PlayGround presents Season 30

A Very Hitchcock Christmas

December 10 & 16-17 2023 7pm PT

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.

How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas
by J.S Puller
Directed by Katja Rivera
Alfie…………….Gwen Loeb
Norma………..Chris Steele
Marion……………Isabel To
Adapted from “Psycho”

Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?
by Michael B. Kaplan
Directed by Norman Gee
Santa…………..Louis Parnell
Prancer……Karen Offereins
Rudolph…..Rebecca Pingree
The Grinch….Leon Goertzen
u/s: Louel Louel Señores for “Rudolph”
Adapted from “Lifeboat”

A Stranger on a Holiday Train
by Jeffrey Lo
Directed by Linda Amayo-Hassan
Rina…………………………………………Gisela Feied
Guy…………………………………….Natalia Delgado
Mysterious Train Conductor…..Leon Goertzen
Adapted from “Strangers on a Train”

A Window-ful Christmas
by Alexis Standridge
Directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza
James.…………Khary Moye
Grace…………Alicia Mason
Nick.…………Wayne Wong
Cop……..Krystle Piamonte
Lieutenant……….L Duarte
Adapted from “Rear Window”

Christmas at Manderley
by Etetya Trinidad
Directed by Tracy Ward
Mr. Maxim De Winter……..Dave Sikula
Mrs. Danvers……………….Anne Darragh
Ms. June Evans………Maryssa Wanlass
Adapted from “Rebecca”

Santa on a Rope
by Shoshanna Ruth Green
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Bingles…………………………………..Louel Señores
Frillip……………………………….Krystle Piamonte
Santa/Professor Rudolph……….Robert Sicular
Mrs. Claus…………………………………….L Duarte
Adapted from “Rope”

Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman
Lighting Designer: Brittany Mellerson
Sound Designer: James Goode
Costume Designer: Chris Steele
Properties Artisan: Dianne Harrison

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).

Biographies

PLAYWRIGHTS

SHOSHANNA RUTH GREEN (Santa on a Rope, inspired by “Rope”) has done a lot of things and plans to do a lot more. Shoshanna says she’s from Philadelphia, but she grew up in Pittsburgh and her family lives in New Zealand. She is a Producer with SpyBrunch LLC and a writer on The Pack House Team Corduroy.
More info at: www.ShoshannaRuthGreen.com ”

MICHAEL B. KAPLAN (Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?, inspired by ______) had his first play produced in the One-Act Marathon at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York. Since then he has worked primarily as a TV writer and producer on a dozen different prime time shows for ABC, NBC, FOX and the CW, including stints on such seminal shows as “Roseanne” and “Frasier.” He created “I’m in the Band” on Disney XD and “Dog with a Blog” on Disney Channel, serving as showrunner for both. He has been nominated for four Emmy Awards, winning one, and received a BET Comedy Award for his work as a writer on “Girlfriends.” He is the author of the “Betty Bunny” series of children’s books. As a playwright, he is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, EST/LA, Playground-LA, and The Group Rep Theatre.

JEFFREY LO (A Stranger on a Holiday Train, inspired by “Strangers on a Train”), he/him, is a Filipino-American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award, the Emerging Artist Laureate by Arts Council Silicon Valley and Theatre Bay Area Director’s TITAN Award. Selected directing credits include The Language Archive and The Santaland Diaries at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Hold These Truths at San Francisco Playhouse, Vietgone and The Great Leap at Capital Stage, A Doll’s House, Part 2 and Eurydice at Palo Alto Players (TBA Awards finalist for Best Direction), Peter and the Starcatcher and Noises Off at Hillbarn Theatre, The Grapes of Wrath, The Crucible and Yellow Face at Los Altos Stage Company. As a playwright, his plays have been produced and workshopped at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, The BindleStiff Studio, City Lights Theatre Company and Stanford University. His play Writing Fragments Home was a finalist for the Bay Area Playwright’s Conference and a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Playwright’s Conference. Jeffrey has also worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Asian American International Film Festival, San Jose Repertory and is a company member of Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company and SF Playground. In addition to his work in theatre he works as an educator and advocate for issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and has served as a grant panelist for the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Silicon Valley Creates and Theatre Bay Area. He is the Director Community Partnerships and Casting Director at the Tony Award Winning TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, a graduate of the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute and a proud alumnus of the UC Irvine Drama Department. Jeffrey is also a founding member of OUR DIGITAL STORIES, for more info www.OurDigitalStories.org.

J.S PULLER (How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas, inspired by ________), J. S. Puller is a playwright and author from the Windy City, Chicago. She has a master’s degree in elementary education and a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University. She is an award-winning member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and has written about the social-emotional benefits of arts education with the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. When not writing, she can usually be found in the theatre. She is the author of two novels, CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE and THE LOST THINGS CLUB, both published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She also has several published plays, including: WOMEN WHO WEAVE (Playscripts, Inc.), PERSEUS AND MEDUSA – IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME! (Lazybee Scripts), and THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD (Stage Rights).

ALEXIS STANRIDGE (A Window-ful Christmas inspired by “Rear Window”), Alexis Standridge is a South Bay Area playwright and writer. Her other works include Ball Biddies, (LezWritesBTQ, 3GirlsTheatre Company, 2023), Myth (Santa Clara University, 2022), Beach Pit (Santa Clara University, 2021), and Amendment (Filament Podcast, City Lights Theatre Company, 2020). Her short works have been performed with PlayGround Theatre’s Monday Night PlayGround Series, 3GirlsTheatre Company, Foothill College’s Brownbag Series, and Giving Individuals Fabulous Theatre.

ETEYA TRINIDAD (Christmas at Manderley, inspired by “Rebecca”), she/her, is a playwright, stage manager, and theater artist. She is a resident playwright at PlayGround and a member of the 2021 LezWritesBTQ Cohort at 3 Girls Theatre. Her writing has been recognized in the 2021 Best of PlayGround Festival with the June Anne Baker Prize, and as a finalist for the 2019 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Her work has also been seen at Berklee College of Music, SF Olympians Festival, Ross Valley Players, and Amios West, among others. www.eteyatrinidad.com

ACTORS

ANNE DARRAGH (Christmas at the Manderley, “Mrs. Danvers) (she/her) is delighted be a part of this year’s Twisted Holiday Show. She recently performed in Gallows Humor by Bridgette Dutta Portman for Best of Playground 27. Anne has been performing new work for over 20 years including world premieres of plays by Neena Beber, Michelle Carter, Anthony Clarvoe, Anne Galjour, Barry Gifford, Rebecca Gilman, Miranda Rose Hall, Julianne Jigour, Denis Johnson, Lynne Kaufman, Tony Kushner, Julie Marie Myatt, Peter Nachtrieb, Edna O’Brien, Amy Sass, Bill Talen, and Brian Thorstenson among others. Special thanks to her family.

NATALIA DELGADO (A Stranger on a Holiday Train, “Guy”) Born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles, Natalia has always been around incredibly creative and innovative people. Her 10+ year background in Theatre has only increased her passion and curiosity to delve deep into truthful storytelling. Whether on or off stage, she commands the room with her infectious charm and giving spirit. Memorable roles include Felicia (Dreaming in Cuban), La Roca and La Karen (Exhaustion Arroyo), 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 several Theaters in the surrounding Bay Area such as Monday Night Playground, Shotgun Players, and Awesome Theater. When she is not acting on stage, you can find Natalia teaching 2nd-grade English and participating in other theatrical/film projects. IG: artistanatalia

L DUARTE (Santa on a Rope, “Mrs. Claus”/A Window-ful Christmas, “Lieutenant”), they/them, is an actor, director & playwright whose recent projects include: Citizen with Word for Word/Z Space, August: Osage County with San Jose Stage Company, Julius Caesar with PacRep, The Review with Theatre Rhinoceros , Helen! With Theatre of Yugen, Into the Beautiful North & The King of Cuba with CentralWorks.
Duarte is a graduate of UCLA, UCSC, and has trained with A.C.T. and Shakespeare & Co. Duarte is a proud PlayGround company member and founding member of Latinx Mafia, a Bay Area collective of Latinx Teatristas, who work to ensure Latinx stories are valued and accurately represented. www.latinxmafia.com

GISELA FEIED (A Stranger on a Holiday Train, “Rina”), graduated from PCPA in 2019 where they had the pleasure to be in the ensemble for the Crucible, play Tootles in Peter Pan, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gabby in American Mariachi, and tour 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.

LEON GOERTZEN (Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?, “The Grinch”; A Stranger on a Holiday Train, “Mysterious Train Conductor”) has worked at theatres in northern and southern California including Capital Stage, East West Players, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Will and Company, Magic Theatre, Asian American Theater Company, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Road Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, Aurora Theater Company, Bay Area Playwright’s Festival, Inverness Shakespeare and New Conservatory Theater. Film credits include Quitters (with Mira Sorvino and Kieran Culkin) and Beauty and The Blade. Leon is a BFA graduate of UNC School of the Arts and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and is a founding company member of Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

GWEN LOEB (How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas, “Alfie”) has been a PlayGround company member for 23 years. As an avid believer in new works, Gwen has originated numerous roles — including Maybelle in Cow Pie Bingo by Larissa Fasthorse, and Zetta in Dog Act by Liz Duffy Adams. Some of Gwen’s other favorite roles include: Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at Livermore Shakespeare; the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet at San Francisco Shakespeare; Columbina in Truffaldino Says No at Shotgun; and Pauline in A Bright New Boise at Aurora Theater. When not fighting for Villain Rights, Gwen works to save the world with stories at www.wbistories.org

ALICIA MASON (A Window-ful Christmas, “Grace”) is a Bay Area actor, daughter, partner and diligent pet mom. She was raised by parents who served in the military and a mother who was a clinical psychologist, who taught her the value of understanding all that encompasses the human experience. Her goal and mission as an actor is to tell stories that move and transform the audience and highlight the communities of color she grew up in.

KHARY MOYE (A Window-ful Christmas, “James”) is happy to be returning with Playground for The Twisted Holiday show!! He was last seen at Marin Theatre Company for August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running” and with Best Of Playground 27 for “Boogie Cousins And The 1.8 Seconds That Changed Everything” By Michael Tuton. Other productions include “Intimate Apparel” with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Company, Toni Stone with A.C.T., A Streetcar Named Desire with African American Shakespeare Company, and Six Degrees Of Separation at Custom Made Theatre Company. Film/Television credits include The Dave Chappelle Show and Sense 8. He is beyond grateful to be spreading Holiday Cheer on Stage!! Thank you everyone for keeping Theatre alive!!

KAREN OFFEREINS (Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?, “Prancer”) is a company member of PlayGround and was last seen on stage in Quicksand Club Sketch Comedy. Recent credits include EVOLUTION (Ferocious Lotus, where she is also a company member), How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (Custom Made Theatre Company), Elevada (Shotgun Players), and Two Mile Hollow (Ferocious Lotus). Past credits include Phèdre (Cutting Ball Theater), The Potrero Nuevo Project (PlayGround), The Rules (SF Playhouse), The Mousetrap, Top Girls, and Our Town (Shotgun Players), The Pain and the Itch (Custom Made Theatre Company), and Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Big Funk, and No Exit (AtmosTheatre).

LOUIS PARNELL (Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?, “Santa”), he/him, has been an active actor and director in the Bay Area for the last 50 years. He has worked with most of the larger houses including American Conservatory Theater, Marin Theatre Company, CenterRep and TheatreWorks as well as numerous smaller theatres.He works most often with the SF Playhouse where he last appeared in their productions of CABARET and FOLLIES and co-directed A CHORUS LINE this past summer. He has also appeared in many film, television and commercial roles and is a proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA.

KRYSTLE PIAMONTE (Santa on a Rope, “Frillip”/A Window-ful Christmas, “Cop”) is a San Francisco-based actor. Theatre credits include work at Z Space, SF Playhouse, Ferocious Lotus, Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, TheatreFirst, Bindlestiff Studio, 59E59 in collaboration with Artistic Stamp, and a radio play, THE FOREVER WAVE by Nicole Gluckstern. Screen credits include the award-winning short films BOUND 4 HEAVEN and MEDIAN. She is a 2x Theatre Bay Area Award Finalist for Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Play and was named an MVP of Bay Area Theatre by KQED. Krystle is a Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director of The Chikahan Company and a company member of PlayGround. www.krystlepiamonte.com

REBECCA PINGREE (Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?, “Rudolph“)(she/her) was last seen as Sulla/Alquist in Chris Steele’s adaptation of R.U.R. at Cutting Ball, Judith in The Dignity Circle at Centralworks, and Adira in Exodus to Eden at Oakland Theatre Project. Other recent credits include Bridget Potter in the original cast of The Kilbanes’ The Code with the ACT YC, and The Baker’s Wife in Berkeley Playhouse’s production of Into the Woods. She’s performed with TheatreFirst, Shotgun Players, Ray of Light, Napa Valley Conservatory, Marin Theatre Company, and Perspective Theatre, and is also a longtime member of PlayGround’s Acting Company. She holds an MFA in Collaborative Theatremaking from Rose Bruford in London, and is a regular deviser/performer for Analog Theatre’s Mask Monday series at Standard Deviant Brewing in SF (analogtheatre.org).

LOUEL SEÑORES (Santa on a Rope, “Bingles”), he/him/his, is a Berkeley-based actor and stage manager. You may have recently seen him in The Engine of Our Disruption (Central Works), Tea Party (One of Our Own), or Dream Hou$e (Shotgun Players).
It’s also possible you didn’t see him stage managing Yerma (Shotgun Players), and Water by the Spoonful (SF Playhouse). He’s a proud company member of PlayGround SF and Berkeley Interactive Theater, which specializes in delivering custom made EDIB workshops for universities and other intact organizations. When he’s not doing theater, Louel is likely to be found managing a frozen yogurt shop, karaoke-ing with strangers online, playing video games, and/or dueling other nerds with foam weapons. LouelSenores.com

ROBERT SICULAR (Santa on a Rope, “Santa/Professor Rudolph), has performed a universe of roles in a decades long career spanning the country and the globe. He has over 90 productions of Shakespeare to his credit, dozens of contemporary world premieres, and everything in between. In Film/TV/Online he’s featured in Josh Kornbluth’s Love and Taxes, the sci-fi comedy action-thriller Never Die Twice, Bollywood potboiler, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, and stars as the title character in the podcast, Dr. Dark Presents.

DAVE SIKULA (Christmas at Manderley, “Mr. Maxim De Winter”), Dave Sikula has been acting and directing in the Bay Area for more than two decades. Among his favorite roles are Samuel Beckett in “Sam and Dede, or My Dinner with Andre the Giant,” George Kraft in “Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Mother Night,’” Lawrence Jameson (“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”), Edna Turnblad (“Hairspray”), and Hildy Johnson (“The Front Page”). As a writer, he has translated Moliere’s “The Imaginary Invalid” and all of Anton Chekhov’s major plays (and is working on the minor plays). His version of “Uncle Vanya” won the BATCC Award for Best Production in the South Bay.

CHRIS STEELE (How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas, “Norma”/Costume Designer), they/she, is a queer trans nonbinary performance artist, writer, and activist. Their work centers on highlighting queer narratives throughout history and combating bigotry and white supremacy. Her award-winning drag persona Polly Amber Ross can be found on instagram @pollyamberross. As a producer, Chris specializes in Marketing and Communications, and is currently the Curation Director of Cutting Ball Theatre.

ISABEL TO (How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas, “Marion”), she/her, is an actor, singer, voiceover artist, and proud PlayGround company member based in the Bay Area. She was most recently seen in Killing My Lobster’s The Skin We’re In, and has appeared in PlayGround SF festival productions (Starlight and Funny Like an Abortion). Other selected credits: Tea Party (One Of Our Own Theater), The Jersey Devil Play (Awesome Theatre), Avenue Q (New Conservatory Theatre Center), and the staged developmental reading of Sitcom Seagull by Chris Steele (Poltergeist Theatre Project). Offstage, Isabel works at a social nonprofit, and enjoys cross-stitching, jigsaw puzzles, and baking. www.isabelanneto.com

MARYSSA WANLASS (Christmas at the Manderley, “Ms. June Evans”), she/they, is an actor, director, and educator, with an emphasis on social justice and classical theatre. She recently directed Cymbeline for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Acting credits include SF Shakes (As You Like It, Hamlet, and Winter’s Tale), CalShakes (As You Like It), San Jose Stage (Persuasion), Livermore Shakespeare Festival (As You Like It, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor), Center REPertory Company (Sweat, Enchanted April, Witness for the Prosecution), Woman’s Will (Much Ado About Nothing, Good Person of Szechuan). They have directed locally for SF Shakes, Utopia Theatre Project, PlayGroundSF, Shotz, and regionally for Advice to the Players. Wanlass’ social justice work includes creativity workshops with unhoused community members (SF Shakes) and improv workshops in California’s correctional system (Red Ladder Theatre).

WAYNE WONG (A Window-ful Christmas, “Nick”), has played roles in over 80 productions, mostly operas. Recent credits include AS YOU LIKE IT with SF Playhouse, THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE with Shotgun Players, and LE ROSSIGNOL with West Edge Opera. Upcoming engagements include THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD with Lamplighters Music Theatre and THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR with Pocket Opera. He is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and Brown University; his parents and brother emigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong is 1956

DIRECTORS

LINDA AMAYO-HASSAN (A Stranger on a Holiday Train), is a Native/Chicana actor, director, and playwright. She’s the Artistic Director of Theatre Cultura and a theatre professor at Chabot College and Cal State East Bay. Linda recently directed The Crucible at CSUEB and for Monday Night PlayGround she directed La Perra Triste Llorando. Past favorite shows include Electricidad, Curse of The Starving Class and Psycho Beach Party.

NORMAN GEE‘s (Life Sleigh, Like Lifeboat But With A Sleigh, Get it?) past year has taken him from performing in Meet John Doe at the San Jose Stage, to a Word For Word production of HOME which toured France, to Much Ado About Nothing in Livermore with SPARC. He is delighted to close out this year with this PlayGround Holiday show before starting the coming year understudying BIG DATA at A.C.T. Norman will round out 2024 directing a new work in August to celebrate the James Baldwin Centennial, more info at www.baldwincentennialproject.com.

JIM KLEINMANN (Santa on a Rope; 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.

ELY SONNY ORQUIZA (A Window-ful Christmas) A 2023 YBCA 100 Honoree, Ely Sonny Orquiza (he | him) is a multidisciplinary Queer Filipino artistic director, stage director, and arts educator native to San Francisco Bay Area, the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone People. Through theater and the performing arts Orquiza illuminates the experiences of the Asian diaspora, explores the politics of Queer/ness, and gives voice to the narratives of People from the Global Majority. As an artist, Orquiza draws on his heritage and lived experiences to create stunning theatrical productions that captivate audiences and spark meaningful conversations about equity and representation. Through his art and advocacy, he is breaking down barriers and elevating marginalized voices for the American Theatre. For more: elysonnyorquiza.org

KATJA RIVERA (How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas), a theater artist/massage therapist/Abuela, originally hails from Los Angeles. She’s a Shotgun Players Company member, and an associate producer for Playground-SF. Recent shows: Yerma (Shotgun) La Vida Lobo (Theater Cultura) and References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, (Custom Made Theatre);

TRACY WARD (Christmas at the Manderley) is a Freelance Director based in the  Bay Area. Recent: Fun Home at 42nd St. Moon, Disbelief at Playground, World Premiere of The Lady Scribblers at CMT. Regional Premieres include:  The Cake at NCTC, Actually at Aurora Theatre Company;  When We Were Young and Unafraid at CMT SF;  Bright Shining Sea at Playground;  The Thrush and the Woodpecker at CMT, The Dragon Play,  and What Every Girl Should Know at Impact Theatre, Hunter/Gatherers at Thick House, – Glickman Award for Best Premiere of a Play in the Bay Area, 2006. She is a proud Company member of PlayGround and an Associate Member of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Union. www.tracyward.org

PRODUCTION & STAFF

JAMES GOODE (Sound Designer) is a sound designer, composer, audio engineer, musician, and songwriter based in the Bay Area. He’s collaborated with actors, animators, directors, visual artists, writers, and others 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 The Glass Menagerie (African-American Shakespeare Company), As You Like It (SF Playhouse), The Four Gifts (Hillbarn Theatre), Dot (New Conservatory Theatre Center), Men on Boats (Palo Alto Players), Native Gardens (Center REP), and Is God Is (Oakland Theater Project). https://jamesgoodesound.com

DIANNE HARRISON (Properties Artisan) has worked for the past fifteen years in stage management, sound/light board operations, and props design for many Bay Area theatre companies, including the African-American Shakespeare Company (Richard II / The Glass Menagerie), the Altarena Playhouse (A Nice Family Gathering / The Birds), Eye Zen Presents (Sylvester: The Mighty Real), PlayGround SF (Monday Night series / Best Of Festival), Ross Valley Players (Silent Sky / Pride and Prejudice: The Musical), Santa Rosa Junior College (Beauty and the Beast / Legally Blonde: The Musical), Sonoma Arts Live (Nunsense / Calendar Girls), The Mountain Play (Camelot), and Valley Players (Men in Boats). In 2015 she earned a Certificate of Merit from the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival for stage managing the SRJC’s production of Almost, Maine. Dianne is honored to design again for PlayGround SF, and she thanks her husband for his unwavering encouragement and support.

BRITTANY MELLERSON (Lighting Designer)

JENNA STEIN-CORMAN (Stage Manager)

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 October 1, 2021 & October 10, 2022.

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 Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program • Creative Capacity Fund • First Republic Bank • The Fleishhacker Foundation • Goldman Sachs • Google • 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, Jerome Joseph Gentes & Michael David Bourque, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann, Peggy Haas, David Steele, Anonymous

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500–$4,999)

John H. Gilman, Regina S. Guggenheim

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Sidney Glass & Eleanor Clement Glass, In Memory of M. David MacCallum, Jr., Rebecca Martinez, Nitin, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, Marian Scheuer Sofaer & Abraham D. Sofaer, Anonymous (3)

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Thomas Patrick Broyhill, David Goldman, Jeff Gregory, Regina S. Guggenheim, Linda Kremer, Lisa A. Mammel, Lisa Morse, Nvidia, Nancy & Carty Spencer, J.B. Strasser, Susannah Wise & Scott Lebus, Anonymous (3)

PATRON ($250-$499)

Dr. Elaine Baskin & Kenneth R. Krechmer, Lily L Chow, Ruben & Keli Grijalva, Vicki Hamilton, Roxy Jones, Ray and Carla Kaliski, Annie Stuart, Lisa R. Taylor, Maury Zeff, Anonymous (3)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Maura C. Berkelhamer, Dr. Katherine Ardis Blenko, Frieda de Lackner, Jessica Forbess, Mr. Eric Garcia, Sarah Gasser, Tom Goetzl, Gina Harris, Abbe S. Kalos & Kitt Saginor, Jennifer King, Douglas & Mary Ann Le Blanc, Gregg Le Blanc, Trynne Miller & David Prince, Everett & Julia Moore, Louis Parnell, Dr. Alan Pearl, Ms. Madeline Daly Puccioni, Mike Rosenthal, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Jeffrey Trescott, Liam Vincent, Mr. Darryl Wilburn, Janine & Darryl Wilburn, Robin L. Wimsatt, Kelli Wong, Anonymous (3)

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

Daniel Baxter, Robyn Brooks, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Madeleine Butler, Jediah Craig, Cherielyn Ferguson, Elizabeth Flanagan, Ipsheeta Furtado, KT Frances Hartline, Sam Hurwitt, Tejahra Jacobs, Ruth Kirschner, Steve Koppman, Sarena Kuhn, Greg Lam, Jennifer Le Blanc, Kristy Lin Billuni, Justin P. Lopez, Mikee Loria, Daniel Martinez, Jr+, Alanna McFall, Matthew Morishige+, Richard Perez, Bridgette Dutta Portman+, Xinyuan Pu, Kimberly Ridgeway, George Rose, David Schweidel, Louel Senores, Stan Stone, Lisa Thompson, Mike Tuton, Kaz Valtchev, Michael Waterson, Christian Wilburn, Maury Zeff
+ Resident Playwright

PLAYGROUND COMPANY

Molly Aaronson-Gelb, Angel Adedokun, Patrick Alparone, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Liz Anderson, Rinabeth Apostol, Michael Asberry, Michael Barrett Austin, Mary Baird, April Ballesteros, Tanika Baptiste, Aldo Billingslea, Millie Brooks, Julia Brothers, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Lizzie Calogero, Ron Campbell, Joy Carlin, Nancy Carlin, Ben Chau-Chiu, Tessa Corrie, David Cramer, Will Dao, Anne Darragh, Roshni Datta, Khalia Davis, Natalia Delgado, Dodds Delzell, Livia Gomes Demarchi, Carolyn Doyle, Leticia Duarte, Nora el Samahy, Rebecca Ennals, Gisela Feied, Britney Frazier, Michael French, Claire Ganem, Sarah Gasser, Norman Gee, Douglas B. Giorgis, Linda Giron, Amy Glazer, Cindy Goldfield, BW Gonzalez, Gabriel Grilli, Rudy Guerrero, Rosie Hallett, Katherine Hamilton, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Brian Herndon, Champagne Hughes, 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, Sam Misner, Brady Morales-Woolery, Lisa Morse, Khary L. Moye, Molly Noble, Karen Offereins, Annette Oliveira, Soren Oliver, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Tony Ortega, Doyle Ott, June Palladino, Carla Pantoja, Louis Parnell, Jed Parsario, Michael Phillis, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Stephanie Prentice, Ezra Reaves, Virginia Reed, Cathleen Riddley, Kimberly Ridgeway, Katja Rivera, Adrian Roberts, Stacy Ross, Adam Roy, Katie Rubin, Patrick Russell, Miyoko Sakatani, 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, Christian Wilburn, Elena Wright, Hector Zavala

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 
Jacque Bugler, Production Manager/General Manager 
Lana Richards, Associate Director of Development 
Bacilio Mendez II, Executive Producer 
Norman Gee, Associate Producer 
Katja Rivera, Associate Producer 
Tessa Corrie, Casting Associate 
Patricia Cotter, Casting Associate 
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer 
Sarah Gasser, Resident Stage Manager 
Darius Adamson Jr., 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
River Bermudez Sanders, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
Zoe Chien, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
Carmia Imani, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
Julie Lippert-Pasco, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
Xinyuan Pu, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
Christy Spence, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 
Emily Zhou, 2023-24 Producing Fellow 

PLAYGROUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephanie Prentice, Chair 
James A. Kleinmann, President 
Emilie Talbot, Vice President
Nitin, Treasurer
Diana Burbano, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus
Tanvi Agrawal
Linda Amayo-Hassan
Hillary DeMartino
Katie May
Bacilio Mendez II
Rebecca Martinez
David Steele
Christian Wilburn

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