelazadas – Intertwined (written by Alison Vasquez) What happens when the stories you have been told are in contradiction to the “proof” as recorded by those in power? Six amigos decide if/how to stand up against injustice. This play asks us to examine what it means to navigate the milpa of life: love, lucha, and mikilis.

T-minus-15 (written by Diamante) follows Dani during his 14th year. Not only does he have to navigate the loss of his father, but also plan his quinceanera. This coming of age story explores the connection between culture, queerness and the importance of connecting with your ancestors.

Learn more about the selected playwrights:

Khristián Méndez Aguirre is a theater artist and researcher. As a playwright, he’s an alum of the Candela Fellowship hosted by the Dramatists Guild, and The Civilians’ R&D Group. He’s been a finalist for The Civilians and Princeton University’s Next Forever commission, Pipeline Theater’s Playlab, and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation Residency. He’s previously participated in ANLPF as a director in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and is very honored to have been selected as a playwright for this year’s edition! https://khristianmendez.com 

Claudia Zapata (they/them) is a scholar, visual artist, and emerging screenwriter and playwright. Zapata was one of six finalists selected for the M Film Lab Amplifying Latinx screenwriting lab in 2022. In 2024, they participated in Teatro Vivo’s Playwright’s Workshop: From Idea to Page. They served on the Film Programming Committee and as a Film Note Writer for Austin’s Polari Film Festival. Currently, Zapata is an artist-in-residence with the City of Austin. They are developing the Memorias Project, an immersive archival recital and installation that chronicles the history of Latina/o/x communities in Austin. They hold a Ph.D. in Art History from Southern Methodist University.

Alison Vasquez (She/Ella/Ya) born in San Antonio, TX, raised in Santa Cruz, CA, is a director, playwright, actress, and Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Austin. MFA in Theatre (The Ohio State University), Bachelor’s in Theatre (University of Northern Colorado). Selected Playwriting: La Flor de La Canela (The Wexner Center; BAAD Ass Women’s Festival NYC); This Above All, and The Camouflage Project (The Ohio State University); Nochipa kiyolchikajki Abuela Vera, René uan Paloma. Siempre inspirado en Abuela Vera, René y Paloma. Forever inspired by Abuela Vera, René, and Paloma. www.alisonvasquezmfa.com

Diamante is a theatre maker, writer, and visual artist living in Austin, TX. Currently, they are the technical director for Del Valle High School. They are passionate about cultivating stories with young people. Their identity as a queer Latiné person fuels their artistry and they are proud to be from El Paso, TX. Diamante’s latest credits include directing a staged reading of Spayce Boys for UTNT 2024 and collaborating with local music project, Hex BoyFriend. When they aren’t making theatre, you can find them collaging or writing in their backyard.