PlayGround presents Season 30

28th ANNUAL PLAYGROUND FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS

May 7-26, 2024
Live at Potrero Stage + Simulcast
On-Demand thru May 31

Acknowledging the Legacy of the Land We Inhabit

PlayGround acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush (RAH-my-toosh) Ohlone (oh-LOW-nee) and Lisjan (lih-SHAH-n) Ohlone, the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula and East Bay, respectively. As the past and present Indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone and Lisjan have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. We recognize the historic injustice of the forcible removal of the Ohlone people from their ancestral lands, and that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the Ancestors, Elders and Relatives of the Ramaytush and Lisjan Communities and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. We honor the storytellers of the Ohlone and are grateful for our ability to share and uplift Indigenous stories and those of other historically marginalized communities.

To learn about the legacy of the land you inhabit, visit Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land. To read the complete Land Acknowledgment Policy, click here.

PlayGround’s Anti-Racist Policy

PlayGround recognizes the impact of racial oppression within society and the American Theater and that we have been complicit in White Supremacy culture. Our goal is to co-create safety for our community by identifying and interrupting instances of racism and all forms of oppression when we witness them, through specific actions rooted in the principles of anti-racism and accessibility. In its endeavor to address the implications of our history, PlayGround is committed to its compliance with the following fundamental rights:

• The recognition of inherent dignity and worth of each human being.
• The recognition of equality of all human beings.
• Recognition of rights of ethnic, racial, cultural, linguistic and religious groups.
• Equality and non-discrimination.

PlayGround’s Anti-Racist Policy applies to: all members of the PlayGround community, including employees, independent contractors, volunteers, audience members, donors, and general members of the community.

To read the complete Anti-Racist Policy, click here.

Festival Sponsors

PlayGround is grateful for the following Festival Sponsors, whose generous support makes this year’s PlayGround Festival of New Works possible: AfroSolo, Sharon Baldwin, Cass Brayton, Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, Ms. Marilyn Berg Cooper, Krystyna Finlayson, Clint Fleener, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann, Keith Goldstein & Donna N. Warrington, Regina S. Guggenheim, John Hale, Martin Haro, Gina Harris, Ms. Kathryn A Hecht, Lucy Hsu, Just Play Productions, Brandy T Jones, Joanne Kobori, Dr. Yvonne LaLanne, Teresa Lunt, Rhea MacCallum, Linda G Marks, Sheila McCormick, Michael Kobori & Sachiko Nagai-Kobori, Nitin, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Phyllis Rothman, John Ruskin, Kathryn Ryan, Miyoko Sakatani, Anonymous, Nancy W. Smith, Abraham D. Sofaer, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Susannah Wise & Scott Lebus

To learn more or becoming a festival sponsor, click here.

Programs & Cast Lists

May 7, 2024 7pm PT

Festival Kick-off and Panel
Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Robyn Brooks, PlayGround Alumni
Anne Yumi Kobori, PlayGround Alumni
Matthew Y. Morishige, PlayGround Alumni
Bridgette Dutta Portman, PlayGround Alumni
Louel Señores, PlayGround Alumni
Stan Stone, PlayGround Alumni
Lisa Gaye Thompson, PlayGround Alumni

May 10, 2024 7pm PT

A Festival Staged Reading

Rivals of Mars
by Bridgette Dutta Portman
Directed by Tanika Baptiste
Rosa…………….Carolina Morones
Jerome……………….Robert Sicular
Alison/Ghost……..Annette Oliveira
Stage Directions/Child/Mission Control…… Carla Gallardo

Stage Manager: Tajianna Okechukwu

May 11 & 12, 2024 7pm PT

A Festival Premiere Presentation

Apertures of Love in Times of War
by Anne Yumi Kobori
Directed by Katja Rivera
Aya…………….Sakura Nakahara
Ed……………….Justin Hernandez
Marty……..Michael Barret Austin
Takahashi……………James Aaron Oh
Gabrielle/Miyo………….Julie Kuwabara
Jean-Baptiste……………..Brian Herndon

Stage Manager: Tajianna Okechukwu
Lighting Designer: Brittany Mellerson
Properties Artisan: Vincent Chau
Costume Designer: Chris Steele
Sound Designer: Elton Bradman
Intimacy Coordinator: Jeunée Simon
Production Assistant: Solomon Casado

May 13, 2024 7pm PT

A Festival Staged Reading

Work/Shoot
By Matthew Y. Morishige
Directed by Ciera Eis
Mayra Mendoza/Maya Money…………. L. Duarte
Miguel.…………………………………Justin Lopez
Aurora/Mother.………………..Marissa Ampon
Farrah Fenix.…………………..Krystle Piamonte
Talia/All Opponents/All Wrestlers.……Natalia Delgado
Ryan Reed/Victor/Commentary……………..Ryan Tasker

Stage Manager: Liam Kirk

May 17, 2024 7pm PT

A Festival Staged Reading

The Passing Storm
By Jessica June Rowe
Directed by Katja Rivera
Andrew………………..Brady Morales-Woolery
Maya/Chloe/Climber 1 ……………………...Isabel To
Rick/Scott/Radio/Climber 4/Climber 8………….Mark Truitt
Gwen/Jodie/Climber 5/Climber 7…………Mary Ann Rodgers
Nigel/Climber 3…………………………….David Cramer
Pasang/Climber 2/Climber 6………….Leon Goertzen

Stage Manager: Liam Kirk

May 18 & 19, 2024 7pm PT

A Festival Premiere Presentation

A Thousand Natural Shocks
By Jacob Marx Rice
Directed by Tracy Ward
Kennedy………………Jeunée Simon
Laurel……………..Maryssa Wanlass
Jennifer………………………Zoe Chien
Molly………………….Rebecca Pingree
Doctor………….Catherine Castellanos

Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone
Sound Designer: Lana Palmer
Properties Artisan: Dianne Harrison
Lighting Designer: Brittany Mellerson
Costume Designer: Nia Jacobs
Production Assistant: Solomon Casado

A Thousand Natural Shocks is a PlayGround commission and was originally developed at the 27th annual PlayGround Festival of New Works.

May 20, 2024 7pm PT

A Festival Staged Reading

Crazy Jezebels
By Bailey Jordan Garcia
Directed by Tessa Corrie
Lilith…...Livia Gomes Demarchi
Jay……………………….Deja Lopez
Eve……………………Gisela Feied
Mrs. L………………….Molly Noble
Nurse/Stage Directions………...GG Grili

Stage Manager: Liam Kirk

May 24, 2024 7pm PT

The 16th Annual Young Playwrights Project

Take Charge
By Hiu Yan Chu
Directed by April Ballesteros
Ether………………………Jed Parsario
Vilo/Narrator…………..Wayne Wong
Kylie………………………………Isabel To
Kaso……………….Doy Charnsupharindr

Where I’m From
By Shannon Floyd Jr
Directed by Rebecca Pingree
Quincy…………..Khary Moye
Brenda………Lucca Troutman
Jose……………….Louel Senores
Chelsea…………..Kelly Rinehart

2100
By Oona Haskovec
Directed by Doyle Ott
Harriet……………..Marjan Safa
Kenedeigh……….Cathleen Riddley
Receptionist………………….L Duarte

Curtain Speeches
By Alexis Tuchinda
Directed by Linda Amayo-Hassan
Rue Young…………….Krystle Piamonte
Mr. Todd……………..Mark Rafael Truitt
Miss K / Mrs. P……………..Miyoko Sakatani
Jean……………………..L Duarte

Stage Manager: Liam Kirk

May 25 & 26, 2023 7pm PT

Best of PlayGround(SF) ’24

Bessie in Medias Res
By Robyn Brooks
Directed by Tanika Baptiste
Bessie Smith……………..Chelsea Bearce
Ma Rainey…………….Jacinta Kaumbulu
Chorus-Line Dancer……Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green

Mack & Mimi Encounter Totality
by Lisa Gaye Thompson
Directed by Molly Noble
Mack………..Norman Gee
Mimi..……..Emilie Talbot

Madam Gorgo
by Kimberly Ridgeway
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Athena………….April Ballesteros
Medusa…..Tajianna Okechukwu
Poseidon…………Ben Chau-Chiu

Iván Y El Justiciero
by Justin P. Lopez
Directed by Karina Gutierrez
Iván…………Christian Jimenez
Papá/Justiciero……Noe Flores
Gabacho….Daniel Martinez Jr.

Freedom
by Stan Stone
Directed by Norman Gee
Eve…..Leontyne Mbele-Mbong
Samson………….Khary Moye
Momma Rose……Cathleen Riddley

Better Unkept
by Louel Señores
Directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza
Leonel……….Mikee Loria
Leanna………Melissa Locsin
Joselyn…………Krystle Piamonte
Jericho……….Doy Charnsupharindr

Lighting Designer: Brittany Mellerson
Props Artisan: Dianne Harrison
Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman
Sound Designer: James Goode
Costume Designer: Nia Jacobs

These live streams are produced under a SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.

PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area, Theatre Communications Group, the League of Chicago Theatre, A.R.T./New York, and a Partner Organization of the National New Play Network (NNPN).

People’s Choice Award

Following the Best of PlayGround(SF) ’24 performances, we invite your participation in the Best of PlayGround People’s Choice Award. Through the People’s Choice Award, our audience can play a direct impact in furthering the career of a promising new playwright. To vote, make a People’s Choice Award tax-deductible donation on behalf of your favorite play(s)/playwright(s) from the evening. Every donated dollar counts as a vote while directly supporting PlayGround’s New Play Commissioning program.

Cast your vote for your favorite play(s) by making a People’s Choice donation via Zelle (info@playground-sf.org), Venmo (our account ID is @playgroundsf and if they ask for the last four digits of my phone, it’s 8541) or on our website at https://tickets.playground-sf.org/TheatreManager/1/online?donationquick=16 (you can also visit the Best of PlayGround page for the People’s Choice donation button). Add a note/memo with your gift to indicate your favorite play(s) or email your selection to boxoffice@playground-sf.org.

At the end of June, we’ll tally up the top vote-getter and recipient of this year’s Best of PlayGround People’s Choice New Play Commission, a full-length expansion and adaptation of their award-winning Best of PlayGround short play. It’s a powerful way of showing your support for new writers and their work, while helping PlayGround continue doing what we do!

Biographies

PLAYWRIGHTS

ROBYN BROOKS (BoP: Bessie in Medias Res), she/her, M.F.A., Creative Writing/Poetry, and M.F.A., Creative Writing/Playwriting, author of the poetry chapbook, “venus in retrograde” (Finishing Line Press, 2015), is a poet, playwright, and director. Her plays have been staged/read at Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Tennessee Women’s Theater Project; Theatre of Yugen; Theatre Rhinoceros; Los Angeles Women’s Theater Project; Potrero Stage; and other venues. She has directed several of her plays. A playwright for SF PlayGround’s Writers Pool 2007-2013 and 2023-2024, Brooks is SF PlayGround’s November 2023 People’s Choice Award winner, and a selected playwright for CIMIENTOS 2024, a play development program for playwrights, through IATI Theater, New York.

HIU YAN CHU (Young Playwrights Project: Take Charge), she/her, also known as Christine, is a ninth grader at Galileo High School. She previously attended Marina Middle School. In her own time, she enjoys immersing herself in Chinese dramas.

SHANNON “SHAWN” FLOYD JR. (Young Playwrights Project: Where I’m From), he/him, is a 9th grader at Galileo High School and has lived in San Francisco their whole life. He loves football and playing the electric guitar. He played in a band in Middle School where he wrote and produced original songs. Shawn has two older sisters, and in his spare time, he likes playing video games and drawing. This is Shawn’s first play!

BAILEY JORDAN GARCIA (Festival Reading: Crazy Jezebels), they/them, is a queer non-binary playwright based in NYC. Their full-length Pedo Punchers was a part of The Blank Theatre’s Living Room series. Also with The Blank, they became a winner of The Young Playwrights Festival with their piece “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Our Lord and Savior” (a play that also won “Best Play” at the Players Theatre Short Play Festival). They have gotten 4 people’s choice awards with PlayGround-NY and -LA, including two “Best Of the Best Ofs”. They’re also in their second year of Playground-One’s residency program where they’ve written their full-length Is this Beauty (which was a finalist for WaterWorks 2024). They’ve also worked with groups such as Atlantic Acting Studio, Bite Sized Theatrics, Boston Theatre Company, Cry Havoc, Ohio University, and over 30 others! They are also the co-founder of Fresh Binder Productions – a theatre company highlighting transgender and non-binary voices. When they aren’t writing or seeing as much theatre as humanly possible, Bailey can usually be found at Bethesda Fountain, cuddling with their 3-legged pup, volunteering at Brave Trails (an LGBT+ summer camp), or talking your ear off about Angels in America. baileyjordangarcia.com

OONA HASKOVEC (Young Playwrights Project: 2100), he/him, is a high school writer based in San Francisco, CA. He has three previously published poems with Synchronized Chaos, K’in Literary Journal, and Nightjar Magazine.

ANNE YUMI KOBORI (Festival Premiere: Apertures of Love in Times of War), she/her, is a Japanese-American playwright, actor, producer, director, and teaching artist. As a director, she has worked with Utopia Theatre Project, EnActe Arts, Los Altos Youth Theatre, and SF Shakespeare Festival, where she spent 5 years as Education Program Manager. Her full-length plays Seeds, Every Day Alice, and her adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull have premiered with Utopia Theatre Project. Currently, Anne is a co-writer for Braided, a play exploring Native American liberation and Japanese American resilience, in development with Theatre of Yugen. BA Theatre Arts, summa cum laude, Santa Clara University.

JUSTIN P. LOPEZ (BoP: Iván y El Justiciero), he/him, is a mixed-race Indigenous, Latino, and Asian actor, singer, writer, and boba-milk-tea enthusiast, who is passionate about new works and loves finding true connection and humanity in each script. As an actor, recent credits include the world premieres of Kiss My Aztec! (Berkeley Repertory Theatre) and Unbreakable by Andrew Lippa (SFGMC). As a writer, Justin’s work has been recognized by the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Ashland New Play Festival, and many organizations around the country, including Teatro Chelsea, Custom Made Theatre Company, and Town Hall Theatre. Find out what else Justin is up to at www.justinplopez.com

MATTHEW Y. MORISHIGE (Festival Reading: Work/Shoot), he/him, is an actor, musician, and playwright based in the Bay Area. Matthew has been a member of the Playground Writers’ pool since the ’22-’23 season. This is Matthew’s first full-length as a part of Playground’s Festival Staged Readings. Matthew is committed to amplifying diverse perspectives and is energized by collaboration with artists across many disciplines.

BRIDGETTE DUTTA PORTMAN (Festival Reading: Rivals of Mars), she/her, is an award-winning playwright and novelist. More than two dozen of her plays have been produced locally, nationally, and internationally. She is president of the Pear Theatre board of directors and a member of the Pear Playwrights’ Guild, the 2023-24 PlayGround writers pool, and the Dramatists’ Guild. She received the 2023 June Anne Baker Prize from PlayGround and has been a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights’ Festival, the Theatre Bay Area TITAN award, the PlayPenn Conference, the Kentucky Women’s Theatre Conference Prize for Women Writers, the New Dramatists Playwrights’ residency, and more. She teaches composition and creative writing at UC Berkeley.

JACOB MARX RICE (Festival Premiere: A Thousand Natural Shocks), he/him, has written plays that have been produced and developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, The Finborough Theatre in London, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Flea Theater, The New Ohio, Atlantic Theatre Stage 2, and others. His play Chemistry has premiered in seven cities across three continents. Recent prizes include the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, an Ensemble Studio Theater Sloan Commission, and the Faculty Award from the NYU/Tisch Department of Dramatic Writing. MFA: NYU.

KIMBERLY RIDGEWAY (BoP: Madam Gorgo) she/her, is a playwright, director, actor, and producer. Her impressive portfolio includes writing, producing, and directing the full-length stage plays Prospect Place, No More Secrets, and The Gigolo Chronicles. Kimberly has directed projects for Altarena Playhouse, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Oakland Theatre Project, SF Playground, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Palo Alto Players, 3Girls Theatre, TheatreFirst, Three Willows Theatre (TX), National Black Theatre (NY), and Spokane Civic Theatre (WA). Kim will be making her directorial debut at Shotgun Players (May 2024) and Central Works (July 2024). She is also a member of the PlayGround Directing Company. Explore more of Kim’s work on New Play Exchange.

JESSICA JUNE ROWE (Festival Reading: The Passing Storm) is a writer, playwright, editor, and perpetual daydreamer. Her short plays have been featured on multiple stages in Los Angeles with companies such as Playground-LA and NEO Ensemble Theatre. She is the Flash Fiction Editor of Exposition Review and her own fiction has appeared in Best Microfiction 2022, among others, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net. One of her poems is stamped into a sidewalk in Valencia, CA. She also really loves chai lattes.

LOUEL SEÑORES (BoP: Better Unkept) he/him, is an actor, playwright, and stage manager based right here in Berkeley! You may have recently seen him in The Engine of Our Disruption (Central Works), Tea Party (One of Our Own), or you probably didn’t see him stage managing Yerma (Shotgun Players), Balikbayan Box (TheatreFIRST), and Water by the Spoonful (SF Playhouse). He’s a proud company member of Berkeley Interactive Theater and PlayGround SF (This is his first season in the Writers’ Pool!), as well as a member of Shotgun Players’ EDIB Committee. Much gratitude to those still creating and supporting live theater in this crazy time we’re living in! LouelSenores.com

STAN STONE‘s (BoP: Freedom) he/him, past work at a SF hospice facility taught him a lot about life and death and love. It was rewarding work but also emotionally exhausting. As a way of self-care, he found solace in writing. Journaling and short stories gave birth to screenwriting, poetry, and playwriting. When his mother passed, he wrote and performed a one-man show about it. Life, death, and love are a constant thread in the fabric of his imagination.

LISA GAYE THOMPSON (BoP: Mack & Mimi Encounter Totality) she/her, is thrilled to be in her fifth season writing with Monday Night PlayGround. This season, Mack & Mimi Encounter Totality and America Chavez: Particle Flyer were staged and won the People’s Choice award. Last year, Three Centimeters Per Second also won that award before going on to a production at Fringe of Marin. Other short plays have also had readings around the Bay. She’s a founding company member, playwright, and sometime host of Write Away, an online improvisational playwriting show.

ALEXIS TUCHINDA (Young Playwrights Project: Curtain Speeches), she/her, is a current senior at The Nueva School. Inspired by her background in musical theater performance, she now explores written storytelling. In her spare time, she sings, reads, and writes.

ACTORS

MICHAEL BARRETT AUSTIN (Apertures of Love in Times of War, “Marty”), he/ him, is thrilled to return to the PlayGround Festival, where he has appeared in several Best of PlayGrounds. Most recently, Michael was seen in A Christmas Carol at Center Rep and the Chinglish at SF Playhouse (SFBATCC nomination for principal performance). Other favorite projects include The Kilbanes’ musical As You Like It (SF Shakespeare Festival), The Elephant Man (Hillbarn), Finks (TheatreWorks), and Red Hot Patriot with Kathleen Turner (Berkeley Rep). Michael toured America with The National Theatre for Children and Italy with Shakespeare at Stinson and has appeared on television, in film, and in countless commercials. He is a PlayGround member, a Contributing Player with ARC, an alumnus of Just Theater and TheatreFirst, and the proud husband of Emily and father to Lucille. Special thanks to Dennis Austin and Betty Moore for lending our production your vintage Leica camera equipment. michaelbarrettaustin.com

MARISSA L. AMPON (Work/Shoot, “Aurora/Mother”) is a technical creative on Ramaytush Ohlone Land (aka SF Peninsula). Started her technical creative journey as a voiceover artist and business owner of AmpOnTheAir. Since 2017, she has expanded her skillset to stage and screen actor, stage management, Zoom tech operator, producer, former Managing Director for The Chikahan Company, and tech operator. Last heard in a YBCBD video spot “Getting to Yerba Buena,” last seen in Zoom stage reading as Lola Corazon in NOT UNUSUAL by RJ Silva (PlayGround Chicago), and on-screen as Nurse Barb in the award-winning short film NANAY’S LULLABY (Sunny Owl Pictures). IG: @ampontheair

APRIL BALLESTEROS (BoP: Madam Gorgo, “Athena”), she/her/ella, is an actor, director, educator, and stage manager. She is the Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Cultura and Artistic Learning Programs Manager at the California Shakespeare Theater. She has worked with SF Playhouse, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, SFBATCO, and the Latinx Mafia Theater Collective, to name a few. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts from California State University, East Bay, and hails from East Los Angeles. With every project she does, she hopes to empower and uplift BIPOC voices. You can catch her as ASM and playing Concepcion in Yerma at Shotgun Players (shotgunplayers.org) opening this month!

CHELSEA BEARCE (BoP: Bessie in Medias Res, “Bessie Smith”), she/her, is a TBA award winner for “Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role” playing Savannah in Bamboozled at Central Works. She is a Benicia native and some of her favorite roles include Risa in Two Trains Running, Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors, and Esther in Intimate Apparel. She is a two-time “Lead Actress” Arty Award Winner, an actor, and an instructor with the SF-based sketch comedy group, Killing My Lobster, has performed stand-up comedy for over fifteen years all over the country and came in third place in the 45th SF International Comedy Competition. Chelsea is also a contributing playwright for the Brooklyn Children’s Theater in New York.

CATHERINE CASTELLANOS (A Thousand Natural Shocks, “Doctor”), she/her, has performed at A.C.T., Cal Shakes, Magic Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, La MaMa, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, and Portland Center Stage, among others. In six seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she has been seen in Bring Down the House, Mother Road, La Comedia of Errors, Destiny of Desire, The Book of Will, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Odyssey, Roe, and Richard II. Since 2001, she’s been a company member of Campo Santo, creating premiere works with renowned writers Denis Johnson, Luis Alfaro, Naomi Iizuka, Octavio Solis, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Luis Saguar, Jessica Hagedorn, and Junot Diaz. She has taught with California Shakespeare Summer Conservatory and restorative justice through theatre art with Community Works West Rising Voices and San Quentin.

DOY CHARNSUPHARINDR (BoP: Better Unkept, “Jericho”; YPP: Take Charge, “Kaso”), he/him, is an actor, storyteller, and educator. Past credits include Mike Masaoka in Allegiance (PAP), Harold Hill in The Music Man (PSP), Mr. Webb in Our Town (CCCT), Leo in The Masterpiece (Bindlestiff), and Carlos in Welga! (Bindlestiff), Miss Saigon and Les Misérables (BBBay). As a teacher and coach, he helps others develop communication and authentic leadership presence.

BEN CHAU-CHIU (BoP: Madam Gorgo, “Poseidon”), they/them, is a Bay Area actor and director. They’re excited to be back as a company member for PlayGround’s 30th season! Recent credits include Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing (SF Shakes); Poor Yella Rednecks, The Headlands (A.C.T.); Delta Daze, Momo, Best Christmas Ever (Monday Night PlayGround SF/NY); She Loves Me (42nd Street Moon); Beauty and the Beast (Palo Alto Players). They have also worked with Cal Shakes, Berkeley Rep, Livermore Valley Opera, New Conservatory Theater Center, Town Hall Theatre, and Bay Area Children’s Theatre. benchauchiu.com

ZOE CHIEN (A Thousand Natural Shocks, “Jennifer”), she/her, is an actor and arts administrator with a BFA in Theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, Playwrights Horizons Theater School, and the Stonestreet Studios for Television and Film. Zoe is the Associate Director of 3Girls Theatre Company and is a PlayGround Producing Fellow. She feels lucky to be in this industry at a time when so much art is being made in response to our social and political climate and is proud to represent her mixed-race (Taiwanese and Italian-American) community. For more, visit zoechien.com.

DAVID CRAMER (The Passing Storm, “Nigel/Climber 3”), he/him, has been a company member of Playground for 14 years. He has performed locally with The Magic Theatre, Shotgun Players, Word for Word, and Marin Theatre Company, among others. Film and TV credits include M*A*S*H, The Waltons, and Nash Bridges.

NATALIA DELGADO (Work/Shoot, “Talia/All Opponents/All Wrestlers”), she/her, is delighted to return to Best of Playground!; her most recent Playground performance was in Bright Shining Sea by Julianne Jigour. Anne has been performing new work for over 20 years including world premieres of plays by Neena Beber, Michelle Carter, Anthony Clarvoe, Anne Galjour, Barry Gifford, Rebecca Gilman, Miranda Rose Hall, Denis Johnson, Lynne Kaufman, Tony Kushner, Julie Marie Myatt, Peter Nachtrieb, Edna O’Brien, Amy Sass, Bill Talen, and Brian Thorstenson among others. Special thanks to her family.

LIVIA GOMES DEMARCHI (Crazy Jezebels, “Lilith”), she/her, is a local Bay Area actor, originally from São Paulo, Brazil. She holds a degree in Theater and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley and has worked at the Magic Theater, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, SF Playhouse, Center Rep, Crowded Fire, and Marin Shakespeare. She is a proud member of Playground SF and Latinx Mafia Theater Collective. She is committed to radical representation and inclusion within her own community and the theater beyond.

L. DUARTE (Work/Shoot, “Mayra Mendoz/Maya Money”; YPP: 2100, “Receptionist”/Curtain Speeches, “Jean”), they/them, is an actor, director, playwright, and activist, whose recent projects include: August: Osage County with San Jose Stage Company, Julius Caesar with PacRep, The Review with Theatre Rhinoceros, Helen! with Theatre of Yugen, and Into the Beautiful North & The King of Cuba with CentralWorks. They have also worked with Willows Theatre Co, Berkeley Rep., Crowded Fire, Playwrights Foundation, Bay Area Children’s Theatre and various others. Duarte is a graduate of UCLA, UCSC, and has trained with A.C.T. and Shakespeare & Co. Duarte is a founding member of Latinx Mafia, a Bay Area collective of Latinx Teatristas, who work to ensure Latinx stories are valued and accurately represented. www.latinxmafia.com. They are also a company member of Lez Writes and FabLab. Their hope for all their work is trying to center their personal practice in liberation pedagogy. Find a full range of work by Duarte at Casting Networks: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/d69eed18-24bd-11ec-8124-c9bb66a47a51

GISELA FEIED (Crazy Jezebels, “Eve”), she/they, graduated from PCPA in 2019 where they had the pleasure to be in the ensemble for The Crucible, play Tootles in Peter Pan, and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Most recently, they toured Breaking Through as part of the PCPA Fall Outreach Program along the central coast. Currently, they are working as a Teaching Artist bringing mental health awareness and tools for mental wellness virtually to high schools across Northern California. You can catch them this summer in PCPA’s production of American Mariachi.

NOE FLORES (BoP: Iván y El Justiciero, “Papá/Justiciero”), he/him, is an actor from the San Francisco Bay Area. You’ll currently find him in short films, local theater, commercial and print advertising.

CARLA GALLARDO (Rivals of Mars, “Stage Directions/Child/Mission Control”), she/her, has been acting in the Bay Area for over seven years. She enjoys sunny days at the beach, surrounding herself with her loved ones, and hot chocolate.

NORMAN GEE (BoP: Mack & Mimi Encounter Totality, “Mack”), he/him, in the past year has performed in Meet John Doe at the San Jose Stage, a Word For Word production of HOME which toured France, and Much Ado About Nothing in Livermore with SPARC. He has just finished understudying BIG DATA at A.C.T. and will round out 2024 by directing a new work in August to celebrate the James Baldwin Centennial, more info at www.baldwincentennialproject.com.

LEON GOERTZEN (The Passing Storm, “Pasang/Climber 2/Climber 6″), he/they, recently performed the role of Atung in Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady at Capital Stage. He is a founder and artistic associate of Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company and is a freelance actor. Los Angeles and Bay Area credits include work at Berkeley Rep, East West Players, Magic Theatre, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Road Theatre Company, Knightsbridge Theatre of Los Angeles, Will and Company (Los Angeles), Mountain Play Association, Impact Theatre, Best of Playground 2003, Playwrights Foundation, New Conservatory Theatre, Inverness Shakespeare Project, and Theatre Lunatico. Leon is a proud member of Actors Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, and is a graduate of UNCSA’s theatre arts department.

GG GRILLI (Crazy Jezebels, “Nurse”/Stage Directions), he/him, is an actor, director, writer, producer, filmmaker, and teacher. He’s worked at theaters in the Bay Area, New York City, and around the country for over three decades, and he’s been a PlayGround member since 2007! Locally, he recently appeared as Shakespeare in Something Rotten! with Woodminster Musicals and directed Fuddy Meers at the Lesher Center with his students from Bentley School. He was the Founding Artistic Director of BrickaBrack, a multidisciplinary ensemble company, from 2012 – 2020. GG is currently directing his students in The Drowsy Chaperone. www.gggrilli.com

JUSTIN HERNANDEZ (Apertures of Love in Times of War, “Ed”)

BRIAN HERNDON (Apertures of Love in Times of War, “Jean-Baptiste”), he/him, has performed with PlayGround for over two decades, playing everything from apes to corpses to kings to the Devil. Next up for Brian is CYMBELINE with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, free this summer in a park near you! He received his MFA in Acting from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and studied at the Dell’Arte School. Brian steadfastly believes in the power of empathy and live performance and hopes you do too.

CHRISTIAN JIMENEZ (BoP: Iván y El Justiciero, “Iván”), he/him, is an actor, playwright, and graduate of the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Theatre Department. He was most recently seen in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Sausalito Shakes, SF BATCO’s Sign My Name To Freedom, YPTMTC’s Legally Blonde, and Z Space and Word For Words Citizen. Represented by JE Talent.

JACINTA KAUMBULU (BoP: Bessie in Medias Res, “Ma Rainey”), she/her, is a Bay Area actor. She is thrilled to be making her debut with Playground. Jacinta can be seen in the staged reading of the play Soulmates by Kimberley Ridgeway in May 2024 at 3GT (3 Girls Theater).

JULIE KUWABARA (Apertures of Love in Times of War, “Gabriella/Miyo”), she/her, is an actor and sketch comedy writer/performer. She has performed with various theater companies such as Yale Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, Cutting Ball Theatre, Shotgun Players, Central Works, Magic Theatre, and Bindlestiff Studio. Julie is a member of Granny Cart Gangstas, an all-Asian-American comedy sketch group. Her work as a writer and performer has been featured at various comedy festivals such as SF SketchFest, Killing My Lobster, UCB Filipino AF (LA), Femprovisor (Sacramento), and Femmefest (SF). Keep up with Julie on Instagram @jularie and @grannycartgangstas. Hugs to family, friends, and Hubby – Chuck Lacson.

MELISSA LOCSIN (BoP: Better Unkept, “Leanna”), she/her, has appeared in feature films and national commercials, as well as onstage with Center Rep, San Jose Stage, American Conservatory Theatre, Saint Louis Black Repertory, and more. She currently teaches Meisner, improvisation, on-camera, and audition techniques at Bay Area Acting Studio. She will be making her directorial debut this summer with More, Más, Marami’s Writer’s Launchpad staged reading festival. Outside of the arts, Melissa runs Pinay Aspirations, a non-profit organization, providing mentorships and scholarships to Bay Area Filipinx during their first year of college. She thanks her family for their never-ending, artistic support. www.melissalocsin.com

JUSTIN P. LOPEZ (Work/Shoot, “Miguel”), he/him, is a proud mixed-race Indigenous, Latino, and Asian artist who is passionate about new works and loves finding true connection and humanity in each script. As an actor, his favorite credits include Fernando/Sebastián in KISS MY AZTEC! at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Jack in JACK & AIDEN at Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, TX, and Guy in UNBOUND: A KINK OPERA at TigerBear Productions in Palm Springs. He has also performed with many Bay Area companies, including Marin Shakespeare Company, African American Shakespeare Company, and Center Repertory Theatre. As a writer, Justin’s work has been recognized by the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Ashland New Play Festival, Yale Drama Prize, and many organizations around the country. Find out what else Justin is up to at www.justinplopez.com.

MIKEE LORIA (BoP: Better Unkept, “Leonel”), he/him, is an empathetic Fil-Am storyteller/actor who recently moved from the Bay to LA. Recent highlights: Joe from Tiny Fires (Custom Made Theatre), Wolf from Wolf Play (Shotgun Players), writing Prop Fiction and Light Speed to New Years for SF Playground 23-24 Writing Pool and Get Good for Bindlestiff Studios. When not acting / writing, Mikee is playing video games, reading horror novels, or eating ramen. IG: @mikeeloria

DANIEL MARTINEZ JR. (BoP: Iván y el Justiciero, “Gabacho”), he/him, is a writer and actor based in San Jose, CA. This is Daniel’s second season with PlayGround’s writers’ pool, and the water is still ~warm~. His short play, Changing Inward, was featured in Best of Playground 27 and is currently being adapted into a full-length under the People’s Choice Commission. Daniel loves telling stories that bring the funny out of very real situations.

LEONTYNE MBELE-MBONG (BoP: Freedom, “Eve”) is delighted to return to Playground. Leontyne was most recently seen in Pipeline with African-American Shakespeare Company, where she has also appeared as Lady M in Macbeth; the title role in Medea (TBA Award), and Cleopatra in Antony & Cleopatra (TBA Award Finalist). Recent shows: Cyrano and Hurricane Diane at the Aurora; Fefu and her Friends at A.C.T., Lear at CalShakes (BATCC Award). Some favorites: The Half-Life of Marie Curie (TheatreSquared, Fayetteville, AK); Watch on the Rhine (Berkeley Rep/Guthrie Theatre), Bull in a China Shop, Temple, and Breakfast with Mugabe (Aurora Theatre). Proud founding member of the Actors’ Reading Collective, and Associate Artist at Marin Shakespeare Company.

BRADY MORALES-WOOLERY (The Passing Storm, “Andrew”) was most recently seen at San Jose Stage in People Where They Are and at Aurora Theatre Company in 1984 and Born With Teeth. He trained at the University of California at Berkeley. Select theatre credits include Private Lives (Victor Prynne, Arizona Theatre Company), Clue (Wadsworth, Center Rep), Romeo y Juliet (Benvolio, Cal Shakes), The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence (Watson, Shotgun Players), Twelfth Night (Cal Shakes), Once (42nd Street Moon), Retablos (Word for Word), Barefoot in the Park (Paul, Willows Theatre Company) The Kentucky Cycle (Patrick, Willows Theatre Company), and FSM (Mario Savio, Stagebridge). Feature films include Quitters, Pushing Dead, The Internship, and Avenue of the Giants. He sends love to his family and friends for their continued support.

CAROLINA MORONES (Rivals of Mars, “Rosa”), she/her, is a multidisciplinary performer, educator, and community organizer focused on telling stories that empower through poetry and movement. Recently, she played the role of Marina in Pericles, Prince of Tyre (SF Shakes). In 2020 she was the Movement Director and Cultural Consultant for Octavio Solis’ Retablos: Life on the Border (Word 4 Word, ZSpace). Carolina currently teaches for The American Conservatory Theatre (Studio-ACT), Word For Word (SF) and is the Education & Engagement Consultant for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Recipient of the 2023 Creative Work Fund, as playwright of “Querida Sor Juana: The Death of the Phoenix of Mexico.”

KHARY MOYE (BoP: Freedom, “Samson”; YPP: Where I’m From, “Quincy”), he/him, is happy to be returning with PlayGround!! He was last seen at Marin Theatre Company for August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running” and with Best Of PlayGround 27 for “Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything” By Michael Tuton. Other productions include “Intimate Apparel” with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Company, Toni Stone with A.C.T., A Streetcar Named Desire with African American Shakespeare Company, and Six Degrees Of Separation at Custom Made Theatre Company. Film/Television credits include The Dave Chappelle Show and Sense 8. Thank you everyone for keeping Theatre alive!!

SAKURA NAKAHARA (Apertures of Love in Times of War, “Aya”), she/her, s a San Francisco Bay Area based actor, voice actor, improviser, and teaching artist. Recent on-stage performances include Emmy Lou in ‘The Confession of Lily Dare’ (New Conservatory Theatre Center), Sugar in ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ (Plethos Productions), Frances in ‘Melancholy Play’, (Theater Lunatico), and Eurydice, Lucina, et al. in ‘Metamorphoses’ (The Pear Theatre). Sakura also performs as a voice actor, recently portraying the role of Parker in the Student BAFTA-nominated virtual reality mystery game, ‘Penrose Station’. Follow Sakura’s adventures (and her cat) @cheeryblissoms

MOLLY NOBLE (Crazy Jezebels, “Mrs. L”), she/her, is a long-time member of PlayGround. She’s thrilled to participate in the Festival. She recently directed Lynne Kaufman’s “Extreme Acts” at The Marsh SF. It plays from May 11 through June 2.

SUMAYYAH NURIDDIN-GREEN (BoP: Bessie in Medias Res, “Chorus-Line Dancer”), she/her, is a performing artist born and raised in the Bay Area. A few of her credits include: Sasha in Christian Wilburn’s “Starlight”, (upcoming) Sue Snell in “Carrie” at American Conservatory Theater, and off stage she will be making her Hollywood debut in Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” voicing a new character, “Bree”. You can follow her journey @allaboutsumayyah on instagram!

JAMES AARON OH (Apertures of Love in Times of War, “Takahashi”), he/him, is a Mixed-Asian American actor. Recent theater credits include Berkeley Rep, Center REP, and Oklahoma City Repertory Theater. Feature film credit Protection Detail (2022). He has also lent his voice to several indie video games and animations. He wants to send his love and appreciation to his family, partner, and friends for all their support. If you would like to keep up with all of James’ goings-on, please follow him on Instagram @jamesaaronoh or visit his website www.jamesaaronoh.com

TAJIANNA OKECHUKWU (BoP: Madam Gorgo, “Medusa”), she/her, is an emerging actor, writer, and director based in the Bay Area. She obtained a double degree in Acting and Film & TV Studies from Azusa Pacific University. After graduating, she returned home to star in local stage productions and short films as well as direct her own narrative film projects. Her credits include Lady in Brown in For Colored Girls, Spark in SHINING (SFBATCO’s New Works Theatre Festival), Tanya in HER, and Messenger/Apothecary in Romeo & Juliet (African American Shakespeare Company). She would like to thank her loved ones for endlessly supporting her dreams. All glory to God. Exodus 35:35.

ANNETTE OLIVEIRA (Rivals of Mars, “Alison/Ghost”), she/her/ella, has recorded audiobooks and stories in English and Spanish for Penguin Random House, Skyboat Media, and others in genres including literary fiction, young adult, memoir, children’s, history and non-fiction. Her many roles in theaters coast to coast include women (and men) who are wise, fierce, silly, sometimes losing marbles, and often Latinx. She grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Oakland, California. AudioFile Magazine and The New York Times both say she does great work!

JED PASARIO (YPP: Take Charge, “Ether”), he/him, is a company member of PlayGround and a member of AEA. He’s always excited to collaborate with our community’s young playwrights and to be inspired by their unique voices.

KRYSTLE PIAMONTE (BoP: Better Unkept, “Joselyn”; Work/Shoot, “Farrah Fenix”; YPP: Curtain Speeches, “Rue Young”), she/her, is a San Francisco-based actor. Theatre credits include work at Z Space, SF Playhouse, Ferocious Lotus, Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, TheatreFirst, Bindlestiff Studio, 59E59 in collaboration with Artistic Stamp, and a radio play, THE FOREVER WAVE by Nicole Gluckstern. Screen credits include the award-winning short films BOUND 4 HEAVEN and MEDIAN. She is a 2x Theatre Bay Area Award Finalist for Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Play and was named an MVP of Bay Area Theatre by KQED. Krystle is a Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director of The Chikahan Company and a company member of PlayGround. www.krystlepiamonte.com

REBECCA PINGREE (A Thousand Natural Shocks, “Molly”), she/her, is delighted to return to Best of, having been a member of PlayGround’s Acting Company for over a decade. Most recently she played Adira in Exodus to Eden at OTP, Bridget Potter in the original cast of The Kilbanes’ The Code with ACT YC, and The Baker’s Wife in Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Berkeley Playhouse. She holds an MFA in Collaborative Theatremaking from Rose Bruford in London and co-founded Analog Theatre (analogtheatre.org) a member of PlayGround’s IN2 cohort. Catch her upcoming in Analog’s Mask Monday at Standard Deviant (May 29), Shadow Circus’ Voidville at Amado’s (June 3), and Judith in The Dignity Circle at Centralworks (opening June 24).

CATHLEEN RIDDLEY (BoP: Freedom, “Momma Rose”; YPP: 2100, “Kenedeigh”), she/her, began her career at the Community Playhouse in Des Moines, Iowa, playing Jiminy Cricket in Pinnochio at the ripe old age of 8. She is a multiple award-winning actor who has been seen at most local theaters, such as ACT, Cal Shakes, the Aurora Theatre, Center Rep, and SFBATCO, to name a few. Cathleen is an Artistic Associate at Marin Shakes and a company member with Shotgun Players and PlayGround. She is a certified ASL Interpreter, has an MA in Sociology from UPenn, and is passionate about social, language, and disability justice.

KELLY RINEHART (YPP: Where I’m From, “Chelsea”), she/her, is thrilled to join her first PlayGround project. She loves performing youth works and previously did so through the Each One Reach One Playwriting Program, an intensive two-week playwriting program for incarcerated youth, which culminated in live performances of their work. Kelly was last seen in Love Letters at the Pear Theatre and Pipeline with the African American Shakespeare Company. Her day jobs include being a speech-language pathologist specializing in AAC (augmentative alternative communication) and a teaching artist doing improv with youth in long-term hospital stays.

MARY ANN RODGERS (The Passing Storm, “Gwen/Jodie/Climber 5/Climber 7″), she/her, is a locally-based actor and director. She most recently directed The Book Club Play which is currently running at Ross Valley Players. Many thanks to Katja for the invitation to be a part of The Passing Storm world and to Playground for their passion for new plays.

MARJAN SAFA (YPP: 2100, “Harriet”), she/her, is thrilled to be back on stage at PlayGround. She was last seen as Puck, Theseus, and Starveling, at San Francisco Shakes’ educational tour. She has previously worked with The Pear Theatre, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Altarena Playhouse, TheatreFirst, Golden Thread Productions, San Francisco Playhouse, Palo Alto Players, San Francisco Playwrights’ Center, and Multi-Ethnic Theatre. Currently, she is in ongoing classes with Richard Seyd at the Seydways Acting Studios. To learn more about her you can visit her webpage at marjansafa.com

MIYOKO SAKATANI (YPP: Curtain Speeches, “Miss K./Mrs. P”), she/her, is a SAG-AFTRA-e actor, singer, writer, producer, and a proud company member of PlayGround. Miyoko has performed on many Bay Area regional and community theatre stages over many years, including writing and performing her solo piece. Film credits include the award-winning Samuel Goldwyn film “East Side Sushi” (IMDb.com/Miyoko Sakatani). As founding director of Playland Productions, Miyoko has produced and co-directed several short films and stage plays. She is also a member of an all-Asian ukulele band that performs regularly and gratuitously for residential care facilities. Deepest love and gratitude to Richard, Shanti, and dearest friends.

LOUEL SENORES (YPP: Where I’m From, “Jose”), he/him, is a Berkeley-based actor and stage manager. You may have last seen him in Tea Party (One of Our Own), Dream Hou$e (Shotgun Players) or you can come see him in The Engine of our Disruption playing at Central Works now! It’s also possible you didn’t see him stage-managing Yerma (Shotgun Players) and Water by the Spoonful (SF Playhouse). He’s a proud company member of PlayGround SF and Berkeley Interactive Theater, which specializes in delivering custom-made EDIB workshops for universities and other intact organizations. When he’s not doing theater, Louel is likely to be found managing a frozen yogurt shop, karaoke-ing with strangers online, playing video games, and/or dueling other nerds with foam weapons. LouelSenores.com

ROBERT SICULAR (Rivals of Mars, “Jerome”), it/its/it’s, has performed a universe of roles in a decades-long career that spans the country and the globe. He has over 90 productions of Shakespeare to his credit, dozens of contemporary world premieres, and everything in between. In Film/TV/Online he’s featured in Josh Kornbluth’s Love and Taxes, the sci-fi comedy action-thriller Never Die Twice, Bollywood potboiler, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, and stars as the title character in the podcast, Dr. Dark Presents.

JEUNÉE SIMON (A Thousand Natural Shocks, “Kennedy”), she/her, is an actor, director, and intimacy choreographer based in the Bay Area. In all of her work, she is dedicated to creating braver spaces where artists can be vulnerable and play. Simon has worked with Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, TheatreFIRST, and more. Simon is a proud recipient of the 2017 RHE Artistic Fellowship. She is a believer in the collaborative nature of original plays and has been honored to be part of the new and emerging work being developed in the Bay Area. She is a graduate of Stanford University’s drama program and has trained with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators and Intimacy Coordinators Of Color. Her family hails from Guyana and immigrated to the US when she was 4 years old.

EMILIE TALBOT (BoP: Mack & Mimi Encounter Totality, “Mimi”), she/they, is a Bay Area-based actor, director, and teacher. She is a longtime PlayGround company member as both an actor and director, serves on the PlayGround Board, and teaches in the Schools of Entertainment at AAU. She has appeared on stages across the country from Boston to La Jolla, Oregon to Dallas, including stints at numerous Bay Area theatres. Film and television work include 13 Reasons Why, Sonder, and Starting Over plus a whole slew of commercials, industrials, radio dramas, and video games. Later this month she will begin filming on Little Mother Lies with Friday Morning Films. www.emilietalbot.com

RYAN TASKER (Work/Shoot, “Ryan Reed/Victor/Commentary”), he/him, has worked with Marin Theatre Company, Just Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, Theatre Q, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, and Shotgun Players, among others. He is a member of Actors’ Equity, a Core Company member of Word for Word Performing Arts Company, and proud partner to Rebecca and dad to Henry and Eddie.

ISABEL TO (The Passing Storm, “Maya/Chloe/Climber 1”; YPP: Take Charge, “Kylie”), she/her, is an actor, singer, voiceover artist, and proud PlayGround company member. She most recently appeared in the world premiere of Gordon Dahlquist’s play Tea Party, directed by Erin Merritt. Other selected credits: a staged developmental reading of Chris Steele’s Sitcom Seagull (Poltergeist Theatre Project), sketch comedy shows Freddy Krueger’s Day Off and Let’s Do the Sex (Killing My Lobster), Funny, Like an Abortion (part of PlayGround’s 2022 Festival of New Works), The Jersey Devil Play (Awesome Theatre), Avenue Q (New Conservatory Theatre Center), and the 3-part video series Paranormal Hotline. Isabel dedicates this performance to the memory of Apo Amy Hu.

LUCCA TROUTMAN (YPP: Where I’m From, “Brenda”), she/they, an electro-acoustic composer, director, and performer, earned her BA in Psychology and Music from Smith College and her MA in Composition from Mills College in Oakland. She regularly performs throughout the Bay Area and is grateful for the opportunity to work with Berkeley Playhouse again. She was recently featured in Ruthless at NCTC, Little Shop of Horrors at TheatreWorks, Sign My Name to Freedom with SFBATCO and Digital Milk at CounterPulse with her multidisciplinary ensemble, Driven Arts Collective. Outside of performing, Lucca teaches and creates eclectic art while spending quality time in nature with her affable dogs, Ama and Valo.

MARK RAFAEL TRUITT (The Passing Storm, “Rick/Scott/Radio/Climber 4/Climber 8”; YPP: Curtain Speeches, “Mr. Todd”), he/him, has appeared in Titanic, Star Trek Voyager, Chance, and The Practice among other television and film appearances. He has appeared with the Magic Theatre, Goldenthread productions, and has been a member of Playground here in the Bay area for over 20 years. He teaches at Cal, USF, ACT, and the Academy of Art University, and is the author of the book “Telling Stories a Grand Unifying Theory of Acting Techniques.”

MARYSSA WANLASS (A Thousand Natural Shocks, “Laurel”), she/they, is a PlayGround company member and local actor, director, and educator, with an emphasis on social justice and classical theatre. She recently directed Cymbeline for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Acting credits include SF Shakes (As You Like It, Hamlet, and Winter’s Tale), CalShakes (As You Like It), San Jose Stage (Persuasion), Livermore Shakespeare Festival (As You Like It, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor), Center REPertory Company (Sweat, Enchanted April, Witness for the Prosecution), Woman’s Will (Much Ado About Nothing, Good Person of Szechuan). They have directed locally for SF Shakes, Utopia Theatre Project, PlayGroundSF, Shotz, and regionally for Advice to the Players. Wanlass’ social justice work includes creativity workshops with unhoused community members (SF Shakes) and improv workshops in California’s correctional system (Red Ladder Theatre).

WAYNE WONG (YPP: Take Charge, “Vilo/Narrator”) he/him, has appeared in over 80 productions, mostly operas. He may be seen next as Durdles in THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD with Lamplighters, then as Dr. Caius in THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR with Pocket Opera. Other engagements include SF Playhouse (AS YOU LIKE IT), Shotgun Players (TRIUMPH OF LOVE) and Opera Parallele (DEAD MAN WALKING). His parents and brother migrated to the US from Hong Kong in 1956.

DIRECTORS

LINDA AMAYO-HASSAN (YPP: Curtain Speeches), she/her, is a Chicana/Native playwright and is the Artistic Director of Theatre Cultura. Linda is an Equity actor, singer, director and a theatre professor at Chabot College. She is a member of the Pear Playwrights Guild, SameBoat Theatre Collective, Native Writers and had the honor of attending The Kennedy Center Playwriting 2018 Intensive.

TANIKA BAPTISTE (Rivals of Mars; BoP: Bessie in Medias Res) she/they, is a SFBATCC winning director, actor, vocalist, and costume designer in the Bay Area. Regional credits: Delcina/Moms in Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad (Magic Theatre) Adenikeh in Nollywood Dreams (San Francisco Playhouse) A Shirelle in Beautiful: Carol King Musical (Woodminster), MC in N¿¿ER LOVERS (Magic Theatre) She/Angie in Is God Is (Oakland Theatre Project) Tessie Tura in Gypsy (Mountain Play/RVP) Swing Beehive (Center REP) SBF 1in Single Black Female (Lorraine Hansberry Theatre) Deloris in Sister Act (Pittsburg Theatre Company) Effie in Dreamgirls (Berkeley Playhouse). Select directorial credits: Crumbs From the Table of Joy (Townhall Theatre) Giraffes Can’t Dance ( Bay Area Children’s Theatre) At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen (Theatre Rhinoceros) Tanika is a 2023 cohort of Theatre Bay Area’s Arts Leadership with Theatre Rhinoceros and a proud member of AEA and a new member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Love to my family and chosen family. The story is told together!

CIERA EIS (Work/Shoot), she/hers, is a director and producer who is dedicated to seeding the theatrical landscape with risky new work that promotes the next generation of artists and activists in the field. She has worked at Berkeley Repertory, Magic Theatre, A.C.T., Thunder Bay Theatre, and Shotgun Players. Currently the Artistic Director of FaultLine Theater and the Interim Artistic Director of Custom Made Theatre Co. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz and was an SDCF Observer Class 2019-2021. www.cieraeis.com.

NORMAN GEE (BoP: Freedom), he/him, in the past year has performed in Meet John Doe at the San Jose Stage, a Word For Word production of HOME which toured France, and Much Ado About Nothing in Livermore with SPARC. He has just finished understudying BIG DATA at A.C.T. and will round out 2024 by directing a new work in August to celebrate the James Baldwin Centennial, more info at www.baldwincentennialproject.com.

KARINA GUTIÉRREZ (BoP: Iván y El Justiciero), she/her, is a Bay Area-based director, dramaturg, and scholar. She is passionate about supporting new play development, fostering local artists, and creating welcoming, equitable, and accessible theatre spaces and classrooms. Karina has had the pleasure of working with Bay Area Children’s Theatre, BRAVA, Magic Theatre, Crowded Fire, Huntington Theatre, Magic Theatre, PlayGround, Playwright’s Foundation, Shotgun Players, Stanford University, TheatreFirst, Townhall Theatre, West Edge Opera, and Word for Word. Karina received her Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies from Stanford University. Her scholarship concentrates on the intersection of politics and performance. She is currently a professor of Theatre History and Performance Studies in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Santa Clara University.

JIM KLEINMANN (BoP: Madam Gorgo; Artistic Director & Co-Founder), he/him, co-founded PlayGround in 1994, along with playwright Brighde Mullins and director Denise Shama, and has served as Artistic Director since 1996. For PlayGround, he has provided artistic and administrative leadership for the past twenty-four seasons, developing PlayGround’s unique array of new playwright and new play incubator programs, including Monday Night PlayGround, the PlayGround Festival of New Works, the full-length play Commissioning Initiative, the New Play Production Fund, Potrero Stage: PlayGround Center for New Plays, and most recently the Innovator Incubator. For PlayGround, he has directed more than one hundred short and full-length plays, including works by Garret Jon Groenveld, Aaron Loeb, Geetha Reddy, Lauren Yee, Katie May, and many others. Recent directing and dramaturgy credits include David Steele’s Vignettes on Love and Ruben Grijalva’s Value Over Replacement. He is a veteran arts administrator with more than thirty years of experience, including stints leading Traveling Jewish Theatre, Smuin Ballet, and Berkeley Symphony, and received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

MOLLY NOBLE (BoP: Mack & Mimi Encounter Totality), she/her, is a long-time member of PlayGround. She’s thrilled to participate in the Festival. She recently directed Lynne Kaufman’s “Extreme Acts” at The Marsh SF. It plays from May 11 through June 2.

ELY SONNY ORQUIZA (BoP: Better Unkept), he/him. A 2023 YBCA 100 Honoree, Ely is a multidisciplinary Queer Filipino artistic director, stage director, and arts educator native to the San Francisco Bay Area, the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone People. Through theater and the performing arts, Orquiza illuminates the experiences of the Asian diaspora, explores the politics of Queer/ness, and gives voice to the narratives of People from the Global Majority. As an artist, Orquiza draws on his heritage and lived experiences to create stunning theatrical productions that captivate audiences and spark meaningful conversations about equity and representation. Through his art and advocacy, he is breaking down barriers and elevating marginalized voices for the American Theatre. For more: elysonnyorquiza.org

DOYLE OTT (YPP: 2100), he/him, is a performer, director, dramaturg and theatre and circus scholar and has worked with Make A Circus, Splash Circus Theatre, Prescott Circus, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Children’s Fairyland San Francisco Circus Center, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Foolsfury, Antenna Theatre, Golden Thread, and the San Francisco Playwright’s Foundation. Recent publications include Believing Impossible Things: Alice in the Circus Ring, about circus adaptations of Alice in Wonderland, and Extreme Embodiments: Shakespearean Circus Performance, about the use of circus in producing Shakespeare. He performs and directs regularly as company member of the Medical Clown Project and of Playground. He is a member of Actors Equity and a certified Feldenkrais practitioner.

KATJA RIVERA (Apertures of Love in Times of War; The Passing Storm) is a theater artist/massage therapist/Abuela, who originally hails from Los Angeles. She’s a Shotgun Players Company member and an associate producer for Playground-SF. Recent shows: Yerma (Shotgun), La Vida Lobo (Theater Cultura), and References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, (Custom Made Theatre). Special thanks to Angela Wall for the French pronunciations.

TRACY WARD (A Thousand Natural Shocks) began her Directing career as a young girl with numerous puppet and dog shows in her backyard in the SF Bay Area. She continued her studies in Acting at Woodside High School and at UCSB, where she then found her passion and changed her focus to Directing. She holds an M.F.A. from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television. A busy Freelance Director in the Bay Area, she focuses on New Work, most recently focusing nearly entirely on directing new work by women playwrights. She has taught Directing at UCLA, Santa Clara University, Foothill Conservatory, and the Academy of Art University, and SF State Cinema.

PRODUCTION & STAFF

ELTON BRADMAN (Sound Designer, Apertures of Love in Times of War), credits as a composer/sound designer include two world premieres (Lear at Cal Shakes and Mindplay at the Geffen Playhouse), a West Coast premiere (Trayf), a student production (UC Riverside’s Red Oleanders), Boys Go to Jupiter at Z Space, Nina: Four Women at South Coast Rep, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Geffen Playhouse, The Incrementalist, and Wives at Aurora Theatre, as well as five productions for Oakland Theater Project. Other recent adventures include teaching an online theatrical sound design course for Western Washington University and co-writing a musical adaptation of Giles Andraea and Guy Parker-Rees’s Giraffes Can’t Dance for Bay Area Children’s Theater and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. Stop by and say hello at eltonsounds.com

SOLOMON CASADO (Production Assistant, Apertures of Love in Times of War/A Thousand Natural Shocks), he/him, went to Contra Costa School of Performing Arts for theatre, and graduated from Sojourner Truth independent study. He has worked as a PA for Single Black Female (LHT), and a staged reading of Kaleidoscope (CFT).

VINCENT CHAU (Properties Artisan, Apertures of Love in Times of War), recently, Vincent was the props designer and constructor for Heritage《傳承》at UC Berkeley, the scenic model builder and A2 for Matilda at Berkeley Playhouse, the scenic designer for PONY at Cutting Ball Theater, the props observer for Man of God at Shotgun Players, and the scenic and props designer for The After Party at UC Berkeley.

JAMES GOODE (Sound Designer, BoP), he/him, is a composer, musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and sound designer who lives and works in the Bay Area. He’s collaborated with actors, animators, visual artists, writers, and others on a wide variety of projects, including films, gallery and museum installations, live performances, music videos, podcasts, and radio dramas. Local theater productions he’s done sound design for include Richard II (African-American Shakespeare Company), Dot (New Conservatory Theatre Center), Men on Boats (Palo Alto Players), Escaped Alone (Anton’s Well Theater Company), Native Gardens (Center REPertory Company), and Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul (Oakland Theater Project). https://jamesgoodesound.com

DIANNE HARRISON (Props Artisan, A Thousand Natural Shocks/BoP), she/her, works with many Bay Area theatre companies, including the African-American Shakespeare Company, JoLee Productions, PlayGround SF, Ross Valley Players, Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), The Mountain Play, primarily as a stage manager, sound/light board operator, and props artisan. Her other theatre experiences include sound-mixing, co-directing, and costume designing. In 2015, Dianne received a Certificate of Merit from the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival for stage managing the SRJC’s production of Almost, Maine. She is honored to be working with PlayGround SF once again, and thanks her amazing husband for all his encouragement and support.

NIA JACOBS (Costume Designer, A Thousand Natural Shocks/BoP), she/her, born in Oakland, CA, Nia’s love for technical theatre started when she signed up to do scenic art for her high school’s production of Scapino. In college, she minored in technical theatre, allowing her to practice her sewing skills on productions like Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Eclipsed. Since then, Nia has gone on to get a BA in English from Howard University, alter many costumes, style mannequins, and work on many plays, including four different productions of Peter Pan. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, sewing, and baking.

LIAM KIRK (Stage Manager: Work/Shoot, The Passing, Crazy Jezebels, YPP), he/him, recent projects include Brown vs. Board of Education (Asst. Director/Stage Manager, Altarena Playhouse), The Crucible (Production Assistant, Oakland Theater Project), and Teatro Jornalero (Stage Manager, Oakland Theater Project).

BRITTANY MELLERSON (Festival Lighting Designer) is an East Coast native and graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory Program, with a BFA in Theatrical Lighting & Sound Design. Brittany is the Resident Lighting Designer for Lamplighters Music Theatre, PlayGround, and the Telluride Film Festival. Recent credits include lighting design for PlayGround’s Solofest 2022, Awesome Theatre’s feature film THEM, lighting and sound design for The Pear’s Mountaintop, and Sunset Baby. Throughout the pandemic, Brittany has been dedicated to sourcing and producing equitable employment avenues within the Bay Area for Black designers and technicians. Up Next: Lamplighter’s Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder; Custom Made’s Blood at the Root; Awesome Theatre’s Coffee Lady; PlayGround’s Best of PlayGround Festival.

TAJIANNA OKECHUKWU (Stage Manager, Apertures of Love in Times of War) is an actor, film director, producer, and stage manager based in the Bay Area. She obtained her double degree from Azusa Pacific University, a BFA in Theatre Arts, and a BA in Film & TV Studies. In her creative work, she likes to explore narratives through the lens of the Black experience with an Afro-surrealist approach. She is always seeking to tell avant-garde stories that will shift paradigms and shake culture in our society. Tajianna’s recent credits as a Stage Manager include EDIT ANNIE (Crowded Fire Theater), HALIE! The Mahalia Jackson Musical (Lorraine Hansberry Theatre), and CROWNS (Contra Costa Civic Theatre).

LANA PALMER (Sound Designer, A Thousand Natural Shocks) is a Canadian-born, San Francisco-based film and theatre maker. As a sound designer and composer, she is proud to have worked with many leading companies in the Bay Area and throughout North America. Her recent credits include Torch Song (Marin Theatre), Josephine’s Feast (Magic Theatre), Hurricane Diane (Aurora Theatre), The Confessions of Lily Dare (NCTC), Man of God (Shotgun Players), References to Salvador Dali… (Custom Made Theatre), and In Love and Warcraft (American Conservatory Theatre/Perseverance Theatre), King Lear and Pericles (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), Bull in a China Shop (Aurora Theatre), The Humans (San Jose Stage), The Daughters (SF Playhouse), and School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play (Kansas City Rep/Regional Premiere). Her compositions for film and television are heard on over 100 shows airing worldwide.

JEUNÉE SIMON (Intimacy Coordinator, Apertures of Love in Times of War), she/her, is a bi-coastal actor, director, and consent educator. In all of her work, she is dedicated to creating braver spaces where artists can be vulnerable and play. Simon has worked with Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, TheatreFIRST, and more. Simon is a proud recipient of the 2017 RHE Artistic Fellowship. She is a believer in the collaborative nature of original plays and has been honored to be part of the new and emerging work being developed in the Bay Area. She is a graduate of Stanford University’s drama program and has trained with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators and Intimacy Coordinators Of Color. Her family hails from Guyana and immigrated to the US when she was 4 years old.

CHRIS STEELE (Costume Designer, Apertures of Love in Times of War), they/she, is a queer trans nonbinary performance artist, writer, and activist. Their work centers on highlighting queer narratives throughout history and combating bigotry and white supremacy. Her award-winning drag persona Polly Amber Ross can be found on Instagram @pollyamberross. As a producer, Chris specializes in Marketing and Communications and is currently the Curation Director of Cutting Ball Theatre.

JENNA STEIN-CORMAN (Stage Manager, BoP), she/her, grew up immersed in the bay area theatre community. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she has gone on to work as a teaching artist, stage manager, and director in theaters all over the bay. Currently, she works with Town Hall Theatre, The Berkeley Playhouse, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. She recently stage managed PlayGround’s 2nd annual “twisted” holiday show, A Very Hitchcock Christmas.

NOVALYNN STONE (Stage Manager, A Thousand Natural Shocks)

PLAYGROUND, California’s leading playwright incubator, provides unique development opportunities for the Bay Area’s, Los Angeles’ and now New York’s best new playwrights, including the monthly Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series, annual PlayGround Festival of New Works, full-length play commissions and support for the production of new plays by local playwrights through the New Play Production Fund. To date, PlayGround has supported over 250 early career playwrights, developing and staging more than 1000 of their original short plays through the Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series and the PlayGround Festival. PlayGround has also commissioned 90 new full-length plays by 60 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and, through the innovative New Play Production Fund, has directly facilitated the premiere of 34 plays at theatres of every size, including three that have gone on to NYC and other major theater communities. Most recently, PlayGround renovated and relaunched the former Thick House Theater in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill as Potrero Stage, a state-of-the-art center for new plays, home to PlayGround’s expanding artistic programs and some of the Bay Area’s most distinguished new play developers and producers. Over the past twenty-four years, PlayGround has served to identify some of the most important new local voices for the theatre. PlayGround’s alumni have gone on to win local, national, and international honors for their short and full-length work, including recognition at the Humana Festival, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Lark’s Playwrights’ Week, New York International Fringe Festival, and others. PlayGround received the 2009 Paine Knickerbocker Award for outstanding contributions to Bay Area theatre, 3 BATCC Awards for Best Original Script for PlayGround commissions, a 2014 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing (founder of the Tony Awards®), and a 2016 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Visit https://PlayGround-sf.org for more information.

POTRERO STAGE is a 99-seat state-of-the-art performance space located in the heart of San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood, operated by PlayGround, and serving as home to some of the Bay Area’s leading new play developers and producers, including PlayGround, Crowded Fire, Golden Thread, and Playwrights Foundation, among others. While the venue is closed during the COVID pandemic, Potrero Stage will highlight the best in online programming by PlayGround, Potrero Stage resident companies, and other Potrero Stage producers. For more information, visit https://potrerostage.org.

PlayGround Contributors

PlayGround is deeply grateful for the generous contributions of the many individuals, foundations, and gifts of $125 or more committed between March 1, 2021 & March 21, 2022.

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS

Alameda County Arts Commission • Amazon • American Rescue Plan Act & CARES Act • Art Space Development Corporation • Avenue Greenlight • Berkeley Civic Arts • The Bernard Osher Foundation • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Arts Council • California Humanities • California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program • Creative Capacity Fund • Disney • Grants For The Arts • KFF • Koret Foundation • LA County Arts Commission • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • NIAC • Nvidia • NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Planet Earth Arts • Rock Paper Scissors Landscape Inc. • Rye Financial Services • San Francisco Arts Commission • The Shubert Foundation • The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTERS

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, Daniel E. Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Paul Haahr, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500–$4,999)

John H. Gilman, Carlie Wilmans, Anonymous

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Randy Adams, Meriko Borogove, David Goldman, Regina S. Guggenheim, Linda Kremer, Eric Craig Moody, Nitin, David Steele, Janine Wilburn, Anonymous (2)

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Steve & Gretchen Debenham, Hillary DeMartino, Keith Goldstein and Donna Warrington, Ms. Kathryn A Hecht, Paul & Pam Kleinmann, Gregg & Jennifer Le Blanc, Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb, Dr. Gary W. London, Pam MacKinnon, Danny & Dolores Martinez, Molly Noble and Bob Guilbault, Jeffrey Trescott, Pam & John Walker, Christian Wilburn, Maury Zeff, Anonymous (5)

PATRON ($250-$499)

James & Cassandra Carpenter, Sheila Collins, Kelly & Carlos Delgado, Philippa M Kelly & Paul Dresher, Jonathan Luskin, Dolores Martinez, Chris and Cindy Redburn, Diane Sampson, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Jon Tracy, Anonymous

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Mary E. Baird, Ms. Lynda H Barber, Ruth & Robert Brayton, Fair & Levit Family, Anirvan Ghosh, Dana Hall, Tobi Marcus, Michelle Nedboy, Doug Peckler & Evelyn Jean Pine, Kimberly Ridgeway, Mary Ann & Malcolm Rodgers, Kathryn Ryan, Christine Sheppard, Ms. Susan Terris, Mary Lou Torre, Anonymous (2)

Become a PlayGround contributor!

DONATE

PlayGround Company

PLAYGROUND WRITERS POOL 2023-24

Daniel Baxter, Robyn Brooks, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Madeleine Butler, Jediah Craig, Cherielyn Ferguson, Elizabeth Flanagan, Ipsheeta Furtado, KT Frances Hartline, Sam Hurwitt, Tejahra Jacobs, Ruth Kirschner, Steve Koppman, Sarena Kuhn, Greg Lam, Jennifer Le Blanc, Kristy Lin Billuni, Justin P. Lopez, Mikee Loria, Daniel Martinez, Jr, Alanna McFall, Matthew Morishige, Richard Perez, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Xinyuan Pu, Kimberly Ridgeway, George Rose, David Schweidel, Louel Senores, Stan Stone, Lisa Thompson, Mike Tuton, Kaz Valtchev, Michael Waterson, Christian Wilburn, Maury Zeff

PLAYGROUND RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHTS 2023-24

Cass Brayton, Bailey Jordan Garcia, M.J. Kang, Samuel Kelly Fair Levit, Daniel Martinez, Jr., Matthew Y. Morishige, Molly Olis Krost, Evelyn Jean Pine, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Alexis Standridge, Leela Velautham, Jennie Webb

PLAYGROUND COMPANY

Molly Aaronson-Gelb, Angel Adedokun, Patrick Alparone, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Liz Anderson, Rinabeth Apostol, Michael Asberry, Michael Barrett Austin, Mary Baird, April Ballesteros, Tanika Baptiste, Aldo Billingslea, Millie Brooks, Julia Brothers, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Lizzie Calogero, Ron Campbell, Joy Carlin, Nancy Carlin, Zoe Chien, Ben Chau-Chiu, Tessa Corrie, David Cramer, Will Dao, Anne Darragh, Roshni Datta, Khalia Davis, Natalia Delgado, Dodds Delzell, Livia Gomes Demarchi, Carolyn Doyle, Leticia Duarte, Nora el Samahy, Rebecca Ennals, Gisela Feied, Britney Frazier, Michael French, Claire Ganem, Sarah Gasser, Norman Gee, Douglas B. Giorgis, Linda Giron, Amy Glazer, Cindy Goldfield, BW Gonzalez, Gabriel Grilli, Rudy Guerrero, Rosie Hallett, Katherine Hamilton, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Brian Herndon, Champagne Hughes, J Jha, Colin Johnson, Jennifer King, Dean Koya, Danielle Levin, Amy Lizardo, Jeffrey Lo, Gwen Loeb, George Maguire, Melanie Marshall, Alicia Mason, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Julia McNeal, Sam Misner, Brady Morales-Woolery, Lisa Morse, Khary L. Moye, Molly Noble, Karen Offereins, Annette Oliveira, Soren Oliver, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Tony Ortega, Doyle Ott, June Palladino, Carla Pantoja, Louis Parnell, Jed Parsario, Michael Phillis, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Stephanie Prentice, Ezra Reaves, Virginia Reed, Cathleen Riddley, Kimberly Ridgeway, Katja Rivera, Adrian Roberts, Stacy Ross, Adam Roy, Katie Rubin, Patrick Russell, Miyoko Sakatani, Louel Senores, Robert Sicular, Dave Sikula, Jeunee Simon, M. Graham Smith, Ken Sonkin, Lauren Spencer, Teddy Spencer, Chris Steele, Howard Swain, Jomar Tagatac, Emilie Talbot, Danielle Thys, Isabel Anne To, Jon Tracy, Dane Troy, Mark Rafael Truitt, Liam Vincent, Ian Walker, Maryssa Wanlass, Tracy Ward, Reggie D. White, Christian Wilburn, Wayne Wong, Elena Wright, Hector Zavala

PLAYGROUND AMBASSADORS

Julia Brothers, Jordan Carlson, Ben Chau-Chiu, Julia Crowley, Sheri Flanders, Claire Ganem, Eric Geller, Monica Ho, Tony Kim, Christine Liao, AJ Lily, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Andrew Perez, Ivan Rivas, Miyoko Sakatani, Braedyn Youngberg

PLAYGROUND STAFF

Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Jacque Bugler, Production Manager/General Manager
Lana Richards, Associate Director of Development
Jonathan Josephson, Director of Marketing & Communications
Bacilio Mendez II, Executive Producer
Norman Gee, Associate Producer
Katja Rivera, Associate Producer
Tessa Corrie, Casting Associate
Patricia Cotter, Casting Associate
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer
Sarah Gasser, Resident Stage Manager
Darius Adamson Jr., 2023-24 Producing Fellow
River Bermudez Sanders, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Zoe Chien, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Carmia Imani, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Julie Lippert-Pasco, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Xinyuan Pu, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Christy Spence, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Emily Zhou, 2023-24 Producing Fellow

PLAYGROUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephanie Prentice, Chair
James A. Kleinmann, President
Emilie Talbot, Vice President
Nitin, Treasurer
Diana Burbano, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus
Tanvi Agrawal
Linda Amayo-Hassan
Hillary DeMartino
Rebecca Martinez
Katie May
Bacilio Mendez II
David Steele
Christian Wilburn
David Steele

www.PlayGround-sf.org
3286 Adeline St #8
Berkeley, CA 94703-2485
info@playground-sf.org
(415) 992-6677