Company in the News June-2025

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

Kimberly Ridgeway is performing Lynn Nottage’s SWEAT at Palo Alto Players. The show runs June 13 – 29, 2025. Tickets can be found here.

Michael Barrett Austin recently appeared in Madeline Butler’s ‘The Case of the Missing Messenger’ for The Best of Playground Festival.

Miyoko Sakatani’s company Playland Productions is proud to be co-producers of Stephen Sondheim’s rarely staged “Pacific Overtures.” at the Brava Theater through June 15th. A Kuniochi Production directed by Nick Ishimaru with a stellar cast.

Rachel Bublitz is thrilled to announce that her raucous comedy FUNNY, LIKE AN ABORTION is being published with Original Works Publishing. FUNNY, LIKE AN ABORTION received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere as well as readings and a developmental production with PlayGround. The script is available for pre-order now!

Emilie Talbot will be directing The Thin Place by Lucas Heath for ARC Outside the Box reading series. July 7 @ Z Below, and July 13 @ Aurora Theatre Company.

Joelle Joyner-Wong is Associate Directing a new musical for Hollywood Fringe Festival, “Saturdays at 10am”. Performances will be the Eastwood Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA. 1089 N Oxford Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029. Performances: Sunday June 8, 6:30-8pm (preview) Saturday June 14, 5-6:30pm Sunday June 22, 5:30-7pm Friday June 27, 7:30-9pm Saturday June 28, 1:30-3pm

Maury Zeff’s short play LORD GOOSE will be produced June 19-22 in the Exit Theatre’s 2025 Short Play Festival in Arcata, CA. The play was first presented in 2022 as part of Monday Night PlayGround.

Patricia Cotter is excited to share that her play THE SISTER SHOW (developed with PlayGrounders M.Graham Smith, Julia Brothers, and Gwen Loeb) will be presented 2025 New Comedies Festival at the B Street Theatre.on Friday, July 11th, and Saturday, July 12. In August, Patricia will continue to develop her new musical HEAVYHEAD, returning to the Drama Club Camp Residency in Mt. Vernon, Maine. www.patricia-cotter.com

Eiko Moon-Yamamoto will perform as the Shogun’s Mother (Chrysanthemum Tea) in Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures at Brava in San Francisco, May 30-June 15. Directed by Nick Ishimaru. ($20 for under 18: PACIFIC18; $30 under 30: PACIFIC30; 50% special guests: PACIFICVIP ); 20% friends and family: PACIFICFAMILY

Erin Marie Panttaja’s PlayGround play Rossom’s Robot Truckers will be part of Pear Theatre’s Pear Slices May 23-June 8, alongside PlayGround SF members Greg Lam, Bridgette Dutta Portman and Cherielyn Ferguson.

Alexis Standridge is working with local queer artists to partner up with Bay Area businesses, and they are thrilled to announce Tyme for Drag at Tyme for Tea in Fremont! On June 8th from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, the first ever drag show at Tyme for Tea will kick off a series of drag performances. Hosted by Jennie Kreg, with performances by King SlayHer, Empress Astara, and Kalypso. Music by DJ StrapGod. Online tickets are currently sold out, but door tickets will be $20. General admission seating, will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Doors open at 2:30 PM. Must be 21 and older with valid ID. Expect bottomless mimosas, drinks, and food provided by Tyme for Tea. 37501 Niles Blvd.

Wayne Wong sings in a concert of Handel’s SAMSON in Berkeley, Sunday, June 15, 2:30pm

Hector Zavala, our very own Bay Area-based award-winning theater artist and producer is inviting actors, performers, and creatives to embark on a transformative 7-day retreat this summer in Mexico City. Awaken Your Artist, taking place August 11–17, 2025, is a powerful response to burnout, disconnection, and the urgent need for artistic reawakening in today’s political climate. Blending theater and on-camera acting training, solo performance coaching, ritual, and movement practices, this retreat is designed to help artists reclaim their creative purpose and deepen their craft—away from the hustle and noise of the current state in the U.S. Set in the cultural heart of Mexico City, Awaken Your Artist draws inspiration from the country’s long and vibrant history of revolutionary art. From Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to contemporary performance collectives like Casa del Teatro, Mexico’s artistic legacy pulses with resistance, imagination, and truth-telling.

Greg Lam’s play “Occupied” is currently playing at Pear Theatre in Mountain View, CA as part of their Pear Slices event. The show runs until June 8. The show also includes plays by Playground SF pool members Bridgette Dutta Portman and Cherielyn Ferguson, as well as former member Erin Panttaja. Greg is starting an email list for local playwrights who want to network and possibly form writing groups called The Offshoot. Greg is the administrator for The Pear Playwrights Guild and often hears from people who’d like to join this active playwriting writing group. While there are many great playwrights in the area, the Guild is near its limit. Thus, he’d like to invite playwrights to join this list to see if other groups could form. if you are interested, follow the link here or email Greg.

Mark Routhier just returned to professional directing, his first show in New England, at the Public Theatre of Lewiston, Maine. Here’s the review. Mark graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction last summer. His first three essays out of the gate were accepted for publication in Wilderness House Literary Review (A Pound of Brie), The Coachella Review (White Lines), and Litbreak Magazine (Daddio).

Katja Rivera is directing Sam Shepard‘ s True West at Town Hall theater in Lafayette. It runs June 7-28.