The Emilio Aparicio National Amateur Theater Festival is an annual event, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic, through the National Drama Directorate and the Narciso González Cultural Center. It encourages, stimulates and disseminates Dominican theatrical activity. It encourages local dramaturgy and the creation of new theater groups. It is a competitive event. It awards and stimuli to the winning staging and pays tribute to mister Emilio Aparicio, a Spanish exile who promoted the theater and its teachings between 1940 and 1949, in the Dominican Republic.