Each season, PlayGround develops thirty-six original short plays by approximately two dozen emerging professional playwrights through our monthly Monday Night PlayGround series. Of these, seven plays and playwrights are selected each year to receive PlayGround's Emerging Playwright Award and full production of the short plays as part of The Best of PlayGround festival, running for four weeks in May. The festival also includes staged readings of new full-length works, developed as part of PlayGround's commissioning programs.

The 16th Annual Best of PlayGround Festival

May 3-27, 2012
Thu-Sat at 8pm / Sun at 7pm
Thick House
1695 18th Street (off Arkansas Street)
San Francisco

Box Office Press Release

Childless by Garret Jon Groenveld, music by Christopher Winslow
Ships in the Day by Genevieve Jessee
Hella Love Oakland by Robin Lynn Rodriguez
Room for Rent by Mercedes Segesvary
Miss Finknagle Succumbs to Chaos by Kirk Shimano
You Eat What You Kill by Cleavon Smith
Meet the Breeders by Ignacio Zulueta, music by Don Seaver

Directors: Joy Carlin, Jessica Heidt, Jim Kleinmann, Raelle Myrick-Hodges, M. Graham Smith, Jon Tracy, Tracy Ward. Ensemble: Michael Asberry*, Lauren English*, Gabriel Grilli*, Roselyn Hallett, Lisa Morse*, Cathleen Riddley*, Maryssa Wanlass, Anthony Williams / Stage Manager: Bethanie Baeyen*
* Member, Actors' Equity Association

To preview the festival PLAYBILL, click here.
To see production PHOTOS, click here.

Festival Special Events:
May 5 - Opening Night (includes post-performance reception)
May 6- June Anne Baker Prize Night (includes post-performance reception)
May 13, 20, 27 - Playwrights on Stage (post-performance discussions with the playwrights)
For more information and the complete schedule, click here.

The 2012 Young Playwrights Project contest finalists will be announced on May 1, 2012.
To view video clips of past festivals, click here.

Past Festivals