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About Me:
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Fran Tapia (she/her) is a Chilean powerhouse: a dynamic singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and director whose versatility and passion have earned her major recognition across the performing arts. In recent years, her work has garnered several prestigious honors, including:
2023 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical (Helen category) for her portrayal of Gloria Fajardo in On Your Feet! En Español
2023 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical (Helen category) for Revoltosa
2023 Broadway World Washington, DC Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for On Your Feet! En Español
2025 Broadway World Washington, DC Award for Best Performer in a Musical for her leading role as Eva Perón in Mummy in the Closet – Evita’s Return
Her work in film and television includes an appearance as herself in the docuseries Leguizamo Does America (Episode 3), directed by Ben Dejesus, where she was featured as the Director of the Paso Youth Program (Chile, 2023). In cinema, she performed as a dancer and singer in Ema, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Pablo Larraín (2019), and as a backup dancer for Me Llamo Sebastián in Do It Like an Hombre, directed by Nicolás López (2017). Earlier in her career, she portrayed the role of Madre in the short film Cité, directed by Luis Cifuentes (2009).
Currently, Fran is pouring her heart into her greatest passion: songwriting. Her latest original work, Amor de mi Alma—a bolero infused with salsa rhythms—premiered in Botiquín de Boleros de Columbia Heights at GALA Theatre. She also penned the lyrics for Ese Mar along Ella Bric, featured on Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 2 by Jaime Lozano, released by Concord Records and celebrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda as “the next big thing on Broadway.” The album showcases a stellar all-Latine lineup of Broadway and Off-Broadway talent.
A passionate educator and advocate, Fran served as Director of GALA’s Paso Nuevo Youth Program (2021–2022) and was featured in John Leguizamo’s Leguizamo Does America highlighting her work empowering Latinx and BIPOC youth through the arts. She has directed last two years of Strathmore’s Spring Theatre Camp 2024 and 2025, leading a stage and musical adaptation of Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton and an exploration on Violeta Parra’s art and life. She was also a mentor as part of the Arts and Social Justice Fellowship (ASJF) in 2024. Fran currently serves as a mentor in Theatre Washington’s 2025 Mentorship Program. She is also the host and creator of Divino Tesoro, a heartfelt podcast exploring LGBTQI+ childhood (available on Spotify).
Her performance career spans across continents. In the U.S., she has brought powerful roles to life, including:
Lancelot, Sofia, Cat in The Dragon (Spooky Action, DC) – Dir. Elizabeth Dinkova
Verónica in Botiquín de Boleros (GALA, DC) – Dir. Valeria Cossu
Round 5 Teachers Lounge in NYU GMTWP Showcase Concert (The Cutting Room, NY)
Gynecia in Head Over Heels (Constellation Theatre, DC) – Dir. Allison Arkell Stockman
Woland in Professor Woland’s B.M. Rock Show (Spooky Action & The Kennedy Center, DC) – Dir. Elizabeth Dinkova
Gertrude in Hamlet, The Reading Room Festival (Folger Theatre, DC) – Dir. Laurie Woolery
Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Folger Theatre, DC) – Dir. Raymond O. Caldwell
Tecmessa in Ajax (ATLAS Performing Arts Center, DC) – Dir. Robert McNamara
Estela in Laughs in Spanish (1st Stage, VA) – Dir. Elena Velasco
Rosa in Café Con Leche (New York Theatre Barn & NYU, NYC) – Dir. Héctor Flores
Eva Perón in Mummy in the Closet, Evita’s Return (GALA Theatre)
Gloria Fajardo on the Broadway National Tour of On Your Feet! (2022–2023), including Ogunquit Playhouse
In the Heights (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival): ensemble and Daniela/Camila cover (performed)
On Your Feet! En Español (GALA Theatre): lead Gloria Fajardo and understudy for Gloria Estefan, under Broadway’s Luis Salgado
Her dance and vocal work has also captivated European audiences in José Vidal’s contemporary works:
Emergence (Hamburg)
Rite of Spring (Hamburg, Marseille, Amsterdam)
Tramas (Amsterdam)
In her native Chile, Fran’s performance as Demeter in Cats at the Municipal Theatre of Las Condes (Santiago) under choreographer Eduardo Yedro remains an iconic moment in her career.
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