
Round 2
Round 1 is on June 8th, Round 2 is on June 9th, and Round 3 is June 10th.
The ten actors were selected from a nationwide search. For round 2, they will be given a scene and only 30 minutes to prepare before performing it for the judges. The judges will give adjustments and hear the scene at least twice for each actor. Five actors will be eliminated after round 2. For the final round (June 10th), actors will perform their monologue again, taking into consideration written notes provided by the judges.
The 1st Place winner will receive $5000; the 2nd place finalist will receive $4000; the 3rd place finalist will receive $3000; the audience favorite will receive $1000. Finalists will be judged by notable figures in the performing arts industry from outside of Texas.
This event is part of our enthralling two-week adventure, SparkFest 2023. Explore other SparkFest events.
Amphibian Stage’s New Tiered Ticket Pricing Model
Tickets for this show range from $10-30, but YOU get to decide what you pay in an effort to make theatre more accessible for any budget. Read more about our tiered ticketing model here!
Meet the Actors & Judges

Ariana Derambakhsh
Acting Competition Finalist
Ariana Derambakhsh is an actor based in Redondo Beach, CA.
Acting Competition Finalist
Ariana Derambakhsh

Ariana Derambakhsh is an actor based in Redondo Beach, CA.

Ahmad Kamal
Acting Competition Finalist
Ahmad Kamal is thrilled to be making his debut at Amphibian Stage! Ahmad is an Egyptian actor residing in Washington DC, where his regional credits include Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Olney Theatre Center, among others. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Instagram: @king_o_egypt.
Acting Competition Finalist
Ahmad Kamal

Ahmad Kamal is thrilled to be making his debut at Amphibian Stage! Ahmad is an Egyptian actor residing in Washington DC, where his regional credits include Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Olney Theatre Center, among others. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Instagram: @king_o_egypt.

Andrew Nicolas
Acting Competition Finalist
Andrew Nicolas is an actor based in McKinney, TX.
Acting Competition Finalist
Andrew Nicolas

Andrew Nicolas is an actor based in McKinney, TX.

Haneen Arafat Murphy
Acting Competition Finalist
Naneen Arafat Murphy is an actor based in South Orange, NJ.
Acting Competition Finalist
Haneen Arafat Murphy

Naneen Arafat Murphy is an actor based in South Orange, NJ.

Jamie Rezanour
Acting Competition Finalist
Jamie Rezanour is an actor based in Houston, TX.
Acting Competition Finalist
Jamie Rezanour

Jamie Rezanour is an actor based in Houston, TX.

Lois Abdelmalek
Acting Competition Finalist
Lois Abdelmalek is an actor based in Philadelphia, PA.
Acting Competition Finalist
Lois Abdelmalek

Lois Abdelmalek is an actor based in Philadelphia, PA.

Mariana Saba
Acting Competition Finalist
Mariana Saba is an actor based in Northport, NY.
Acting Competition Finalist
Mariana Saba

Mariana Saba is an actor based in Northport, NY.

Savannah Yasmine Elayyach
Acting Competition Finalist
Savannah Yasmine Elayyach is a Lebanese-Brazilian actor born and raised in Dallas, TX. She has worked with various DFW theaters, including Dallas Theater Center (Clue), Circle Theatre (One Man, Two Guvnors and HSPP: Waiting for the End), Echo Theatre (Tomorrow Game), Imprint Theatreworks (PUFFS, We Are Pussy Riot, and First Impressions Festival), Firehouse Theatre (Curiouser), and Lily & Joan (Redeemer Mine). Other credits include In the Heights, Dog Sees God, The Crucible, Watbanaland, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Fefu and Her Friends, and more.
Acting Competition Finalist
Savannah Yasmine Elayyach

Savannah Yasmine Elayyach is a Lebanese-Brazilian actor born and raised in Dallas, TX. She has worked with various DFW theaters, including Dallas Theater Center (Clue), Circle Theatre (One Man, Two Guvnors and HSPP: Waiting for the End), Echo Theatre (Tomorrow Game), Imprint Theatreworks (PUFFS, We Are Pussy Riot, and First Impressions Festival), Firehouse Theatre (Curiouser), and Lily & Joan (Redeemer Mine). Other credits include In the Heights, Dog Sees God, The Crucible, Watbanaland, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Fefu and Her Friends, and more.

Christian Tannous
Acting Competition Finalist
Christian Tannous is an actor based in Sugarland, TX.
Acting Competition Finalist
Christian Tannous

Christian Tannous is an actor based in Sugarland, TX.

Victoria Nassif
Acting Competition Finalist
Victoria Nassif is an actor based in Chicago, IL.
Acting Competition Finalist
Victoria Nassif

Victoria Nassif is an actor based in Chicago, IL.

Taylor Blackman
Judge
Taylor Blackman (he/him) is an actor, writer, producer, director, and professor based in Brooklyn, NY. As an actor, Taylor recently finished the first National Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He has also performed with Roundabout Theatre Company, The Movement Theatre Company, The Public Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and New York Stage & Film. Taylor can also be seen on Comedy Central’s “Alternatino” and on CBS’ “FBI”. As a playwright, he is currently under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre & Roberta P Sloan to create a new scientific play. He has held residency with Hi-ARTS Harlem to develop new works, as well creatively produced readings and workshops of his own work. Taylor recently served as the movement director for a recent production of Sweet Chariot that premiered at The Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival. He holds a professorship with the New School in the Theatre Department. Taylor is currently working on a new musical titled Hero, created by Shariffa Ali and Vuyo Sotashe.
Judge
Taylor Blackman

Taylor Blackman (he/him) is an actor, writer, producer, director, and professor based in Brooklyn, NY. As an actor, Taylor recently finished the first National Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He has also performed with Roundabout Theatre Company, The Movement Theatre Company, The Public Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and New York Stage & Film. Taylor can also be seen on Comedy Central’s “Alternatino” and on CBS’ “FBI”. As a playwright, he is currently under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre & Roberta P Sloan to create a new scientific play. He has held residency with Hi-ARTS Harlem to develop new works, as well creatively produced readings and workshops of his own work. Taylor recently served as the movement director for a recent production of Sweet Chariot that premiered at The Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival. He holds a professorship with the New School in the Theatre Department. Taylor is currently working on a new musical titled Hero, created by Shariffa Ali and Vuyo Sotashe.

Spencer Gualdoni
Judge
Originally from Southern Illinois, Spencer received his Bachelor’s of Music in Musical Theater from Oklahoma City University. As a teacher and Guest Artist, he has taught with Carnegie Mellon University, Oklahoma City University, Marymount Manhattan, Reinhardt University, West Texas A&M University, Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Kids Auditions, The Actor’s Connection and many more. Spencer enjoys helping aspiring artists hone in on their craft while also examining the ins and outs of preparing for an audition.
Judge
Spencer Gualdoni

Originally from Southern Illinois, Spencer received his Bachelor’s of Music in Musical Theater from Oklahoma City University. As a teacher and Guest Artist, he has taught with Carnegie Mellon University, Oklahoma City University, Marymount Manhattan, Reinhardt University, West Texas A&M University, Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Kids Auditions, The Actor’s Connection and many more. Spencer enjoys helping aspiring artists hone in on their craft while also examining the ins and outs of preparing for an audition.

Kate Moore Heaney
Judge
Kate Moore Heaney (she/her) is a theatre director, producer, and dramaturg. Kate is the Artistic Associate, Literary at Long Wharf Theatre, Artistic Producer of Noor Theatre, and a founding steering committee member for the Middle Eastern and North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA). She has directed and/or developed new work with The Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, The Playwrights Realm, The Civilians’ R&D Group, New York Theatre Workshop, The Amoralists, The Flea, The Shakespeare Society, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, and other NYC companies. She has assistant or associate directed with Ibex Theatricals/The New Vic, McCarter Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, Yale Institute for Music Theatre, and The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway. B.A.: Yale. katemooreheaney.com
Judge
Kate Moore Heaney

Kate Moore Heaney (she/her) is a theatre director, producer, and dramaturg. Kate is the Artistic Associate, Literary at Long Wharf Theatre, Artistic Producer of Noor Theatre, and a founding steering committee member for the Middle Eastern and North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA). She has directed and/or developed new work with The Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, The Playwrights Realm, The Civilians’ R&D Group, New York Theatre Workshop, The Amoralists, The Flea, The Shakespeare Society, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, and other NYC companies. She has assistant or associate directed with Ibex Theatricals/The New Vic, McCarter Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, Yale Institute for Music Theatre, and The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway. B.A.: Yale. katemooreheaney.com

Sharifa Yasmin
Judge
Sharifa Yasmin (she/her) is a trans Egyptian-American director, actor, playwright and intimacy coordinator. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Yasmin’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been produced with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Uprising Theatre, Amphibian Stage, Trans Theatre Fest, Women’s Theatre Festival, taught at DePaul, Susquehanna, and Kansas Universities, and published in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Yasmin was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League’s Directors Council, and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep. www.sharifayasmin.com
Judge
Sharifa Yasmin

Sharifa Yasmin (she/her) is a trans Egyptian-American director, actor, playwright and intimacy coordinator. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Yasmin’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been produced with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Uprising Theatre, Amphibian Stage, Trans Theatre Fest, Women’s Theatre Festival, taught at DePaul, Susquehanna, and Kansas Universities, and published in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Yasmin was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League’s Directors Council, and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep. www.sharifayasmin.com
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