PlayGround presents Season 32

2026 Solo Fest

January 16 – February 8, 2026

Live at Potrero Stage + Simulcast & On-Demand

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.

THE SHOWS
(alphabetical order by title)

69, Emil Amok: A Real Journalist Stands Up
written and performed by Emil Amok Guillermo
Sat, Jan 17 at 7pm; Mon, Jan 26 at 8:30pm; Mon, Feb 2 at 8:30pm; Sat, Feb 7 at 2:30pm

Advanced Sexual Education: A One* Woman** Show
written and performed by Blaire Battle
Fri, Jan 30 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 31 at 5:30pm; Sun, Feb 1 at 2:30pm

Broken Borders
written and performed by Emily M. Keyishian
Sun, Jan 18 at 5:30pm; Sat, Jan 24 at 7pm; Sat, Feb 7 at 8:30pm

Clara
written and performed by Linda Ayres-Frederick
Sat, Jan 17 at 2:30pm, Thurs, Jan 22 at 8:30pm, Sun, Feb 1 at 7pm, Fri, Feb 6 at 8:30pm

Fagnostic
written and performed by Ric Iverson
Sat, Jan 17 at 8:30pm; Mon, Jan 19 at 8:30pm; Sun, Jan 25 at 2:30pm; Sun, Feb 8 at 5:30pm

Fated Emergence
written and performed by Ketsia Duval, co-directed by Mylo Cardona
Sat, Jan 17 at 4pm; Sun, Jan 25 at 7pm; Sun, Feb 1 at 8:30pm

Good Grief! Tales of a Persistent Blockhead
written and performed by Carolyn Doyle, directed by Kendall Tieck
Mon, Jan 26 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 31 at 8:30pm; Sun, Feb 1 at 5:30pm; Sun, Feb 8 at 4pm

In The Spirit of Gaman: The Mitsuye Endo Story
written and performed by Miyoko Sakatani
Fri, Feb 6 at 7pm; Sat, Feb 7 at 4pm; Sun, Feb 8 at 7pm

The iPhone Arias
written and performed by Caroline Hawthorne
Fri, Jan 23 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 24 at 8:30pm; Sun, Jan 25 at 4pm

Possession: Invitation and Exultation
written by Christopher Robin Magee, performed by Puja Tolton
Sun, Jan 18 at 8:30pm; Sat, Jan 24 at 2:30pm; Sat, Jan 31 at 7pm

The Retreat
written by Nicole Galland, performed by Éowyn Mader, directed by Nancy Carlin
Fri, Jan 16 at 8:30pm, Thurs, Feb 5 at 8:30pm, Sat, Feb 7 at 7pm; Sun, Feb 8 at 2:30pm

The Specimen: A Horror Play
written and performed by Schaeffer Nelson
Sun, Jan 18 at 2:30pm; Sat, Jan 24 at 4pm; Thurs, Jan 29 at 8:30pm; Mon, Feb 2 at 7pm

Theatrical Monologues: From Shakespeare to Modern
adapted and performed by Joshua Klein
Sun, Jan 18 at 7pm; Sun, Jan 25 at 8:30pm; Sun, Feb 1 at 4pm

Therapist Zero
written and performed by Brian Leonard
Mon, Jan 19 at 7pm; Fri, Jan 23 at 8:30pm; Sun, Jan 25 at 5:30pm; Sat, Jan 31 at 2:30pm

When the Skeleton Does Not Stand
written and performed by Kristen Cosby
Fri, Jan 16 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 17 at 5:30pm; Sun, Jan 18 at 4pm

When You Are Called
by Diana Brown and Susan Lily Jackson, performed by Diana Brown
Thurs, Feb 5 at 7pm; Sat, Feb 7 at 5:30pm; Sun, Feb 8 at 8:30pm

You Eat So Well!
written and performed by RJ Silva
Thurs, Jan 29 at 7pm; Fri, Jan 30 at 8:30pm; Sat, Jan 31 at 4pm

This live stream is produced under a SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.

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

BIOGRAPHIES

Emil Amok Guillermo (69, Emil Amok: A Real Journalist Stands Up , Writer/Performer) An award-winning journalist turned comedian, Emil was the first Asian American Filipino to regularly host a national news show (NPR/“All Things Considered”). He turned to solo performance after recalling his interview with Spalding Gray in San Francisco. Since 2016,he has written and performed “Emil Amok: All Pucked Up,” “Emil Amok: A Phool’s Philipino American History,” “Emil Amok; Lost NPR Host,” “Emil Amok: Married to PETA,”  “Emil Amok,69: Everything’s Flipped,” and now “69, Emil Amok: Not TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome).” After performing at Playground’s Solofest in 2018, he has appeared in more than a dozen fringe festivals in  New York City, Washington,DC, Baltimore, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, Fresno, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. As a comic actor, he has been in four plays by Ishmael Reed including two off-off Broadway productions of  “The Conductor,” and “The Shine Challenge.” His collected essays, “Amok: Essays from an Asian American Perspective,” won an American Book Award in 2000. Since 2017, he has hosted the PETA Podcast. He currently serves as a poet laureate in San Joaquin County, California. A native San Franciscan, Emil attended Lowell High School and earned his 14th Amendment birthright citizenship at UC Hospital. A member of the Harvard Lampoon, he graduated as class wit.

Linda Ayres-Frederick (Clara, Writer/Performer) Phoenix Theatre’s Artistic Director since 1985, has enjoyed a rewarding career as an actor, director, producer, critic and playwright. Twice granted the Shubert Playwriting Fellowship, Linda’s plays have received over 20 productions in NYC, San Francisco, Edinburgh, France and Alaska. A 3Girls Theatre playwright in residence,  Vice-President of SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, member of American Theatre Critics Association, the Dramatists Guild, AEA, and AFTRA/SAG, she is a Sarah Lawrence College graduate (Bronxville, NY). A member of PlayGround-SF’s writing pool since 2024, Linda lives in the Mission District with her life partner.

Blaire Battle (Advanced Sexual Education: A One* Woman** Show, Writer/Performer) is an actor, writer and comedian, based out of Los Angeles CA. She is a UCLA graduate with a BA in theater and a certificate in writing for television. She has written for theaters and publications all over the country including Celebration Theater, Playground La, Sapphest NYC, Last Call, LaFNAM’s Musi-Cal, and Fresh Words Magazine. Blaire has also been a Screencraft semi-finalist for her tv pilots with long-time creative partner, Graham C. King. With King, she also co-founded her production company, The Stranger Kind, where she has written and co-written multiple plays and musicals, a weekly space fantasy webcomic, and an upcoming short film. @blaire.battle on ig and @thestrangerkind on all platforms.

Diana Brown (When You Are Called, Co-Writer/Performer) is delighted to continue her collaboration with Susan Jackson. She appeared in the 2025 PlayGround Solo Fest in Vertigo; But Not the Movie written by Susan Jackson and Diana Brown. Diana appeared in Jackson’s plays TAKEN, WHEN YOU ARE CALLED, IN SITU, and BLESSING HER HEART for which she was nominated for a BATCC award. She appeared in San Francisco and New York in the long-running, two-hander DEAD CERTAIN. Diana has performed at the Spoleto USA Festival, Capital City Fringe and others  She’s half of the touring comedy duo BINGEWATCH, and a guest artist with BATS Improv.

Bella Campos Hintzman (The Specimen – A Horror Play, Director, she/her) is so excited and grateful to be a part of this team bringing forth new work! She is currently a producer with BAMN Productions and a MAD Directing Fellow with Shotgun Players. She’s recently worked in stage management with Aurora Theatre, San Francisco Sketchfest and The Pear Theatre, among others, and is a former English Teaching Assistant through the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program in Spain. Through her work in theatre, film and education, she strives to create and sustain supportive, collaborative spaces where people can explore and share what is important to them.

Nancy Carlin (The Retreat, Director) has directed and performed extensively in regional theaters, including the American Conservatory Theater, Cal Shakes, Berkeley Rep, Aurora Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Jewel Theatre, Marin Theatre, TheatreWorks, Shotgun Players, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. A former longtime company member of A.C.T. and associate artist with Cal Shakes, Carlin is a member of PlayGround. She holds a BA in comparative literature from Brown University and an MFA in acting from A.C.T. Ms. Carlin is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. www.nancycarlin.com

Kristen Cosby (When the Skeleton Does Not Stand, Writer/Performer) is a freelance writer, editor, educator and performer. Her work has received support from numerous artistic foundations including the Jan Michalski Foundation (Switzerland), the Corporation of Yaddo (USA), the MacDowell Artist Colony (USA), and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (USA). Her musings have appeared in several literary journals, magazines, and anthologies and garnered the Normal Prize in Nonfiction and a Pushcart Prize special mention. Most recently she’s been performing solo-work on stage at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco, StageWerx’s Solo Sundays, and as part of La Cocina’s Voices from the Kitchen.  She will next be onstage at the Verdi Club for Bawdy Stories on January 23rd.

Carolyn Doyle (Good Grief: Tales of a Persistent Blockhead, Writer/Performer) is an AEA/SAG actor who has performed throughout the Bay Area and is the original and first PlayGround Company Member. As a solo performer, she’s performed at Porchlight, CounterPULSE, EXIT Theatre, and Tell It on Tuesday!, among others. Carolyn’s solo show, Confessions of a Refrigerator Mother enjoyed a highly successful four-week run at The Marsh, playing to sold-out crowds.

Ketsia Duval (Fated Emergence, Writer/Performer) is a queer & trans storyteller in the Bay Area. Growing up in Haiti, under constant civil unrest and a super conservative family, storytelling served primarily as a means of escape for them; a secret place they got to play, ultimately leading to a path of self discovery & queer joy. Storytelling is sacred, a conduit for change, ultimately becoming their priesthood. Their hope is whoever hears their stories walks away with a desire/motivation to enact change, whether within themselves or the community around them.

Nicole Galland (The Retreat, Playwright) is a novelist and former Dramaturg/Literary Manager at Berkeley Rep. Her books includes the NYT-bestselling time-travel romp The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.(with Neal Stephenson). Her 9th novel, the Shakespearean-theatre-themed BOY, came out earlier this year. She most recently co-wrote/directed Last Call, a play about the traditional Irish music scene, in Dublin, Ireland; it will be revived there as part of Tradfest 2026. Her undergraduate degree from Harvard University is in Comparative Religion, with a focus on Buddhism; she had no idea it would ever prove so useful!

Caroline Hawthorne (The iPhone Arias, Writer/Performer) is a multi-disciplinary artist originally from Los Angeles, CA. Her solo work “The Slutty Virgin” premiered at The PlayGround Solo Festival in San Francisco. Her classical compositions have been featured at The Cell Theatre NYC, Off-Brand Opera, and the 24 Hour Play Nationals. She has also performed with Ohio Light Opera, College Light Opera Company, and Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. Her newest work “The iPhone Arias” has been featured at The Tank, University Settlement, and the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. She is now based in New York. As always, love to my family.

Ric Iverson (Fagnostic, Writer/Performer) ended his award-winning trilogy with Period New Paragraph at PlayGround SF Solofest 2025. Favorite roles: Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly (starring Leslie Uggams), The Balladeer in the West Coast Premiere of Assassins, Peter Jones Jr. in the World Premiere of Cumberland Blues, Dickon in The Secret Garden, Father Virgil Manly Trott in Nunsense Jamboree (West Coast Premiere), Herman in The Most Happy Fella, Mike Bailey in Sayonara, Will in The Will Rogers Follies, and Jerry Springer in Jerry Springer: The Opera. Fagnostic is performed as a benefit for the Trans Lifeline.

Susan Lily Jackson (Playwright) Susan J. Westfall Playwriting Award; Semi-Finalist for the National Playwrights Conference—Eugene O’Neill Center- THE MONOLOGUE PROJECT-Curator, Dominique Morisseau;  Staged- read/produced New York, Bay Area, Columbus Black Theatre Festival, William Inge Festival, internationally. SF PLAYGROUND SOLO —Vertigo: But Not the Movie!– Marsh Monday Night– Published: Smith and Kraus, Finalist: Henley Rose Competition for Female Playwrights;  SF Young Playwrights Festival with Lauren Yee and Christopher Chen.

Emily M Keyishian (Broken Borders, Writer/Performer) an award-winning Bay Area actor and painter, Emily is originally from the NJ/NYC area. She has performed in theater and film on both US coasts and in Ireland. Her identity as both Armenian from Turkey and Jewish from what is now Ukraine is integral to her creative voice. Through her art and performances, she works to inspire everyone to keep their histories alive in a world that seeks to silence marginalized voices. Her dual heritage fuels her commitment to storytelling that honors resilience and cultural memory. View her paintings at devildoll.com and her acting work at emilykeyishian.com.

Joshua Klein (Theatrical Monologues: From Shakespeare to Modern, Writer/Performer) discovered acting in 1988 at Foothill College in Los Altos, CA where he performed in two plays. Life took new twists and turns over the next decade and then in 2000 he attended Shelton Studios for what would become a 23 year association. Studying with Matthew Shelton initially, then Lous Oropeza, Richard Harder, Julie Dimas-Lockfeld and then founder, Jean Shelton, Josh found his theatrical home and family. Through studies, performing in plays, workshops and production assistance with theatrical mentors Will Marchetti and Oleg Liptsin , his theatrical journey has been a deeply satisfying and lifelong discovery of acting from the heart and soul of what if means to be human in this strange and beautiful world. He continues his work with Julie Dimas-Lockfeld and Matthew Shelton in private studies and play workshops plus has been in the Screen Actors Guild since 1996. This collection of monologues he’ll perform comprise nearly 40 years of honing the craft.

Brian Leonard (Therapist Zero, Writer/Performer) is a writer, performer, and storyteller whose first solo show, Therapist Zero, sold out three performances at the San Francisco Fringe Festival and performances at New York’s United Solo Festival. A former stand-up comic once called “one of San Francisco’s most intelligent and funniest comedians” (San Jose Mercury News), Brian has also written for and directed Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Sudeikis, Mindy Kaling, and written for Pixar, and BBC Radio. With humor, heart, and sharp storytelling, Therapist Zero explores parenting, mental health, and resilience, marking Brian’s transition from comedy and screenwriting into solo performance.

Jasmine Lew (The Specimen – A Horror Play, Stage Manager, she/they/he) is a theatre maker, educator, and social worker based in the Bay Area. Jasmine specializes in facilitating devised theatre and new work development, often in educational settings. They make scrappy, heartfelt work that examines the relationship between intimate human moments and large systemic issues. Jasmine is glad to be supporting with Stage Management on The Specimen, and is grateful to the team for all of their work!

Julie Dimas Lockfeld (Clara, Director) was a founding member of the Phoenix Arts Association Theatre where she directed Orpheus Descending, The Ballad of the Sad Café, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Unveiling, The Umbrella Play and performed in numerous roles. More recent directing credits include original works with Opera Unlimited, Piano Fight and at Shelton Theatre: Abundance, The Rainmaker, Savage In Limbo, The Woolgatherers, California Suite and a second acclaimed production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Over the years, Julie has taught acting classes at The Academy of Art University, Mark Monroe Studios and Shelton Studios. She is a graduate of StageGroup Theatre acting program – modeled after the Group Theatre of New York City.

Éowyn Mader (The Retreat, Performer) is an AEA actor who has performed with the California Shakespeare Theatre, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, San Jose Stage Company and Center REP, among many others. She was a co-founder of Signal Theater Company and a company member of Rough and Tumble. She is also an early childhood music educator teaching in preschools and the Music Together program.

Christopher Robin Magee (Possession: Invitation and Exultation (a scientific study), Writer) is the Artistic Director of the Moonrisers. He lived in the Bay for many years but relocated back to Montana where he was from. Maybe one day he will be back, he’s confused and feeling a little lost, he’s wondering if it’s a ubiquitous condition.

Schaeffer Nelson (The Specimen: A Horror Play, Writer/Performer) is an Oakland playwright, performer, and horror writer. His work has been produced and developed at Oakland Theater Project, Ensemble Studio Theater LA, Sandcastle Theater Company, GLAMA, Homo-Centric, The Writer’s Place, Kansas City Fringe Festival, Orinda Community Church and Open Lore Policy, and has been a Bay Area Playwright’s Festival Finalist. His horror play, Mice, was described by LAist as “a taut 70-minute  psychological thriller”, with The Los Angeles Times calling Nelson, “an intriguing new voice…who should be heard.”

Miyoko Sakatani (In The Spirit of Gaman: The Mitsuye Endo Story, Writer/Performer) is a SAG-AFTRA-e actor, singer, writer, director, producer and podcaster. As a proud PlayGround-SF company member, she is thrilled to be back for her third solo show at the PlayGround Solo Festival! Her previous shows I’ll Look Up as I Walk, and I Wasn’t Always an Asian, were created, written and performed by Miyoko. As founding director of Playland Productions she has produced several films and theatrical plays. Miyoko is a regular community volunteer and a member of an all Asian ukulele band who performs gratuitously for residential care facilities. Deepest love and gratitude to Richard, Shanti and dearest friends.

RJ Silva (You Eat So Well!, Writer/Performer), he/him, is a writer, and creative producer from Chicago, IL. Writer: Hail Mary/Maria (PlayGround-SF), Not Unusual (PlayGround-Chicago), Eat Cute (Web, The Ampliverse). Performer: Heart Strings (Filament Theatre), Baked! (Theo Ubique). Artistic Director of CIRCA Pintig, Chicago’s Filipino theatre and community arts organization, where he has directed Every Brilliant Thing, and two years of the Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival. IG @RJ.SLAY

Ken Sonkin (Therapist Zero, Director) is an award-winning actor, director, and company member of PlayGround-SF. He has performed and directed extensively throughout the Bay Area with American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, The Magic Theatre, and Z Space, and regionally with the Denver Center Theatre Company and Pacific Resident Theater in Los Angeles. Ken has collaborated with playwrights including Oliver Goldstick, Brian Thorstenson, and Lynne Kaufman. A longtime educator, he has taught at ACT, Northwestern, and Stanford, and is currently a professor at the University of San Francisco, where he directs and teaches acting and directing.

Kendall Tieck (Good Grief: Tales of a Persistent Blockhead, Director) directed, designed and performed for West Coast theaters including SecondStory Rep in Redmond Washington, and in theatres throughout the Bay Area including Douglass Morrison Theatre, Contra Costa Theatre and Bankhead Theatre in Livermore. Recently, Kendall appeared in David Rintel’s one-hander, Clarence Darrow. Kendall has also worked at the American Conservatory Theatre as Production Supervisor and Production Manager.

Puja Tolton (Possession: Invitation and Exultation (a scientific study), Performer) is a multi-disciplinary theatre artisan based in the Bay Area. She has worked with local theatre companies such as Left Coast Theatre, Awesome Theatre, Three Girls Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, and the Moonrisers. Most recently, they self-produced an immersive devised ensemble piece, Strange Organs, with their co-collaborator, LindenJL.

PRODUCTION & STAFF

BRITTANY MELLERSON (Sound Designer/Lighting Designer)

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, corporations and government agencies whose contributions make our work possible. This list reflects gifts of $125 or more committed between December 1, 2023 & December 6, 2024.

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

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Dan Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Paul Haahr, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)

Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, John H. Gilman, Sam Latham, Anonymous

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Randy Adams, Meriko Borogove, David Goldman, Keith Goldstein & Donna N. Warrington, Just Play Productions, Linda Kremer, Ronald Whittier Family Foundation, Daniele Nathanson , Nitin, Molly Noble and Bob Guilbault, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, John J. Ruskin, Tom Swift, Malachy Walsh and Heather Robison, Janine Wilburn, Anonymous

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Phoenix Theatre SF, Hillary DeMartino, Paulette Donsavage, Regina S. Guggenheim, Ms. Kathryn A Hecht, Diane Leonard, Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb, Dr. Gary W. London, Diane Sampson, Marian Scheuer Sofaer & Abraham D. Sofaer, Jeffrey Trescott, Anonymous

PATRON ($250-$499)

Nina Ball & Jon Tracy, Chris and Cindy Redburn, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Christian Wilburn, Maury Zeff, Anonymous (3)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Sam & Naomi Abramovitz, Mary E. Baird, Ms. Portia F. Bock, Cass Brayton, Sheila Collins, Joyce Dieda, Clint Fleener, Michael Fried, Mrs. Judith Lynn Garcia, Anonymous, Gina Harris, Ms. Sharlene Hartman, Mr. Stanley William Hathaway, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Tanuja Devi Jagernauth, Ms. Mildred Inez Lewis, Anonymous, Paris McCarthy, Kimberly Ridgeway, Ms. Jessica Rofé, Margo Rofé, Carolina Rojas Moretti, Katie Ryan, Louel Senores, Alex M. Shafer, Christine Sheppard, Stan Stone, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Scott Lebus & Susannah Wise

To contribute to PlayGround, visit https://playground-sf.org/contribute or contact PlayGround Associate Director of Development Lana Richards at lana@playground-sf.org or by phone at (415) 992-6677.

Become a PlayGround contributor!

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STREAMING AND COMING SOON!

PlayGround Company

PlayGround-SF Writers Pool 2025-26

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Paul Braverman, Robyn Brooks, Madeleine Butler, Melina Cohen-Bramwell, Jediah Craig, Laura Domingo, Garret Groenveld, KT Frances Hartline, Carl Andrew Johnson, Ruth Kirschner, Greg Lam, Justin P. Lopez, Daniel Martinez Jr, Gillian O’Leary, Richard Perez, James Perry, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Jan Probst, Kimberly Ridgeway, George Rose, Sophie Ruf, Sanjit Sengupta, Greg Sigur, Chris Steele, Stan Stone, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Maury Zeff

PlayGround Resident Playwrights

San Francisco: Monique Adams, Madeleine Butler*, Laura Domingo**, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Daniel Martinez Jr., Christian Wilburn; Los Angeles: Summer Broyhill, Amy Ellenberger, Paris Herbert-Taylor, Jonathan Josephson, Mercedes Segesvary, Baylee Shlichtman*; New York: Saiya Floyd, Howard Ho, Dana Leslie Goldstein, Wade Lawrence Hollomon, Lyra Nalan, Camron Wright*; Chicago: Anne Brady*, Jessie Bond, alfonzo kahlil, Juliet Kang Huneke, Karissa Murrell Myers, Katherine Swan.

* Playwrights under commission for the 2025-26 season
** June Anne Baker Award Winner

PlayGround Company

Molly Aaronson-Gelb, Angel Adedokun, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Liz Anderson, Rinabeth Apostol, Michael Asberry, Michael Barrett Austin, Mary Baird, April Ballesteros, Tanika Baptiste, Aldo Billingslea, Julia Brothers, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Lizzie Calogero, Ron Campbell, Nancy, Carlin, Joy Carlin, Ben Chau-Chiu, Zoe Chien, Tessa Corrie, David Cramer, Will Dao, Anne Darragh, Roshni Datta, Natalia Delgado, Dodds Delzell, Livia Gomes Demarchi, Carolyn Doyle, Leticia Duarte, Nora el Samahy, Rebecca Ennals, Britney Frazier, Michael French, Claire, Ganem, Norman Gee, Douglas B. Giorgis, Linda Giron, Amy Glazer, Leon Goertzen, Cindy Goldfield, BW Gonzalez, GG Grilli, Rudy Guerrero, Karina Gutierrez, Rosie Hallett, Katherine Hamilton, Matthew Hanjoong, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Brian Herndon, Champagne Hughes, J Jha, Christian, Jimenez, Colin Johnson, Jacinta Kaumbulu, Emily Keyishian, Jennifer King, Tessa Koning-Martinez, Randy Lee, Danielle Levin, Amy Lizardo, Jeffrey Lo, Gwen Loeb, Charisse Loriaux, George Maguire, Melanie Marshall, Alicia Mason, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Julia McNeal, Sam Misner, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto, Brady Morales-Woolery, Carolina Morones, Lisa Morse, Khary L. Moye, Sakura Nakahara, Molly Noble, Karen Offereins, Annette Oliveira, Soren Oliver, Ely Orquiza, Tony Ortega, Doyle Ott, June Palladino, Carla Pantoja, Louis Parnell, Jed Parsario, Michael, Phillis, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Stephanie Prentice, Ezra Reaves, Ginny 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 Truitt, Liam Vincent, Ian Walker, Maryssa Wanlass, Tracy Ward, Reggie D. White, Christian Wilburn, Wayne Wong, Elena Wright, Hector Zavala

PlayGround Staff

Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 
Lana Richards, Director of Development 
Jonathan Josephson, Director of Marketing & Communications 
Stephanie Prentice, Education Coordinator
Tanika Baptiste, MNP Executive Producer 
Norman Gee, MNP Associate Producer 
Katja Rivera, MNP Associate Producer 
Zoe Chien, MNP Associate Producer & Casting Director 
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer & Technical Director 
K’Zhane McGill, Box Office Manager 
Donna Fondjo, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Jordan Don, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Juliana Morgado Brito, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Devin Cunningham, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 

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 Equity Workgroup

Diana Burbano, Victoria Evans Erville, Norman Gee, Jim Kleinmann, Brittany Mellerson, Tiana Randall-Quant, Katja Rivera, M. Graham Smith.

PlayGround Board

Stephanie Prentice, Chair 
James A. Kleinmann, President 
Christian Wilburn, Vice President
Nitin, Treasurer
Ben Cain, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus
Tanvi Agrawal
Linda Amayo-Hassan
Julia Brothers
Howard Ho
Alex Kingsley
Rebecca Martinez
Kendall Phillips
Jessica June Rowe

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