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:
- 2026 Nominee Helen Hayes Outstanding LEAD Performer in a Musical, Helen Fran Tapia as Verónica in Botiquín de boleros Columbia Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre
- 2026 Nominee Helen Hayes Outstanding LEAD Performer in a Musical, Helen Fran Tapia as Woland in Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show Spooky Action Theater
- 2026 Nominee Helen Hayes Outstanding ENSEMBLE in a Musical, Helen, for Botiquín de boleros Columbia Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre
- 2026 Nominee Helen Hayes Outstanding ENSEMBLE in a Musical, Helen, for Head Over Heels Constellation Theatre Company
- 2026 Nominee Helen Hayes Outstanding ENSEMBLE in a Musical, Helen, for Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show Spooky Action Theater
- 2025 Winner Broadway World Washington DC Award Best Cabaret / Concert / Solo Performance for Unreleased – Fran Tapia
- 2024 Winner Broadway World Washington DC Award as Best Performer in a Musical for Eva Perón in Mummy in the Closet – Evita´s Return.
- 2023 Winner Helen Hayes award as Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical, Helen Category for On Your Feet, En Español.
- 2023 Winner Helen Hayes award as Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical, Helen Category for Revoltosa (Troublemaker).
- 2023 Nominee Helen Hayes award as Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical, Helen Category for On Your Feet, En Español.
- 2023 Winner Broadway World Washington DC Award as Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for On Your Feet, En Español.
- 2008 Winner Altazor Award Best Choreography for 2007 to Elizabeth Rodríguez for “Cuando Bailo, Bailo; Cuando Duermo, Duermo”, Elizabeth Rodríguez Company. Role: Dancer.
- 2007 Winner Art Critics Circle Award Best Choreography “Cuando Bailo, Bailo; Cuando Duermo, Duermo”, Elizabeth Rodríguez Company. Role: Dancer.
In 2025, Fran Tapia was named an Individual Grantee of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities – Arts & Humanities Fellowship Program, supporting her ongoing work as a performing artist and humanities practitioner in Washington, DC.
Her work in film and television includes an appearance in the MSNBC docuseries Leguizamo Does America (Episode 3), directed by Ben Dejesus, where she was featured as the Director of the Paso Youth Program (2023). In film, 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). During 2025 she filmed the following projects currently on post production stages: Sangre o No, Cruda and Keep Her Quiet.
Currently, Fran is also developing her songwriting skills. 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 (Concord Records), 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 (’21-’22), empowering Latinx and BIPOC youth through the arts. She has directed the last three years of Strathmore’s Spring Theatre Camp (’24,’25,’26), leading a stage and musical adaptation of Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton, an exploration on Violeta Parra’s art and life and currently working on a piece inspired by Selena Quintanilla. She was also a mentor at Strathmore Arts and Social Justice Fellowship in 2024 and recently served 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, and her dance and vocal work has also captivated European audiences in José Vidal’s contemporary works. In her native Chile, Fran’s performance as Demeter in Cats remains an unforgettable turning point in her career.