PlayGround Presents Season 29

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

Topic: “RESOLUTION“

January 16, 2023 7pm PT

Live at Freight and Salvage + 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 Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen
by Justin P. Lopez
Directed by Karina Gutiérrez
Assistant Directed by Jenna Stein-Corman
Tristan………………………………….Louel Senores
Samuel……………………………………..Tim Garcia
Amy……………………………………Elissa Stebbins
Isadora Wilson……………………Karen Offereins

Stargazers
by Bridgette Dutta Portman
Directed by Katja Rivera
Assistant Directed by Emlyn Doolittle
Livie………………………………….Natalia Delgado
Rossa………………….Gianna DiGregorio Rivera

Name and Date
by Kaz Valtchev
Directed by M. Graham Smith
Axel………………………………….Romeo Channer
Cindy……………………………………..Ketsia Duval

The Resolution of Us
by Vicky Pham
Directed by Rebecca J. Ennals
Narrator………………………..……David Cramer
Juniper…………………………………..Gisela Feied
Finn………………………………………..Benjy Shaw

Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything
by Michael Tuton
Directed by Tanika Baptiste
Demarcus “Boogie” Cousins…James Small Jr.
Lynn Isfine.…………………………….Norman Gee

Changing Inward
by Daniel Martinez, Jr.
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Carlos…………………………………Rudy Guerrero
Julia………………………………………Roshni Datta
Chad…………………………………….Samuel Prince

Stage Manager: Dianne Harrison
Sound Designer: James Goode

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

PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area and Theatre Communications Group,
and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network (NNPN).

People’s Choice Award

Following tonight’s performance, we invite your participation in this month’s 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 award-winning incubator programs.

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 Monday Night 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 the week, we’ll tally up the top vote-getter and automatic semi-finalist for our season-ending Best of PlayGround. 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

JUSTIN P. LOPEZ (The Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen), he/him, is an 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). He also recently originated the lead role in the new contemporary opera Unbound: A Kink Opera. 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 PlayGround SF, Custom Made Theatre Company, and Town Hall Theatre. Find out what else Justin is up to at www.justinplopez.com

DANIEL MARTINEZ, JR. (Changing Inward), he/him, is an actor and playwright from San Jose. This is his first season as a member of Playground’s Writers Pool, and the water is nice and ~warm~! Daniel will be debuting his second one man show, Round Hole, as part of Playground’s Solo Performance Festival later this month and he hopes you’ll consider watching! He loves writing stories that make you laugh and go “aw”. For his day job, Daniel teaches screenwriting, acting, and directing to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

VICKY PHAM (The Resolution of Us), she/her, is a playwright, Bay Area native, and student at Santa Clara University. Through her writing, Vicky wishes to channel her creativity into uplifting voices and raising awareness to issues afflicting the AAPI community. She is the author of plays such as White Christmas and A Seat At The Table, which was selected for a reading under the direction of Tony Award winning actor, BD Wong. Currently, Vicky is a Hackworth Fellow researching the history and ethics of representation of Asian Americans in theatre and film in pursuit of a full-length play (Spring 2023).

BRIDGETTE DUTTA PORTMAN (Stargazers), she/her, is a playwright and novelist. More than two dozen of her plays have been produced locally, nationally, and overseas. She 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 holds a PhD in political science (UC Irvine, 2011) and an MFA in creative writing (Spalding University, 2018). She is currently president of the board of directors of the Pear Theatre in Mountain View, CA, and teaches composition at UC Berkeley.

MICHAEL TUTON (Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything), he/him. Mike Tuton’s first play won 2nd place in the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco 2021 Playoffs and won the 2022 Act One:One Act festival in NYC. He is a cofounder of the Unofficial Theater Company with four other writers. Mike has created Intellectual Properties for Nike, SFMoMA, Intel, and has won multiple Cannes Lions, but Mike is most proud of being retweeted by Joyce Carol Oates. Mike is unsure what themes tie his plays together, but he likes to explore how minds are changed.

KAZ VALTCHEV (Name and Date), he/him, has worked with Monday Night Playground as a stage manager, actor, and now a playwright. He has been onstage, backstage, and front of stage for several theaters across the Bay Area. He has also spent over a decade writing stories, slam poetry, and songs. He has had short plays produced with the 2020 Queer AF Festival and the 2022 Fresh Baked Pears Festival. He will also have an original monologue published in the anthology, WE-US: Monologues for Gender Minority Characters in March 2023.

ACTORS

ROMEO CHANNER (Name and Date, “Axel”), they/them/any, is an actor and theatre artist from Berkeley, currently completing their final year at Mills College, where they focus on Queer and Ethnic/Cultural Studies. They are a company member of Oakland Theater Project, where they have played Mary Warren in The Crucible, Ariel in The Tempest, and originated the role of Jean Dark in Lisa Ramirez’ sAiNt jOaN (burn/burn/burn).

DAVID CRAMER (The Resolution of Us, “Narrator”), he/him, has a BFA in Theatre Arts from the University of New Mexico, studied at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Harvey Lembeck’s comedy improv workshop in L.A. and HB Studios in New York. Local stage work includes productions with The Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Word For Word, Shotgun Players and SF Playhouse. Film and television credits include M*A*S*H*,The Waltons, Falcon Crest and Nash Bridges among others. He is a proud company member of Playground.

ROSHNI DATTA (Changing Inward, “Julia”), she/her, is a stage/film actress, dancer/choreographer and a radio jockey where she goes by Mirchi Rosh. She has previously acted in various Bay Area theater productions such as Mahabharat, Rumors, Kingdom of Cards, State of Denial, and Rehearsal for Murder. She is a trained classical dancer and has acted in and co-created various short films & music videos. In her free time she enjoys writing poetry and rapping. She is super excited to participate in Monday Night PlayGround.

NATALIA DELGADO (Stargazers, “Livie”), she/her/ella. Born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles, Natalia has always been around incredibly creative and innovative people. Her background in both Theatre and education has only increased her passion and curiosity to delve deep into truthful storytelling. Whether she’s on or off stage, she commands the room with her infectious charm and giving spirit. Memorable roles include Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet), Blondie (Zoot Suit), Camila (In the Heights), and many more. She has also been featured in various Staged Readings and Original Works through Latinx Mafia and Theatres in the surrounding Bay Area such as Shotgun Players, Awesome Theatre, A.C.T, and Monday Night Playground.

GIANNA DIGREGORIO RIVERA (Stargazers, “Rossa”), she/they, is a Bay Area actor and musician. Before the pandemic, she had just returned home from a 3-city tour of Quixote Nuevo (Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Alley Theatre). Previous credits include: Quixote Nuevo (California Shakespeare Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Aurora Theatre Company), Arcadia (Shotgun Players), How I Learned to Drive (Custom Made Theatre Co.), Ageless (Quantum Dragon Theater), Zoot Suit (UCSC Mainstage). She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Sexuality Studies as San Francisco State University.

KETSIA DUVAL (Name and Date, “Cindy”), sher/her. A proud native of Haiti, Ketsia moved to the West Coast from Florida. She is a self proclaimed theatre fiend and foodie who loves writing, acting, and spectating! If she is not home watching a movie or talking with friends, you can find her volunteering and serving her community in whatever way she can. She truly craves adventure and loves learning about other cultures, learning languages, and trying new food! Ketsia was recently seen in “The F*ggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions” at Oakland Secret and Oakland Theater Project.

GISELA FEIED (The Resolution of Us, “Juniper”), 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.

TIM GARCIA (The Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen, “Samuel”), he/him, is a Bay Area actor who most recently appeared in the world premiere of A Picture of Two Boys at New Conservatory Theatre Center. Bay Area company credits include SF Playhouse, Cal Shakes, The Pear Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, Custom Made Theatre Co. (BATCC nomination), Brava, Douglas Morrison, Boxcar Theatre, Left Coast Theatre Company, and Coastal Repertory. He studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz, San José State University, holds a B.A. in Theatre with emphases in Acting, Writing & Research, and serves as Marketing Director at The Pear Theatre. EMC. tim-garcia.com. Next appearance: A Marriage at TheatreFIRST.

NORMAN GEE (Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything, “Lynn Isfine,” Associate Producer), he/him, just closed a wonderful run in MEET JOHN DOE at SJ Stage (thestage.org). This, after a summer performing with SF Mime Troupe (sfmt.org) in the new musical BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE, directing the Pullman Porter play COMPARED TO WHAT for Masquers Playhouse in Pt. Richmond, and launching a peek at next year’s reading series for the baldwincentennialproject.com.
All while juggling duties as an Associate Producer for SF-Playground!

RUDY GUERRERO (Changing Inward, “Carlos”), he/him, is thrilled to be back at PlayGround. Other theater credits include performances at 42nd St. Moon, American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Central Works, Connecticut Repertory Theater, Foothill Music Theater, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Magic Theatre, Marin Shakespeare Company, Marin Theatre Company, Pacific Alliance Stage Company, Playwrights Foundation, San Francisco Playhouse, Theatre Rhinoceros, TheatreWorks, Willows Theatre Company, and Word for Word. Mr. Guerrero has a BFA in Musical Theater from the Boston Conservatory and a MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater. He will be seen next as “Machiavelli” in Mondragola at Central Works, Spring 2023. rudyguerrero.com

KAREN OFFEREINS (The Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen, “Isadora Wilson”), she/her, was last seen in Ferocious Lotus’ EVOLUTION. Recent credits include Custom Made Theatre’s How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, having previously performed there in The Pain and the Itch and M. Butterfly, Elevada at Shotgun Players (as well as The Mousetrap, Top Girls, and Our Town), Two Mile Hollow (Ferocious Lotus), and Phèdre (Cutting Ball Theater). Past credits include The Potrero Nuevo Project (PlayGround), The Rules (SF Playhouse), and Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Big Funk, and No Exit (AtmosTheatre). She can next be seen in Quicksand’s upcoming sketch comedy show in February at PianoFight.

SAMUEL PRINCE (Changing Inward, “Chad”), he/him, holds an MFA in Acting and a Juris Doctor (Doctor in Law) from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is an attorney, admitted to the State Bar of California, and an activist. Samuel enjoys working out, reading, watching movies, hiking, all while trying to get a good night sleep!

LOUEL SENORES (The Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen, “Tristan”), he/him, is hyped to be able to play with PlayGround once again! And in person! Woo! Recent performance credits include: “Dream Hou$e” and “The Act of Care.” Recent SM credits include: “Balikbayan Box” and “Water by the Spoonful.” For more info, check out LouelSenores.com

BENJY SHAW‘s (The Resolution of Us, “Finn”), he/ him, associate directing projects include the Broadway and San Francisco productions of Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Sing Street at New York Theatre Workshop, The Glass Menagerie starring Cherry Jones both on Broadway and at the Edinburgh International Festival, and the annual national tour of Elf, the musical, among many others. He directed the 50th Anniversary Gala for the New York Library of the Performing Arts honoring Angela Lansbury, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Jessye Norman. As a producer and director, he has created original live and animated content for Oracle. A graduate of Muhlenberg College, Benjamin grew up in Pittsburgh and now lives in New York City.

JAMES SMALL JR. (Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything, “Demarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins”), he/him. Born and raised in Berkeley California, James is currently living in Oakland, where he is a drummer for Fantastic Negrito and an  elementary school Drama Teacher. He is a former ABA Basketball Play and recently played the lead role in “White Jesus Black Problems.”

ELISSA STEBBINS (The Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen, “Amy”), she/they, is a Bay Area based actor, teaching artist, and theatre maker. Recent regional credits include Colonialism is Terrible, but Pho is Delicious (Aurora Theatre Company), Nan and the Lower Body (TheatreWorks), Becky Nurse of Salem (Berkeley Rep), among others. She is a co-founder of Analog Theatre Company, which focuses on imaginative storytelling using masks, puppets, and physical theatre. She is a TBA Award winner, and a TITAN and CASH grant recipient. Elissa graduated from Santa Clara University, and has continued training with Shakespeare and Company, and Atelier Mask Movement Theatre in Italy.

DIRECTORS

TANIKA BAPTISTE (Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything), she/they, is honored to make her directorial PlayGround debut! Tanika works as a director, actor, vocalist and ASM in the Bay Area, San Diego and sometimes NY. Past directorial regional credit include Bull in a China Shop, Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betty’s (Pear Theatre) How Black Mothers Say I Love You, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen (Theatre Rhinoceros) Assistant Director, Fight Captain and ASM Pass Over Marin Theatre Company) Tanika was most recently awarded Theatre Bay Area’s Arts Leadership Cohort Grant with Theatre Rhinoceros and is 3x SFBATCC nominee for direction, choreography & costume design. Thank you PlayGround! Thank you audience members for your support! Love to my family & friends. @tanikabaptiste

REBECCA J. ENNALS (The Resolution of Us), she/her, was most recently the Artistic Director of San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, where she spent 21 seasons. She is now a freelance director, AEA stage manager, educator, and writer, and delighted to be working again with Playground. She has also worked with ACT, Marin Theatre Company, Peninsula Youth Theatre, Los Altos Youth Theatre, New York Classical Theatre, and the late great Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare at Stinson, and Napa Valley Repertory Theatre. Her two favorite creative collaborations are Henry (8) and Eddie (4).

KARINA GUTIÉRREZ (The Most Exclusive, Opulent New Year’s Gala You’ve Ever Seen), she/her, is a Bay Area-based director, dramaturg, and scholar. She has previously directed projects for Shotgun Players, Crowded Fire Theatre, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, The Playwright’s Foundation, and Stanford University. Gutiérrez’s upcoming projects include: Giants Have Us in Their Books (Santa Clara University, and Cruzar la cara de la luna (West Edge Opera). She is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre History and Performance Studies at Santa Clara University. Like her artistic practice, her scholarly work concentrates on the intersection of politics and performance, social justice, with a focus on new Latinx works.

JIM KLEINMANN (Changing Inward, 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.

KATJA RIVERA (Stargazers, Associate Producer), she/her, studied theater at LACC Theatre Academy and Drama Studio London at Berkeley. Bay Area acting credits include: Shotgun Players, Magic Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, Center Rep. Directing credits include Shotgun Players,Douglas Morrison, CustomMade Theatre, RPE (Danville), SF Playground and TheatreFIRST. She is a proud member of Shotgun Players, SF Playground and Latinx Mafia, as well as a very proud Abuela of Leo and Eleanor! (Do you want to see some pictures?)

M. GRAHAM SMITH (Name and Date), he/him, is a San Francisco-based Director, Educator and Producer. He is an O’Neill/NNPN National Directing Fellow, an Oregon Shakespeare Festival FAIR Fellow and Resident Artist at Crowded Fire. He’s directed in New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Portland Oregon, Washington DC, and San Francisco. He directed the West Coast Premiere of JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA, the World Premiere of Christopher Chen’s HOME INVASION, as well as Mia Chung’s YOU FOR ME FOR YOU, James Ijames’ WHITE, and Kevin Rolston’s DEAL WITH THE DRAGON. His next project is the new musical THE MORTIFICATION OF FOVEA MUNSON at the Kennedy Center this March.

PRODUCTION & STAFF

JAMES GOODE (Sound Designer), he/him, is a sound designer, composer, audio engineer, musician, and songwriter based in the Bay Area. He’s collaborated with actors, animators, visual artists, writers, and other musicians and composers 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 As You Like It (San Francisco Playhouse), The Four Gifts (Hillbarn Theatre), Richard II (African-American Shakespeare Company), Dot (New Conservatory Theatre Center), Native Gardens (Center REPertory Company), and Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul (Oakland Theater Project). https://jamesgoodesound.com

DIANNE HARRISON (Stage Manager), she/her, was born and raised in Sonoma Valley and performed in children’s theatre before shifting to stage management. Some of her past shows include Sonoma Arts Live’s Same Time, Next Year; Santa Rosa Junior College’s Legally Blonde: The Musical and Almost, Maine, which earned a Certificate of Merit from the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival; JoLee Productions’ Bluff, which she also co-directed; and Ross Valley Players’ Silent Sky and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily. She is thrilled to be a part of Monday Night PlayGround.

LAUREL SCHWEIDEL (Box Office), she/they, is a Bay Area native who loves to teach and perform. She graduated from UC Irvine with a BA in Drama and has taught improvisation, music, and songwriting through Bay Area Children’s Theater, the Willard Metal Shop Theater, and Leap Arts in Education. Laurel also MC’s concerts with Sofar Sound and releases original music under the name Laurel Hannah.

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, gifts of $125 or more committed between January 1, 2022 & January 16, 2023.

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS

Alameda County Arts Commission • Amazon • American Rescue Plan Act & CARES Act • Art Space Development Corporation • 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 • First Republic Bank • The Fleishhacker Foundation • Grants For The Arts • Koret Foundation • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • NIAC • Nvidia • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Planet Earth Arts • The Shubert Foundation • The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation • Zellerbach Family Foundation

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTERS

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

William Bivins, Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, Dan Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Jerome Joseph Gentes & Michael Bourque, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann, Peggy Haas, David Steele

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500–$4,999)

Meriko Borogove, John H. Gilman, Regina S. Guggenheim, Anonymous

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Linda Kremer, Rebecca Martinez, Nitin, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, Marian Scheuer Sofaer & Abraham D. Sofaer, Anonymous (6)

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Ruth & Robert Brayton, Thomas Patrick Broyhill, Sidney Glass & Eleanor Clement Glass, Kelly & Carlos Delgado, David Goldman, Keith Goldstein & Donna Warrington, Jeff Gregory, Regina S. Guggenheim, Kathryn A Hecht, Lisa A. Mammel, Lisa Morse, Ray Riegert, Maury Zeff, Anonymous

PATRON ($250-$499)

Wendy Bear, Jack Codd, Jean and Norm Reynolds, Maria Ross, Diane Sampson, Jerome Solberg, Annie Stuart, Janine Wilburn, Robin L. Wimsatt, Susannah Wise & Scott Lebus, Anonymous (2)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Sharon Baldwin and Joseph Ganem, Gerhard and Kathleen Bette, Dr. Katherine Ardis Blenko, Frieda de Lackner, Michael Fried, Mr. Eric Garcia, Tom Goetzl, Cindy Goldfield, Mr. Stanley William Hathaway, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Abbe S. Kalos & Kitt Saginor, Jennifer King, Gregg Le Blanc, Jonathan Luskin, Paris McCarthy, Everett & Julia Moore, Louis Parnell, Dr. Alan Pearl, Madeline Daly Puccioni , Jesus Reyes, Emily Brauer Rogers, Mike Rosenthal, Christine Sheppard, Liam Vincent, Bex White, Christian Edward Wilburn, Anonymous

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!

DONATE

PlayGround Company

PLAYGROUND WRITERS COMPANY

Monique Hafen Adams, Barbara Anderson, Nicole Bruno, Madeleine Butler, Allie Costa+, Jediah Craig, Cherielyn Ferguson, Ipsheeta Furtado, Bailey Jordan Garcia+, Lauren Gorski,+ Aaron Higareda+, Sam Hurwitt, Tejahra Jacobs, Lisa Kang, Ruth Kirschner, Anne Yumi Kobori+, Steve Koppman, Jennifer Le Blanc+, Kristy Lin Billuni, Justin P. Lopez+, David MacFadden-Elliott, Daniel Martinez, Alanna McFall+, Bacilio Mendez II, Matthew Morishige, Vicky Pham, Bridgette Portman, Alexis Roblan, Jessica Rowe+, Anthony Sampson Semandiris, David Schweidel, Tony Sciullo, Marissa Skudlarek, Alexis Standridge, Max Tachis, Lisa Thompson, Eteya Trinidad, Michael Tuton, Kaz Valtchev, Daysha Veronica+, Michael Waterson, Christian Wilburn+, Maggie Wilson+, Maury Zeff
+ Resident Playwright

PLAYGROUND COMPANY

Molly Aaronson-Gelb, Angel Adedokun, Patrick Alparone, Liz Anderson, Rinabeth Apostol, Michael Asberry, Michael Barrett Austin, Mary Baird, Aldo Billingslea, Millie Brooks, Julia Brothers, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Lizzie Calogero, Ron Campbell, Joy Carlin, Nancy Carlin, Tessa Corrie, David Cramer, Will Dao, Anne Darragh, Dodds Delzell, Livia Gomes Demarchi, Carolyn Doyle, Nora el Samahy, Rebecca Ennals, Gisela Feied, Britney Frazier, Michael French, Claire Ganem, Sarah Gasser, Norman Gee, Douglas B. Giorgis, Amy Glazer, Cindy Goldfield, BW Gonzalez, Gabriel Grilli, Christian Haines, Rosie Hallett, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Brian Herndon, Monica Ho, Laura Humphrey, 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, Bacilio Mendez II, Sam Misner, Brady Morales-Woolery, Lisa Morse, Khary L. Moye, Molly Noble, Joseph Patrick O’Malley, Karen Offereins, Annete Oliveira, Soren Oliver, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Melissa Ortiz, Doyle Ott, June Palladino, Carla Pantoja, Louis Parnell,​​ Jed Parsario, Michael Phillis, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Stephanie Prentice, Ezra Reaves, Virginia Reed, Cathleen Riddley, Katja Rivera, Adrian Roberts, Stacy Ross, Adam Roy, Katie Rubin, Patrick Russell, Lindsey Marie Schmeltzer, Louel Senores, Robert Sicular, 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, Aaron Wilton, Elena Wright

PLAYGROUND AMBASSADORS

Jomar Tagatac (Co-Chair) , Aaron Wilton (Co-Chair) , Aldo Billingslea, Tessa Corrie, Livia Demarchi, Britney Frazier, Claire Ganem, Cindy Goldfield, Rosie Hallett, Jeffrey Lo, Gwen Loeb, Brady Morales-Woolery, Karen Offereins, Ely Sonny Orquiza

PLAYGROUND STAFF

Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 
Norman Gee, Associate Producer 
Jed Parsario, Associate Producer 
Stephanie Prentice, Associate Producer 
Katja Rivera, Associate Producer 
Jacque Bugler, Production Manager 
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer 
Lana Richards, Associate Director of Development 
Sarah Gasser, Resident Stage Manager 
Emlyn Doolittle, 2022 Producing Fellow / 2022-23 Directing Apprentice 
Savannah Greene, 2022-23 Producing Fellow 
Justin P. Lopez, 2022-23 Producing Fellow 
Bacilio Mendez II, 2022 Producing Fellow 
Tanvi Agrawal, 2022-23 Directing Apprentice
Jenna Stein-Corman, 2022-23 Directing Apprentice

PLAYGROUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephanie Prentice, Chair
James A. Kleinmann, President
Rondrell McCormick, VP-Communications
Emilie Talbot, VP-Development
Nitin, Treasurer
Katie May, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus
Diana Burbano
Philippa Kelly
Lisa Mammel
Rebecca Martinez
David Steele

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