Company in the News July-2024

See what PlayGround Writers, Company Members, and Alumni are up to this July!

Lizzie Calogero will be playing a delightful assortment of characters in the SF Mime Troupe’s summer show, American Dreams. We’re free in Bay Area parks throughout July and August, and we’re loud and funny! Not silent mime! Info available here.

Jonathan Spector‘s EUREKA DAY announced casting for its Broadway run, with a cast including Bill Irwin, Jessica Hecht, Amber Grey, Zoe Chao and Thomas Middleditch. Performances begin Nov. 25th. More information here.

Cherielyn Ferguson‘s short play, Right, will be included in Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco’s PlayOffs, coming up in July. Right was developed in response to a PlayGround prompt from the 2022-23 season. The PlayOffs offer a total of 30 plays presented in six programs of five plays each. Watch Right on Sunday July 21 at 3pm when it’s presented along with four other plays. Vote for your two favorites and those coming out on top will have be presented as staged readings in October at Fort Mason. Register here to watch and vote!

Greg Lam will have his play CHAPLIN & KEATON ON THE SET OF LIMELIGHT have its world premiere June 28-July 21 at the Pear Theatre in Mountain View, CA. The play depicts the only ever collaboration between the two silent film comedy icons. As a special offer to Playground folks, you can use the code “PLAYGROUND” at checkout to receive a $10 per ticket discount for tickets.

Playwrights Center of San Francisco will be having a one-night Zoom reading of M.J. Kang‘s play, Blyth Visitations on July 1st, 7:30 pm PT. It’s free (by donation). Registration needs to be made here. It’s a comedy about identity, family, and friendships. Zoe Chien is thrilled to be part of the cast.

Maury Zeff‘s short play TYBALT & NUTELLA will be performed in a staged reading at the RTF New Works Festival in Redlands, California Tuesday, July 2 at 8:30pm. The play is a prequel to “Romeo and Juliet” that imagines Romeo’s long-forgotten sister Nutella’s not-so-star-crossed romance with hotheaded Tybalt, explaining the origins of the “ancient grudge” between the Montagues and the Capulets. The play was originally written for Monday Night PlayGround’s “Shakespeare Prequels” show.

Jennifer King is directing The Comedy of Errors for Prague Shakespeare Company in July. More info available here.

Kristy Lin Billuni‘s short comedy, “Generation Sex,” will get its second production this July in Queens, NY at the Secret Theatre Act One: One Act festival: Thursday, July 18, 8:30pm Wednesday, July 24, 8:30pm Sunday 7/28 at 3pm Saturday 8/3 at 3pm In this sweet play about gay family, a young queer person seeks independence from even their passionately progressive lesbian grandmother. Locally, Left Coast Theater Company first produced “Generation Sex” in their anthology show, Between the Sheets, February 2023, and Sinister Wisdom, the lesbian literary journal, published it in issue #130 We Teach Sex. If you’re in the NYC area, please go see “Generation Sex” at the Act One: One Act festival and vote to help the actors, director and Kristy to win cash prizes! Tickets available here.

172-push ups written, directed, and performed by Playground-LA ensemble will be premiering this September at LA Shorts! Krystal Mosely also has a supporting role in the upcoming film The Neon Highway which is set to hit Netflix end of July.

Emilie Talbot will be playing Mistress Page in THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR in Prague with The Prague Shakespeare Company Summer Intensive.

Shariba Rivers is Performing in Court Theatre’s Spotlight Reading Series on July 31. Tickets available here.

Miyoko Sakatani has two films that she co-produced and performed in which will be screening at film festivals in July. On July 13 “A Good Fight” will screen at the Tigertail Asian film festival in Tampa, Florida and on July 17 “Distressed” will screen at the SF Frozen film festival.

Kimberly Ridgeway is making her directorial debut at Central Works Theatre directing the World Premiere of Patricia Milton’s Accused! July 13 – August 11, 2024. Tickets available here.

As part of PCSF’s (Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco) 2024 Short Play Festival – finally back, albeit in altered, virtual form after a COVID-induced hiatus – Steve Koppman‘s short play ‘Brotherly Love, Family Matters’ will be featured in Round 6 (the last round), to be aired at 7 pm Pacific on Monday, July 29. Pre-registration is required and audience members will unfortunately have to register separately for each Group of plays. For Group 6, you may register here. For about a week after each group of plays is aired, recordings will be available to view but not download. Only audience members who see the plays on the airing dates below can vote (for their two favorites out of five, in PCSF’s effort toward a ‘second-round’ live staged reading of a few of the plays); those who view the plays after the airing date cannot vote. Group 6 – Monday, July 29 – 7:00 pm PT Directed by Amanda Lee A Womb of One’s Own by Dennis Edds / Brotherly Love, Family Matters by Steve Koppman / Let’s Dance by Brenda Soshanna / There’s Always Bleach by Helen Everbach / The Three O’Clock by Peggy Powell

River Bermudez Sanders will be appearing in the ensemble of San Francisco Playhouse’s Evita! Previews begin June 27th. Tickets available here.

Tony Kim has recently been added as a core member of This Week This Week. A weekly sketch comedy show with 2nd city Alumni Ron West as Artistic Director. Tony will be in most of the shows during the summer. DM on IG to get Pay What You Can Tickets, helping to keep sketch comedy accessible to all. A hilarious program with some very talented actors covering This Week’s news. More info found here. In addition a web series that Tony guest starred in, GodMother written and starring Melissa Collins is being released on to YouTube July 2nd. It’s funny and a little crazy.

Elena Wright will be in Twelfth Night at SPARC in July/August.

Allie Costa appeared in three films that are now in post-production, ranging from sci-fi to horror to modern-day drama. Her play Boxes Are Magic, which started at PlayGround-LA, was recently performed in London, and Wolves Change Rivers had a reading in San Diego. Learn more here and here.

William C. Thompson will be once again working with The Chicago Radio Players, in association with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, to present The Golden Age of Radio! On July 14, the Chicago Radio Players will be performing two radio classics: “Call Northside 777” and “My Favorite Husband.” Directed and performed by Chicago SAG-AFTRA members, you won’t want to miss the exciting and engaging performances! The shows will be held in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Claudia Cassidy Theater, 77 E. Randolph St., and admission is free. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.  You can contact William at Info@williamcthompson.me with any questions.

Zoe Chien is excited to announce she is now the Casting and Producing Director for 3Girls Theatre Company. For more, click here.

Bridgette Dutta Portman‘s full-length play AGELESS is now available for preorder from Original Works Publishing. This speculative drama follows Marin, who refuses to take the anti-aging pill celebrated by the rest of society. As Marin’s choice begins to affect not only her but the people she loves, will she find the strength to hold out, or succumb to social pressure? Preorder here.

Stan Stone‘s poetry, “Common Practice,” and brief memoir, “Crying Together,” are included in the newly published book, “THRIVING, An Anthology,” by Rhonda Rosenheck. The works of art between these covers comprise fiction, poetry, photographs, illustration, memoir, and creative non-fiction. They offer variably simple, complex, joyful, painful, imaginative, challenging, comforting glimpses of what it means, and what it takes to thrive. The book is available here.

After a couple of years of development and stage readings, the Baldwin Centennial Project will finally premiere on August 2nd at the Potrero Stage in San Francisco. Norman Gee is thrilled to be producing & directing this new work, bringing to life onstage the words of African-American author & social critic James Baldwin. The play will perform in SF for the first week of August, then move to the BAM House in downtown Oakland for the last two weeks. You can find more info on our Baldwin Sightings Facebook page, and @baldwincentennialproject on on Instagram. Tickets available here.

Hector Zavala is currently in Artist Residency in Canary Island at Casa de la Colon collaborating with Gloria Godinez in a Dance Performance piece named “El Millo de las Mujeres.” A piece based on the migration of corn from Mexico to the Spanish islands. Hector Zavala was recently highlighted in the podcast “Repurpose your Purpose.” Listen here.

Rob Dario returns to the Writing Pool this season. He is also on the design team for Marin Shakespeare Company’s production of THE UNTIME, running August 2 – 25.

Louis Parnell will be performing in a reading of MALVOLIO by Betty Shamish on July 21 at 7pm with the Actor’s Reading Collective. It’s an hilarious take-off of Tweltfh Night set 20 years later. He then starts rehearsals for WAITRESS at the SF Playhouse in October.