Inside the Zoom Fest: The 25th Annual Best of PlayGround!
Last year’s first-ever PlayGround Zoom Fest laid the groundwork for PlayGround to continue to deeply invest in their commitments to accessibility, equity, and artistic innovation. This year’s Zoom Fest is no different, featuring full-length digital premieres, dynamic developmental readings, evenings of bite-sized storytelling and all under a radically-accessible admission-free structure!
This year’s Best of PlayGround marks the 25th iteration of this keystone program in PlayGround’s development of new voices for the American Stage! Over the past twenty-four years, Best of PlayGround has served to uplift some of California’s most promising new writers. Alumni include Lauren Yee, Aaron Loeb, Geetha Reddy, Garret Jon Groenveld, Genevieve Jessee, Jonathan Spector, Rachel Bublitz and Cleavon Smith, among others. This year’s Best of reflects the remarkable diversity and talent of the 2020-21 PlayGround Writers Pool: 5 of the 7 selected plays come from BIPOC writers, almost half of the selected writers are under the Queer diaspora, and a remarkable 4 of the 7 writers are first-time entrants into the Pool and 5 of 7 are in their first PlayGround Festival! Best of PlayGround 25 will be presented via Zoom live stream on Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 at 7pm PDT and available for pre-registered guests on-demand for two weeks. Both nights showcase all seven plays, in alphabetical order by playwright:
Blended Histories by Akaina Ghosh, directed by Jim Kleinmann
A brother and sister try to recall the story of their estranged parents at their mother’s funeral. But sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. Featuring Jon Demegillo, Monica Ho, Bacilio Mendez II, Isabel Anne To and Liam Vincent.
The Art of Suffrage by Anne Yumi Kobori, directed by Jeffrey Lo
In the Manzanar Relocation Center, two Japanese-American teenagers struggle to reconcile their past, present and future. Featuring Matthew Hanjoong, Nicole Javier and Emily Kuroda.
Pivot by Bacilio Mendez II, directed by Claire Ganem
When cancel-culture backfires and causes their latest post to go viral, two wannabe influencers may finally achieve their dream of celebrity… but at what cost? Featuring Jed Parsario & Louel Senores.
Zagriate by Chris Steele, directed by Sean Owens
In a seedy queer bar, strangers connect and an unlikely origin story unfolds, blending Greek mythology and trans personal history. Featuring Amy Lizardo, Benjamin Ismail and Ezra Reaves.
La Planchada by Eteya Trinidad, directed by Tessa Corrie
A man in an El Paso COVID ward struggles for breath while his niece, though more than a thousand miles away, may hold the secret to his survival. (Eteya Trinidad is the recipient of this year’s June Anne Baker Prize.) Featuring Hugo Carbajal, Gisela Feied and Carla Pantoja.
Curry and Crumpets by Leela Velautham, directed by Katherine Hamilton
A simple homework assignment becomes infinitely more challenging when a student finds two sides of her own identity fighting for supremacy.Featuring Patrick Kelly Jones, Dean Koya and Avanthika Srinivasan.
Sasha and the Angelier by Christian Wilburn, directed by Norman Gee
A young girl finds a new friend and temporary reprieve from a debilitating illness through her latest adventure novel. Featuring Jeunee Simon and Jomar Tagatac.
This year’s full evening of bite-sized theater is sure to pack a potent punch, so we asked our writers some bite-sized questions to season your expectations!
PlayGround: In one word, what is your play about?
Akaina Ghosh: Storytelling.
Anne Yumi Kobori: Freedom.
Bacilio Mendez II: Influence.
Chris Steele: Trans-formation.
Christian Wilburn: Imagination.
Eteya Trinidad: Hope.
Leela Velautham: Cross-cultural-conflict.
PG: In one phrase, what inspired this play?
AG: Oral traditions that allow stories to change as the teller changes;
AYK: Flower arranging in the desert;
BM2: Diamond & Silk;
CS: Blending mythology and personal trauma;
CW: My own experience with chronic illness;
ET: Forgotten stories and current events;
LV: A mini identity crisis brought on by the “no appropriation” direction in the prompt;
PG: In one sentence, what does PlayGround mean to you?
AG: PlayGround gives me an infrastructure to generate new works more frequently.
AYK: PlayGround is inspiration and incubation for new plays.
BM2: It’s the fastest, creative feedback loop in the Bay.
CS: PlayGround really is a community of support that keeps me sharing stories.
CW: PlayGround has been an amazing place to explore my creativity, and push myself as writer and performer, as well as create community with some of the Bay’s most awesome artists.
ET: PlayGround is an inspiring community of artists that has been a huge beacon of hope for me during the pandemic.
LV: I’m not sure I would be writing without it.
PG: In one image or gif, what should audiences expect from this play?
AG:
AYK:
BM2:
CS:
CW:
ET:
LV:
PG: In one sentence, what else do you want to say?
AG: I’m interested in the possibility of multiple conflicting stories being true at the same time.
AYK: My Kobori and Furuta family members were among 120,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated in concentration camps by the American government during WWII.
BM2: Enjoy the ridiculous ride.
CS: We shouldn’t have to survive so much trauma in order to just exist joyfully.
CW: I just…really hope this play brightens your day.
ET: Can’t wait to see you all in the theater once we’ve all been vaccinated!
LV: Recess is the best – a huge thank you to Annie for keeping it going over the past year.
This year, for the very first time, Best of PlayGround is available via live-stream on its debut weekend and available after the fact via on-demand. To reserve your tickets to any of the exciting content in this year’s Zoom Fest, visit https://playground-sf.org/zoomfest/ and to join the new Potrero Stagers membership program, giving you exclusive digital access to stream most of PlayGround’s content even after the fact, visit https://potrerostage.org/stagers/.
Best of PlayGround 25 premieres May 29 and May 30 at 7pm PDT via Zoom live stream and will be available on-demand for pre-registered guests through June 6. Register for free tickets by clicking here!