Theatre

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. The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival returns with a weekend of new play readings by South Florida creatives. Join us April 16-19, 2026, at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove for the return of world-class theatre to Coconut Grove!

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 Emilia 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. ​​ 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. The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival returns with a weekend of new play readings by South Florida creatives. Join us April 16-19, 2026, at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove for the return of world-class theatre to Coconut Grove!

Friday, April 17 | 7:30 PM Ama. Egg. Oyá. Written by Lori Felipe-Barkin | Directed by Sara Jarell Presented in English and Spanish 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. With live musical accompaniment by Juno-winning Afro-Cuban Jazz Band OKAN, Ama. Egg. Oyá. is a vibrant and deeply human story of hope, loss, and spiritual connection. The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival returns with a weekend of new play readings by South Florida creatives. Join us April 16-19, 2026, at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove for the return of world-class theatre to Coconut Grove!

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. The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival returns with a weekend of new play readings by South Florida creatives. Join us April 16-19, 2026, at the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove for the return of world-class theatre to Coconut Grove!

Frederick Frankenstein, the grandson of the famous Victor Frankenstein, inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania. With the help of his hunchbacked sidekick, Igor, and his tall lab assistant, Inga, Frederick steps into the shoes of his ancestors as a mad scientist. “It’s alive!” he shouts as he brings to life a creature that’s just as amazing as his grandfather’s. Of course, the monster eventually escapes, and the fun never stops!

A prominent Jewish family, fractured by the politics and aftermath of October 7, gathers for a fragile reunion at a luxury Caribbean resort. But as a sudden hurricane bears down outside their bungalow, an even fiercer storm erupts within—forcing them to confront old wounds, clashing values, and the ties that may no longer bind them. In this urgent and deeply human world premiere from acclaimed playwright S. Asher Gelman (Afterglow), The Zionists: A Family Storm lays bare how identity, politics, and history can tear families apart—and the struggle to hold them together in an increasingly divided world.

Dancing in Mama's Kitchen is a celebration of community featuring talented local artists who share their talents and memories of gathering in Mama's kitchen for food, music, conversation and more. The afternoon culminates in an exciting Ted Talk style food demonstration and tasting. Its a family friendly event and free to the public.

A musical journey through fame, friendship and the cost of success. Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of Frank Shepard, a famous songwriter and film producer, and his two closest friends. Moving backward across 20 years, the show details Frank’s rise from penniless, dreamy-eyed composer to wealthy, film-producing sellout and what he lost to get there.

Join The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival's creative and production team as they kick off the countdown to April's CGTFest 2026 on this Instagram Live! Featuring interviews, special guests, and the announcement of the CGTFest 2026 schedule and tickets, join in as CGTFest starts of the season of new theatre in Coconut Grove. Presenting new work for South Florida, by South Florida.

As a special 15th anniversary season event, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center is thrilled to welcome back the first show to perform on our stage in 2010. In this award-winning solo musical performance, Avi Hoffman explores his Jewish roots, and has discovered that all audiences can identify with the humor and music of his upbringing. Jews and non-Jews alike joinAvi on a journey through his history, relating stories of his family’s immigrant background and the culture within which he was raised. He has discovered the ‘lost treasures’ of Jewish comedy and music, the songs and comedy routines that entertained hundreds of thousands of people from the Catskills to Miami Beach, from Carnegie Hall to Yiddish Vaudeville. Avi serves as a bridge between the old world and the new as he recreates and rediscovers the wonderful music, comedy and pathos of the extraordinary period of creativity that began with the immigrants and continues till today. Avi introduces performers, that were the biggest stars of the '40s, '50s and '60s, whose jokes, stories and songs served as a bridge between the old world and the new, and are now completely unknown to contemporary audiences; only vague memories to those who lived through that era. He recreates the persona of the great-grandfather of stand-up comedy, the Jewish Vaudevillian Menashe Skulnick. Avi Hoffman recreates and rediscovers the wonderful music, comedy and pathos of the extraordinary period of creativity that began with the immigrants and continued with their children. A time that was to become the breeding ground for the great comedians of our time - Henny Youngman, Milton Berle, The Marx Brothers, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Brooks & Carl Reiner, Woody Allen and the hundreds of others that were influenced and inspired during those years.