Anne Brady: 2026 Festival of New Works Interview

Welcome to the fourth installment of our Playwright Spotlight series – 2026 Festival of New Works! Today we’re featuring PlayGround-CH alum Anne and her play Good Romans, which will receive a staged reading at Potrero Stage and Simulcast on May 31st at 3pm PT.  Advance reservations are required: visit playground-sf.org/festivalreadings for details.

What was the seed of your play?
It was a MNP prompt! We were given the phrase “The America Experiment,” and told it needed to be a solo piece. I had never written a solo play before, but I did have experience doing several dramatic oral reports in junior high, so I channeled that energy and started researching interesting figures in American History. I actually started writing a piece about Benedict Arnold, but when I learned more about his wife, I realized it would be a lot more fun to write from her perspective. And honestly, she does seem like the kind of woman who would show up asking to cash in a debt, despite stabbing you in the back all those years ago.

How did working with PlayGround help you develop the play?
My relationship with PlayGround began in 2024, when I joined the Writer’s Pool. The piece itself actually originated as my very first submission for a Monday Night PlayGround prompt. Then at the end of the season, PlayGround generously offered me a commission to expand the play into a full-length script, and as a part of that commission, I got the opportunity to join their Residency program. As a “Resident Playwright,” (I sound so fancy!) I got to connect with some incredibly talented playwrights, all at different stages of developing their scripts and ideas. I loved the chance to be inspired by these writers, and to gather insight into the work I was doing as well. Transforming my 10-minute solo play into a full length script with multiple actors was fairly daunting, so it helped to have fellow artists’ input and support along the way! In February, the play was included in the Alumni Readings series, where we held a Zoom reading of the full-length draft. Hearing the piece aloud and receiving thoughtful, specific feedback helped me refine the script further. At every point, PlayGround has provided an artistic home for my quirky idea: from its inception as a 10-minute play, through its commissioning and expansion, to its continued refinement through readings. I’m so grateful that I get to be part of the PlayGround family!

Give a teaser for your play.
Peggy Shippen Arnold, wife of America’s most famous traitor, gives her side of the story in hopes of securing widow’s benefits from the country her husband (and she?) betrayed.

Describe where you were when you wrote this play. Is there anything you need with you in order to write productively?
I love a lot of natural light, so I do most of my writing at the kitchen table. Unfortunately I also write best if I have long stretches of uninterrupted time, which is why I got very little writing done when my kids were younger.

What is your hometown? Where do you live now? How have these places influenced your writing?
I grew up in a military family, so I don’t have a single “hometown.” That said, the places that shaped me most are Honolulu, Seattle, and Chicago, where I live now. I went to high school in Honolulu, which is where I first fell in love with theatre. I loved performing in school plays, church plays, community theatre plays—really, anywhere that would have me! I moved to Seattle for college, where I studied writing and theatre, and then stayed for several years working as an actor. Seattle’s theatre community had a huge impact on me. It’s where I really came to value the sense of connection theatre creates—not just among artists, but with audiences too. I leaned into the theatre scene. I worked on everything from from classics to musicals to new works, and I discovered improv (that’s where the picture is from!). While terrifying, improv challenged me to create in a way I hadn’t before, and I learned to trust my own ideas a bit more. Seattle is also where I tried my hand at playwriting for the first time, and I was lucky enough to work with Taproot Theatre Company, which produced several of my plays. By the time I moved to Chicago in 2012, I was starting to see myself more as a writer than an actor. I took classes at The Second City and Chicago Dramatists, which pushed me to dig deeper into my writing. Ultimately, Chicago is where I’ve become more confident in my voice and style. Each city has gifted me different opportunities and challenges, and each has had a hand in making me the writer I am today.

What is a song that represents your play?
Maybe “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift. There is a lot of talk in the play about broken promises (which feels like a real Taylor Swift theme…) I’m not a huge Swiftie, but my daughter’s been playing her songs nonstop so that’s the first that comes to mind!

What do you do creatively other than writing?
I raise 2 kids! Keeping small humans alive and thriving is definitely a creative endeavor, as well as a constant education (thanks to my son, I am always up to date on the latest memes). I also write children’s books, both on my own and collaborating with my mom, who has been a children’s writer for over 40 years. Recently, I’ve picked up embroidery, but I’m not quite proficient enough to be creative yet!

What was the MNP prompt that started you on the journey of this play? If you hadn’t written this play, what is the play you would have written for this that prompt?
The prompt was to write a solo play inspired by the phrase: “The American Experiment.” If I hadn’t written “Disloyal,” I might have gone in a very different direction and done something related to growing up in a military family. I feel very lucky to have had the experiences I did, and I’m grateful for the childhood I had. But there are costs, too. Moving every few years means coming to terms with a fairly rootless life. Or rather, finding other ways to put down roots–in relationships, in family, etc. I still might write that play—it sounds like it could be therapeutic!

What artists (theatre or non-theatre) inspire you or your play?
I’m inspired by so many writers, but Annie Baker, Bruce Norris, and Samuel D. Hunter come to mind for their captivating realism, and the beautiful balance of humor and heart they put into their plays. I build comedy into all of my plays, but I also love a good heartstring pull or surprise truth, so those three are great teachers.

ANNE BRADY: After earning a degree in Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University, Anne worked as a professional actress and playwright in Seattle before relocating to Chicago in 2012. A PlayGround-CH alum, her plays have been produced around the West Coast as well as internationally. She studied playwriting with Chicago Dramatists and The Second City, and has authored or co-authored over 20 children’s books. She lives in Bucktown with her husband and 2 kids, and has an astonishing amount of Bluey committed to memory.

Our annual Festival of New Works, now in its 30th year, features performances of our top Monday Night plays through Best of PlayGround, a full-length premiere, a series of Staged Readings, and the finalists of our Young Playwrights Project.