Free-Play Festival 2026 Playbill
PLAYGROUND FREE-PLAY FESTIVAL
July 31 – August 23, 2026
Live at Potrero Stage + Simulcast
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.
2026 Free-Play Festival Productions
(in)credibility: a new curriculum
by The Forum Collective
Wed, Aug 19, 8PM; Sun, Aug 23, 12PM
Down to the “Fifty-Four”
by Bill Savage
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Sat, Aug 8, 6PM; Sun, Aug 9, 12PM; Sat, Aug 15, 2PM
Dreams of Home
By Kim Reed
Fri, July 31, 8PM; Sat, Aug 1, 6PM; Sun, Aug 2, 2PM
Fork’s Amazing Day
By Jove Tripp-Thompson
Directed by jeanette delaney
Fri, Aug 14, 6PM; Sat, Aug 15, 8PM, Sun, Aug 16th, 12PM
From Dusk to Dawn
By Ely Sonny Orquiza, Jeanie Ngo, & Eve Gandarosa
Mon, Aug 17, 6PM; Thurs, Aug 20, 8PM; Sat, Aug 22, 2PM
Goddess DA From The Planet Yuronit
by Melinda Lopez
Mon, Aug 10, 6PM; Thurs, Aug 13, 8PM, Sun, Aug 16, 6PM
Hair Loss Is Real: A Love Story
By Ryan Serrao
Fri, Aug 7, 8PM; Sat, Aug 8, 2PM
Improv Playhouse of San Francisco
Fri, Aug 21, 8PM; Sat, Aug 22, 6PM; Sun, Aug 23, 6PM
Melina’s Not Good Enough For Monday
By Melina Cohen-Bramwell
Starring: Dom Refuerzo as “The Plant”
Khem Myrick as “The Game”
Melina Cohen-Bramwell as “Melina Cohen-Bramwell?”
Game Play Consultants: Soluna Espinosa Pieb, Marie Morley, Dom Refuerzo,
Lana Richards, Josh Marcus, Linda Maria Girón
Scenic Consultant: Lana Richards
Vo Design: Linda Maria Girón
Sat, Aug 1, 2PM; Sun, Aug 2, 8PM; Thurs, Aug 6, 8PM
My Dead Uncle’s Porn Collection
By Barbara Brady
Sun, Aug 9, 6PM; Sat, Aug 22, 12PM; Sun, Aug 23, 4PM
Next Time
By Sean P. Breen
Sun, Aug 9, 4PM; Mon, Aug 10, 8PM; Sat, Aug 15, 12PM
Saffron Confessions
By Michelle Moghtader
Directed by Jeff Walsh
Fri, July 31, 6pm; Sat, August 1, 4pm; Sunday, August 2, 12pm
Stories of Resilience
By Stephanie Liss
Music by RebbeSoul
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Thurs, Aug 20, 6PM; Sat, Aug 22, 8PM; Sun, Aug 23, 2PM
The Big Woo-Hoo!
By Kyle Melgarejo
Sat, Aug 1, 12PM; Sun, Aug 2, 4PM; Mon, Aug 3, 6PM
The Last Wife-Seller of Yorkshire
By Homeira Elder
Thurs, Aug 13, 6PM; Sun, Aug 16, 4PM; Mon, Aug 17, 8PM
Therapist Zero
By Brian Leonard
Sat, Aug 1, 8PM; Sun, Aug 2, 6PM; Mon, Aug 3, 8PM
Three Tall-ish Tales:
Revenge of the Q.A.I. by Stan Stone,
Ethel & Joe at the Empire State by Linda Ayres-Frederick,
Road Trip by Jan Probst
Fri, Aug 7, 6PM; Sat, Aug 8, 8PM; Sun, Aug 9, 2PM
Visions Of An Innovator: Letters From The Plantation
By Brittany Mellerson
Fri, Aug 21, 6PM; Sat, Aug 22, 4PM; Sun, Aug 23, 8PM
Waterfall
By Lisa Scola Prosek
Fri, Aug 14, 8PM; Sat, Aug 15, 4PM; Sun, Aug 16, 8PM
Worth Playing For: A Survival Fantasy
By Colin O’Neill
Sat, Aug 8, 12PM; Sat, Aug 15, 6PM; Sun, Aug 16, 2PM
These live streams are produced under a SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.
PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area, Theatre Communications Group, the League of Chicago Theatre, A.R.T./New York, and a Partner Organization of the National New Play Network (NNPN).
Biographies
GEORGE ALEXANDER K. (“Jeff”, Worth Playing For: A Survival Fantasy), he/they, began his acting journey in 2022 and has since been steadily building a versatile portfolio both on stage and on screen. His recent highlights include Berkeley Shakespeare Company’s sapphic take on Cyrano, the west coast premiere of the stage adapted Da Vinci Code with Palo Alto Players, and a thrilling horror short called Friends-Killing. If you have a proclivity for film, you can find him in the modern noir film East Bay Confidential, now streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi and YouTube. Driven by a passion for storytelling, George aspires to become a trusted name for theater companies and independent artists within the Bay Area and beyond.
LINDA AYRES-FREDERICK (Actor/Playwright, Three Tall-ish Tales: Ethel & Joe at the Empire State), the Phoenix Theatre’s Artistic Director since 1985, has enjoyed a diverse career as a theatre professional in Bay Area theatres as well as NYC, Edinburgh, France and Alaska. A member of AEA/AFTRA-SAG, SFBA Theatre Critics Circle (VP Emerita), Encounters Film Collective and the Dramatists Guild, Linda is twice a Shubert Playwriting Fellow with over three dozen full productions, performances and publications worldwide including Best of SF Fringe 2010 & 2011 (for her play AFIELD) and Best Play of Marin Fringe 2012 for her solo CANTATA #40 which was later performed at the Marsh SF, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley, The SF Fringe, and The Last Frontier Theatre Conference. Her full-length play THE UNVEILING premiered in 2017. A proud member of PlayGround-SF, she performed her solo piece CLARA at Solo-Fest earlier in 2026.
PAIGE BOURNE (Actor, Joanie of the U.P.) is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, and improviser. Originally a trained theatre actor, Paige has worked with Marin Shakespeare Company, Children’s Theatre of Madison, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Forward Theatre, and The Constructivists. She is a graduate of the Conservatory at Second City and is currently a member of the sketch comedy group Communal Beverage. Paige has done on camera work for television, commercials, and indie films. She has been seen on Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and the recent horror-comedy Kombucha.
BARBARA BRADY (My Dead Uncle’s Porn Collection). Following a career in business communication, intermingled with part-time professional singing and performance art, Brady took David Ford’s “Creating and Performing Your Own Work” class at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. Her first 20-minute monologue grew into a solo show, Father Daughter & Holy Toast. , which she’s performed at theater festivals across the country, earning laudatory reviews. “Impressive… this is a woman worth leaning in and listening to,” said the Orlando Weekly. Her new show, MY DEAD UNCLE’S PORN COLLECTION, also created in collaboration with Ford, has been praised as “nuanced and perceptive… brilliantly written and brutally and honestly performed.” Now, Barbara thinks of herself as a writer, performer and visual artist. She’s auntriarch of a sprawling extended family, who are kind enough to let her tell their stories on stage.
SEAN BREEN (Music/Lyrics/Book, Next Time), is a well-known San Francisco composer, lyricist, and playwright. In February, his original musical Spirals and Dirt received two highly successful staged readings at Potrero Stage. In addition to his considerable catalog of original musicals, Sean has worked across a wide range of genres, including choral music, gospel, pop, R&B, and rock. He is overjoyed to have the opportunity to bring his experience and talents to PlayGround’s Free-Play Festival and to create theater magic with this wonderful cast and dynamic creative team.
MELINA COHEN-BRAMWELL (Playwright, Melina’s Not Good Enough For Monday), he/him, is a writer and lifelong San Francisco Bay Area resident, who also happens to be a biracial, gender-queer, spoonie. His play PLEASE DON’T SLOW ME DOWN premiered at Little Boxes and Space 1308 in 2025. His play, ONE OF THE GOOD ONES, was developed at Theatre Battery and PlayGround SF. His play AL’S CULT premiered at PlayGround SF’s 2025 Free Play Festival. He is a proud SFBATCO Creators Lab cohort member and TBA grant recipient. Buy his book, “Bar Fights with Sad Kids”, available from Finishing Line Press and his book Nevada, available from Gnashing Teeth Press.
AUSTIN DE RUBIRA (Director/Producer, (in)credibility), they/them is a multidisciplinary artist, performer and musician / music producer. With a background in youth arts and a Masters in Education, they work as a high school teacher in drama, history, and multimedia. Dedicated to community-informed education practices at any level, they work with several Bay Area-based bands, and have work showcased in local publications like KQED.
JEANETTE DELANEY (Director, FORK’S AMAZING DAY) is a director in brooklyn. she is interested in new plays, ecstatic dance, pleasant music, maniacal laughter, destruction, portals to other worlds, new york city, and things we can’t describe.
MARK DUNCANSON (Performer, Improv Playhouse of San Francisco) is a BATS School of Improv graduate who started his improv career in Liquid Soap, an episodic improvised soap opera. Mark’s played with BATS Improv, How We First Met, Un-Scripted Theater Company, Leela, Center Rep, and more. In addition to being a company member with the internationally renowned Improv Playhouse of San Francisco. Mark is also a teaching artist and director in the Tri-Valley at California High School, T.E.A.M. Theatre in Pleasanton, and SPARC Theater in Livermore. Mark is currently the Cultural Arts Supervisor at The City of Tracy’s Grand Theatre Center for the Arts.
HOMEIRA ELDER (Playwright, The Last Wife-Seller of Yorkshire), is an Iranian-American playwright who has written several plays and has had 4 staged readings of her plays since 2022: THE LEGEND OF MELUSINA, A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN, AT VILLA DIODOTI, and SCHAUSPIEL. Her short play SOMETHING GRAND was performed at PCSF’s 2024 Short Play Showcase at Fort Mason. She has also published several short stories. When not teaching at Chabot College, you can probably find her in a cafe in Berkeley writing.
REMI FRAZIER (Lights/Music/Sound Effects, Improv Playhouse of San Francisco) is a stage manager, production designer, and SFX artist whose recent backstage credits include the Improv Playhouse of San Francisco (since 2014), Phasers on Stun (since 2012), BATS and 3 For All at the Bayfront Theatre (since 2012), Inside Out at the Southside Theatre (2013-2015), and Impro Theatre and Be-Bop Baby at Z Space (2013). Previous stage and production management credits include the Clown Box Theatre Company, Ballet Nouveau Colorado, the Colorado Music Festival, SoonToBeFamous Productions, and Center Theatre.
EVE GANDAROSA (Actor, From Dusk to Dawn), he/him, is a California-based actor from the Philippines whose lived experience as a gay Muslim Filipino immigrant served as the loose inspiration for the AFI short film Zenaida, in which he also appears. He has appeared in the short film The Cost of Pandesal as Augustine Bulan, in commercials for Talkspace and Remitly Philippines, and is known for his role in the vertical series Flash Marriage at 40: My Second Chance. On stage, Eve has portrayed Jorriel in The Love Edition’s 2025 production of Down the Aisle, Queerine in QAF’s 2023 production of Queerine: An Origin Story, Gene in Gates of Peter, and Juror No. 5 in San Leandro Players’ production of 12 Angry Jurors. Before moving to California in 2010, he appeared in Philippine television series including Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita (GMA-7) and Maging Sino Ka Man 2 (ABS-CBN). His theater work in the Philippines includes Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Filipino translation) and Estragon in Waiting for Godot (Filipino translation) with Tanghalang Ateneo, and Count Bellievre in Maria Stuart with Dulaang UP.
JJ GATESMAN (Director/Playwright, Joanie of the U.P.), he/him, is a Chicago theater director, fight choreographer, and clown. An MFA and graduate of the Actor’s Gymnasium pro circus track, JJ infuses his direction with a kinetic physicality and pacing. He has recently directed for Artistic Home (Cut to the Chase 2025), PlayGround-Chicago, Elsinore Theater Ensemble (Hand to God), and the Milwaukee Entertainment Group (The Beauty of Psyche, Spike Heels). He is excited to support a festival that promotes new American stories.
HANNAH GOULD (Actor/
JORDAN I. GUINGAO (Playwright, The Big Woo-Hoo!) is a screenwriter, poet, and theater artist based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. His writing is deeply rooted in themes of grief, mysticism, community, forbidden love, and his love for the Philippines—he spent time working in education and immersing himself in its cultural and mythological landscape. He earned his MFA in Screenwriting from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and previously studied at the University of San Francisco and Ateneo de Manila University. His work often seeks mysticism in kinship, exploring the ways in which personal and collective histories shape our identities. He writes because he is drawn to the fragile spaces between memory and myth, where language becomes a form of devotion—a way to grasp what is lost, to honor what remains.
NEIL HARKINS (The Last Wife-Seller of Yorkshire), he/him, is a indie theater-maker in the Bay Area, who has been involved in multiple productions at Potrero Stage covering such roles as producer, director, writer, stage manager, and actor. These performances were part of the PlayGround Incubator program (representing Oakland Public Theater as primary assistant to Artistic Director Norman Gee), and PlayGround’s first Comedy Festival (with Off-Topic Improv). He has also produced events for Playwright’s Center of San Francisco at BATS Theater in Fort Mason, Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley at LaVal’s Subterranean Theater, and performed an original work in Crowded Fire Theater’s 2025 Solo Performance Showcase.
RYAN HARTLEY (Director, Fork’s Amazing Day) is a theater director and actor. He is also the founder of New Cosmopolitan Ensemble. New York directing credits include: City Rats (New York Theater Festival), Edgar & Annabel (NCE). California directing credits include: GUMMY WORM (Hollywood Fringe Festival), several classic musicals for various youth theater organizations. New York acting credits: Roland in Constellations, Miller in Edgar & Annabel (both NCE). A graduate of Pepperdine University, Ryan has received further training from SITI Company, the Yale Summer Session directing intensive, and the Juilliard Extension. Ryan has an ongoing interest in neurocomplex-affirming foundational training for actors.
BEN JOHNSON (Performer, Improv Playhouse of San Francisco) has performed as a professional actor, improviser, and physical comedian in over ninety cities across the United States and in eleven countries around the world. His theater credits include Waiting for Godot at Marin Theater Company, Scapin at A.C.T., and various productions at Center REP, the Gamm Theatre, and the Troubadour Theater Company. He also created the original solo show Trunk Show. He has performed as an improviser with BATS Improv, The PIT, The Magnet Theater, and Improv Playhouse of San Francisco. He is also a circus performer, having been a featured clown in Cirque du Soleil’s Alegría, a ringmaster with Zoppe Family Circus, and a clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. His film and TV credits include TBS’s The Detour, the pilot of Flummox and Friends, and the independent films All the Others Were Practice and Betrayed. Johnson holds a BA in History from UCLA and an MA in Teaching from Brown University.
JIM KLEINMANN (Director Down to the 54 and Stories of Resilience) 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-eight 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.
GEOFFREY LEE (Pianist, Waterfall), is a pianist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been an accompanist at the San Francisco Ballet School since 2019 and is the ballet pianist for the San Francisco Opera since 2022 having worked on shows including MONKEY KING (2025), PARSIFAL (2025), DREAMS OF THE RED CHAMBER(2022). Other projects include being the pianist-conductor for Mark Foehringer’s NUTCRACKER SWEETS, celeste and keyboard player for the Napa Valley Regional Dance Company Nutcracker, and accompanist for Lamplighters Theatre’s new commission By Georges! Geoffrey Lee received his M.M. in piano performance Spring 2020 after studying with Sharon Mann at the SF Conservatory of Music and Geoffrey completed his undergraduate education at Harvard University in 2014.
BRIAN LEONARD (Playwright/Actor, Therapist Zero), he/him, is a writer, performer, and storyteller whose career spans stand-up comedy, television, theater, and animation. A veteran of the stand-up circuit in the 1980s and 1990s, Brian appeared on numerous TV comedy shows, earning praise as “…one of San Francisco’s most intelligent and funniest comedians” (San Jose Mercury News). As an actor, he’s appeared in films like Bottle Shock and Bee Season, TV shows including Nash Bridges, and regional theater productions from San Francisco Shakespeare and TheaterWorks, among others. His writing credits include writing and directing for Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Sudeikis, and Mindy Kaling; writing BBC Radio’s The Treatment, and story consulting for Pixar Animation. He’s also had an animated series optioned by NBC/Universal. Brian’s work has been honored with a Silver Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival, and his writing for a UK campaign to de-stigmatize fertility issues was recognized by the Webby Awards. With a background in both performance and writing, Brian brings humor, heart, and sharp storytelling to the stage in Therapist Zero, his first solo show.
STEPHANIE LISS (Stories of Resilience), co-founder of The American Jewish Theatre whose mission is to bring little known, rarely told, stories of Jews, to the world. Based on true stories, these plays serve as a mirror into the lives, and souls, of Jews. Our target audience is global, because the plays we are developing and producing are all global in scope. Our vision for this theatre is to reach out, not only to Jews, but to ALL people. The works of The American Jewish Theatre are all a deep dive into our world, and what it is like to be a Jew – and what it isn’t. It is a view of the non-Jewish world, and its effect on Jews – how we live, and how we survive. Our vision is for people to look deep inside, examining their attitudes toward and perceptions of Jews and Jewish history.
MELINDA LOPEZ (Goddess DA From The Planet Yuronit), August 2024 marked the premiere of the solo show *Goddess DA From The Planet Yuronit*, a production supported by original musical tracks and the evocative graphic artistry of Berkeley High School classmate Geoffrey Geiger. While the initial performance was met with warm praise from colleagues, it served only as the foundation for a much larger vision. In 2026, Goddess DA returns to the planet Yuronit with an expanded, immersive experience. Building upon the success of the original solo work, this re-emergence features an ensemble of interplanetary musician messengers. This 60-minute, four-act spectacle weaves together a diverse tapestry of musical genres, including musical theater, neo-soul, jazz, rock, EDM, Latin-samba, Brazilian, reggae, and ballads.
KYLE “KAL” MELGAREJO (Director/Producer, The Big Woo-Hoo!), he/him, is ecstatic about the opportunity to submit to the Free-Play Festival as a producer. After receiving his B.A. in theatre arts (performance emphasis) with minors in cinema and education from San Francisco State University, he is now a multi-hyphenate artist based in the Bay Area. As a young Filipino-American artist, Kal hopes to utilize his experiences to uplift and highlight marginalized communities through accessible, innovative, and transformative art within the film, television, and theater industries.
BRITTANY MELLERSON (Actor/Producer, Visions of an Innovator: Journal Entries 5-7), she/they, is a multi hyphenate Designer/Director with a focus in sharing Black stories and cathartic experiences. They are currently in residency with PlayGround for Design and Technical Direction, while also cultivating an extensive concentration in Lighting/Sound Design and Intimacy Coordination as a freelance professional and consultant. When they are not bringing scripts to life on stage, Brittany is steadily curating their own visions, acting as the Director and Visual Designer/Consultant of published content, archival footage, and live performances for their own entertainment collective, VIP. IG: br00klynmonroe
JULEANNE MILLAN ANTUNEZ (“Colin”, Worth Playing For: A Survival Fantasy), she/they, recent roles include Franny Fre Fre in The Fre with Oakland Theatre Project, U/S Cyrano in Cyrano with Berkeley Shakes, and Fritzie in Cabaret with Pacifica Spindrift Players. She has worked with NCTC in their touring YouthAware show Puppy Mind and performs in The Great Dickens Christmas Fair as a Fezziwig daughter. She is currently working on her MA in Theatre Arts at San Francisco State University. IG: @juleanne.millan
MICHELLE MOGHTADER (Playwright/Actor, Saffron Confessions), is a writer, comedian, and performer based in San Francisco. She was formerly a journalist covering Iran and the Middle East. Later, she co-founded an international project centered on live, cross-cultural conversations. She currently performs stand-up and improv in the Bay Area. Her work is character-driven and explores diaspora, identity, and the politics inside family life with warmth and humor.
CARTER N. (Stage Manager, Worth Playing For: A Survival Fantasy), he/him, is a rising high school senior from San Francisco. He has worked on props with the YPTMTC as part of a non-profit for waste advocacy called Waste Warriors. Outside of the theater, Carter is a singer and songwriter. He is a member of the Songbird City Choir. His other passions include filmmaking, photography, general aviation and public health.
JEANIE NGO (Playwright, From Dusk to Dawn) she/her, is a Vietnamese American writer based in San Francisco. Her plays have been produced at Bindlestiff Studio, SFSU, Exit Theatre, Stage Werx, B8 Theatre, Brava Theater, Strut, Potrero Stage, and PianoFight. She has also written “MÓN QUÀ YÊU THƯƠNG”, an Asia Entertainment Christmas special. Her short stories and poetry have been published in “Transfer 109”, “Quiet Lightning”, “Blue Rivers”, “Five Fleas Itchy Poetry”, “The Mayfly”, “Sick Of Being Sick”, “Bloodroot”, “Lilith’s Diaries”, “Pointed Circle”, “Nyctophilia Variations”, and “barbara”. She’s also appeared as a featured poet for the Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Black Bird Bookstore, the Durham East Regional Library, and Lit Crawl.
COLIN O’NEILL (Writer and Director, Worth Playing For: A Survival Fantasy), he/him, is a San Francisco-based performer, director, and writer. Colin’s training includes classes at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and American Conservatory Theater. A former middle school teacher and member of Songbird City Choir, Colin has spent much of his career helping others find their voice, both on stage and off. Colin is a lifelong reality television fan, who has long been fascinated by how the stories we consume shape our understanding of ourselves and each other, and what it costs when entertainment and personal narrative collide on the page and the stage. Worth Playing For: A Survival Fantasy is his playwriting debut.
ELY SONNY ORQUIZA (Director, From Dusk to Dawn), he/him, is a multidisciplinary Queer Filipino theatre director, dramaturg, arts educator, and advocate based in the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone People, colonially known as the San Francisco Bay Area. Orquiza believes deeply in the power of equity and representation in storytelling to bridge our differences and bring us closer together. Through theater and the performing arts, he explores the Asian diaspora, the Asian American experience, ancestral memory, and the complex politics of Queerness on the American stage. He champions new works by Black, Indigenous, and Artists of Color, lifts up untold folklore, and advocates for stories that center the voices and lives of People from the Global Majority. @TheOrquiza
TIM ORR (Artistic Director, Improv Playhouse of San Francisco) has improvised since 1988 with many San Francisco and international groups., including BATS Improv, Click and 3 For All. In 2009, he founded the acclaimed troupe Improv Playhouse of San Francisco. Tim has appeared in numerous plays in San Francisco, and received critical acclaim for his leading roles in the improvised feature films Suckerfish and Security. Nationally, Tim has performed and taught improvisation at the American Conservatory Theatre and numerous other cities.Internationally, he has performed, produced and taught in Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Beijing, Beirut, Belgium, Berlin, Bucharest, Dubai, Hamburg, Helsinki, Italy, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Mallorca, Oslo, Paris, Saudi Arabia, Shanghai, Sofia, Stockholm, Tel Aviv and more. Tim is a pioneer in the telling of full-length improvised stories.
JAN PROBST (Playwright, Three Tall-ish Tales: Road Trip) is a storyteller, whose creative home is the theatre. After stepping onto the stage as a young actor in the 1970s, she later happily found her footing as a playwright. Her plays have been produced in the Bay Area, across the continental US, Alaska, Australia and the UK, published by Next Stage Press, and included in the Smith & Kraus Anthology of ten-minute plays. Jan is a member of the PlayGround-SF Writers Pool and is thrilled her little Road Trip has pulled up in San Francisco.
JULIUS ERNESTO REA (Director/Producer, (in)credibility), he/they, is a writer, performer, and arts producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a background as a journalist, he obtained a degree in Philosophy at San Francisco State University. He co-founded The Forum Collective, a multidisciplinary arts organization that focuses on new journalism, theater and community-focused events. Currently fiscally-sponsored under PlayGround’s Innovator Incubator, the company has received support from the Sam Mazza Foundation, the California Arts Council and Zellerbach Family Foundation.
KIM REED (Director/Playwright/Producer, Dreams of Home), she/her, is a playwright and poet living in Chicago. Her latest publications include Poets Respond to the American Revolution The US 250 Persona Poem Project (Highland Park Poetry Press 2026), Surreal Nursery (BookLeaf Pub 2026), Sunflowers Rising, Poems for Peace Anthology (Bodhi Press 2025), individual poems in The Prairie Review (Chicago, Logan Square). Her seven plays were read with Chicago @9 Naked Angels in scenes. Dreams of Home was first read with Chicago Dramatists First Draft Series in 2020. The Potrero Stage production is adapted from the original script under the direction of Jim Kleinmann.
LISA ROWLAND (Performer, Improv Playhouse of San Francisco) is an improvisor, teacher and trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a lecturer in the Theatre and Performance Studies Department at Stanford University (where she also fell in love with improvisation as a member of the Stanford Improvisors as an undergrad) and also teaches improvisation privately to performance ensembles across the Bay Area. Lisa is a mainstage company member at BATS Improv as well as a founding member of Improv Playhouse of San Francisco and Awkward Dinner Party. Voted Best Actor by the SF Bay Guardian Readers’ Poll in 2012, Lisa has traveled the country and world performing and teaching improvisation.
REGINA SAISI (Performer, Improv Playhouse of San Francisco) is a native of San Francisco. She is an actor, improviser and teacher. She has taught at American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, California Institute of the Arts, Oklahoma Arts Institute and is currently the Dean at the BATS Improv school. She has worked in venues throughout the United States as well as Belgium, Holland, Italy, Finland, France, Sweden and Saudi Arabia teaching and performing improvisation. Regina has helped pioneer longform improvisation, both as a founding member True Fiction Magazine, and as a Company member of BATS Improv. The focus of her work throughout her career has been improvised theatre. She has been deeply involved in the growth of the San Francisco Bay Area’s fertile improvisation community, helping to start several improv companies including Riot Squad, Improv Theatre, Pulp Playhouse, True Fiction Magazine, and Improv Playhouse of San Francisco as well as teaching.
BILL SAVAGE (Down to the “Fifty-Four”), he/him, is an accomplished writer and playwright, known for creative storytelling in both the United States and the United Kingdom. His portfolio includes a range of several compelling plays. At the 2025 Free-Play Festival at Potrero Stage in San Francisco, he produced, directed and appeared in his full-length play, “Daddy’s Girl.” He produced and directed his play “Leave it to the Angels” for the 2025 Scranton (Pa.) Fringe Festival in his hometown. He has produced and appeared in several staged presentations of his works in Philadelphia, under the auspices of Dramatists Guild, and his works have also been presented at Open Stage and Theatre Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Pa. He is a regular contributor to festivals in Mount Gretna and Harrisburg, Pa., and his works have been published in anthologies including “A Book of Plays” (Sunbury Press) and “Hello Godot, Volume 10.” (Som). His play “Men of the Empire” was part of Fractured Time Productions “Around the Globe in Eighty Plays” in London in 2020 at the Globe Theatre. His book “To the Mill and Back” is in development for a possible treatment in other media.
RENEE-VALENTINA PASCUA (Stage Manager, Goddess DA From The Planet Yuronit/The Last Wife-Seller of Yorkshire) is a stage manager, wardrobe supervisor, and playwright. She recently stage managed Oakland Theater Project’s House of Bernard Alba and before that The Courtroom. She has worked wardrobe for Central Stage, Center Rep, and SF Playhouse, and currently runs the Apagón Writers’ Circle based in Oakland. She is happy to join PlayGround for the first time with the Free-Play Festival and would like to thank her wife for her endless support in her artistic endeavors.
KRYSTLE PIAMONTE (Producer, From Dusk to Dawn), she/her, is a San Francisco-based artist. Theatre credits include work at Z Space, SF Playhouse, Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, Bindlestiff Studio, 59E59 in collaboration with Artistic Stamp, and the 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-SF.
LISA SCOLA PROSEK (Composer/Librettist, Waterfall), she/her, has been composing and producing opera, choral and orchestral music for more than 30 years. BA Music Composition, Princeton University, with Edward Cone, Milton Babbitt. Graduate Music Composition, Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini, Florence, Italy, with Gaetano Giani Luporini. Also with Lukas Foss, New York, NY. Lisa is the recipient of numerous awards, including
the 2014 New York Center for Contemporary Opera Award for The Lariat. Lisa’s operas include: BELFAGOR, TRAP DOOR and DAUGHTER OF THE RED TZAR. “Scola Prosek’s…compelling and enlightening score is a creation marked by shapely vocal set pieces and an alluring melodic vein that probes the drama.” Joshua Kosman, SF Chronicle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Scola_Prosek
RYAN SERRAO (Hair Loss Is Real: A Love Story), comedian, actor, and theatrical performer, Ryan combines stand-up comedy with the expressive art of clowning, mime, improvisation, and physical comedy to create a performance unlike anything you’ve seen before. A graduate of the prestigious Meisner Conservatory, Ryan has performed his acclaimed solo shows How I Became a Clown and Hair Loss Is Real at renowned venues including The Marsh in Berkeley. He has also brought his unique comedic style to audiences at Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. Whether he’s delivering hilarious stories, expressive physical comedy, or unexpected moments of audience interaction, Ryan’s performance is creative, energetic, and guaranteed to leave you laughing.
KEN SONKIN (Therapist Zero), is an award-winning actor and director with an extensive career on stages throughout the Bay Area and beyond, including American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, The Magic Theatre, and Z Space. His regional credits include The Denver Center Theatre Company, Grove Shakespeare Festival, and Pacific Resident Theater in Los Angeles. A seasoned performer and director, Ken has collaborated with acclaimed playwrights such as Oliver Goldstick, Brian Thorstenson, and Lynne Kaufman. He has served on the acting faculty at American Conservatory Theater and taught at Northwestern, Stanford, and The National Theatre Conservatory. Ken is currently a professor at the University of San Francisco, where he teaches acting and directing and has helmed productions of Angels in America: Perestroika, Metamorphoses, and Tartuffe. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA.
GIANNI STAIANO (Actor/Accompanist. Divorced: The Musical), is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis in Jazz Studies from San Diego State University. Throughout his life he has studied classical, jazz, funk, rock, pop, folk and latin styles extensively. He has also studied traditional West African music, traveling to Burkina Faso to study with the Koné family, who are renowned griots in the Malinké tradition. As a performer Gianni has played some of the largest and most prestigious music festivals in the world including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Reggae on the River and most recently the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2013.
STAN STONE (Playwright, Three Tall-ish Tales: Revenge of the Q.A.I.) wrote and illustrated comic books as a kid and has been writing ever since. He is a published poet, actor, screenwriter and playwright. His play Trouble The Water was a highlight of last year’s AfroSolo Festival. His solo show, Johnny & Scrap, received raves at The Marsh Theatre, as part of Monday Night Marsh.
JOVE TRIPP-THOMPSON (Playwright/Actor, Fork’s Amazing Day), he/him, is a New York–based playwright and actor whose work blends dark comedy, horror, and satire. A graduate of Southern Utah University with a BFA in Acting, his work includes DEAD DOG DISCO (Max’s House Presents, dir. Cameron King), SUBLETTER, The Immaculate Conception of Black Jesus in Sundown, Alabama (The Chain Theater, dir. Ryan Hartley), and now, FORK’S AMAZING DAY. Jove is also the founder of COWTOW, a theater company dedicated to provocative, individualized work. Jove would like to give special thanks to Max Berry for puppet creation, Rili Newman for music, and Ryan Hartley for original direction.
JEFF WALSH (Director, Saffron Confessions) is a Bay Area theater director as well as improv teacher, coach and performer, and a graduate of Cal State Long Beach’s theater program. He’s directed productions in Los Angeles and New York, including for the New York Fringe Festival. He can be found teaching improv at Endgames Improv in the Mission and performing and hosting one of the Bay Area’s best monthly indie improv showcases with his team Forever Improv.
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, corporations and government agencies whose contributions make our work possible. This list reflects gifts of $75 or more committed between June 1, 2025 & May 15, 2026.
GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS
Adobe • Alameda County Arts Commission • Art Space Development Corporation • Berkeley Civic Arts • Berlanti Family Foundation • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Office of the Small Business Advocate • Fleishhacker Foundation • Grants For The Arts • KFF • Koret Foundation • LA County Arts Commission • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • National Endowment of the Arts • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • New York State Council on the Arts • News Corp • NIAC • Nvidia • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Ronald Whittier Family Foundation • SF Shines • The Shubert Foundation • State Compensation Insurance Fund
SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)
Emilie & Gordon Brooks, Daniel Cohn & Lynn Linton, Keith Goldstein & Donna Warrington, Jim Kleinmann & Lara Gilman, Jackie Kubicka, Craig Moody, Darryl Wilburn
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500-$4999)
Randy Adams, John Gilman, Regina S. Guggenheim, Kathryn Hecht, Nitin Nitin & Vasugi Kailasam, Christian Wilburn, Janine Wilburn, Anonymous
PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)
Berlanti Family Foundation, Meriko Borogove, Anne Brady, Madeleine Butler, Jahnavi Caldwell-Green, Sheila Collins, Elizabeth Dudak, Jessica Forbess, David Goldman, Greg Gorel, Gina & Steve Harris, J. Lynn Jackson, Linda Kremer, Bram McGinnis, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Arthur Rock & Toni Rembe Rock, Jessica June Rowe, Miyoko Sakatani, Diane Sampson, Kurt Taylor, William C. Thompson
PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)
The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund, Lydia R. Diamond, Leon Goertzen, Philip Kan Gotanda & Diane Takei, Dana Hall, Paul & Pam Kleinmann, Margery Kreitman, Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb, Mark Peters, Kendall Phillips, Jenny Rand, Cindy & Chris Redburn, Mercedes Segesvary, Matt W Wills
PATRON ($250-$499)
Linda Amayo-Hassan, Linda Ayres-Frederick / Phoenix Arts Association Theatre, Summer Broyhill, Ben Cain, Jediah Craig, Clint Fleener, Hechale Productions, Jonathan Josephson, Alex Loddengaard, Alan Maass, Tobi Marcus, Evelyn Jean Pine & Doug Peckler, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Stephanie Prentice, George Rose, John Ruskin, Kathryn Ryan, Kitt Saginor, Kristina Segesvary, Sanjit Sengupta, Mark Sherstinsky, Jerome Solberg, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Mary Lou Torre, Rebecca White, Susannah Wise, Maury Zeff
ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)
Sharon Baldwin, Sylvia Blush, Ruth Brayton, Vilma Contreras, Marilyn Cooper, Deepanshu Dutta, Krystyna Finlayson, Nancy Fishman, Patience Haggin, Edward Hong, Karen Levesque, Pam MacKinnon, Sheila McCormick, Jack Needleman, Sitara Nieves, Karen Reaume, Katja Rivera, Stan Stone, Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, Christina Velasco, Donna Young
SUPPORTING MEMBER ($75-$124)
Tanika Baptiste, Barbara Burgel, Laura Domingo, Anirvan Ghosh, Steve Harper, Howard Ho, Lucy & Jarrod Hsu, Sue Inoue, Mark Jacobson, Carl Johnson, Emily Keyishian, Charisse Loriaux, Jonathan Luskin, Linda Marks, Paris McCarthy, Karen Offereins, Wiliam Piedra, John Pinkos, Tipu Purkayastha, Kenn Rabin, Jay Rehak, Shariba Rivers, Anthony Roberts, John Schrom, Gae Shulman, Nancy Smith, Cathy Stonie, Jeremy Wechsler, Tyler Wentworth
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 (833) 992-6677.
Become a PlayGround contributor!
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PlayGround Writers Pool 2026-27
Linda Ayres-Frederick, Robyn Brooks, Madeleine Butler, Jediah Craig, Garret Groenveld, KT Frances Hartline, Carl Andrew Johnson, Ruth Kirschner, Greg Lam, Justin P. Lopez, Daniel Martinez Jr, Marissa Martinez, Gillian O’Leary, Richard Perez, James Perry, Jan Probst, Richard Raya, Dom Refuerzo, Cathleen Riddley, Kimberly Ridgeway, George Rose, Sophie Ruf, Greg Sigur, Chris Steele, Stan Stone, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Deborah Tarchun, Maury Zeff.
PlayGround Resident Playwrights 2026-27
San Francisco: Monique Adams, Robyn Brooks, Garret Groenveld, KT Frances Hartline**, Vicky Pham, Richard Perez*, Evy Pine, Sophia Ruf, Stan Stone, Maury Zeff.
Los Angeles: Michael P. Adams, Damian Arteaga*, Esther Banegas Gatica**, Rachel Harner, Jonathan Josephson, Mildred Inez Lewis, Cara Sanchez, Baylee Shlichtman; Daysha Veronica, Jennie Webb.
New York: Ash, Tom Bruett, Saiya Floyd, Dana Leslie Goldstein, Bram Hartman, Howard Ho, Wade Lawrence Hollomon, Nina Ki, Uma Incrocci**, Gaurav Mishra, Lyra Nalan.
Chicago: Anne Brady, Betsy Dudak, Dana Hall*, Toby Inoue**, alfonzo kahlil, Alex Kingsley, Bacillio Mendez II, Shail Modi, J.S. Puller, Matt Shultz, Katherine Swan.
* Playwrights under commission for the 2026-27 season
** June Anne Baker Award Winner
PlayGround Company
Linda Amayo-Hassan, Liz Anderson, Michael Asberry, Michael Barrett Austin, Mary Baird, April Ballesteros, Tanika Baptiste, Rolanda D. Bell Aldo Billingslea, Julia Brothers, Lizzie Calogero, Ron Campbell, Nancy Carlin, Joy Carlin*, Ben Chau-Chiu, Zoe Chien, Tessa Corrie, David Cramer, Will Dao, Anne Darragh, Roshni Datta, Natalia Delgado, Dodds Delzell, Carolyn Doyle, Leticia Duarte, Michael French, Claire Ganem, Norman Gee, Douglas B. Giorgis, Linda Giron, Amy Glazer*, Leon Goertzen, Cindy Goldfield, Gabriel Grilli, Rudy Guerrero, Karina Gutierrez, Rosie Hallett, Matthew Hanjoong, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Brian Herndon, J Jha, Jennifer King, Danielle Levin, Jeffrey Lo, Gwen Loeb, George Maguire*, Melanie Marshall, Alicia Mason, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Julia McNeal, Brittany Mellerson, Brady Morales-Woolery, Lisa Morse, Khary L. Moye, Molly Noble, Karen Offereins, James Aaron Oh, Annette Oliveira, Soren Oliver*, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Doyle Ott, June Palladino*, Louis Parnell, Jed Parsario, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Stephanie Prentice, Virginia Reed*, Lana Richards, Cathleen Riddley, Kimberly Ridgeway, Katja Rivera, Stacy Ross*, Katie Rubin, Patrick Russell, Miyoko Sakatani, Louel Senores, Robert Sicular*, Dave Sikula, Jeunee Simon, M. Graham Smith, Ken Sonkin*, Chris Steele, Jenna Stein-Corman, Howard Swain*, Jomar Tagatac, Emilie Talbot, Danielle Thys, Isabel Anne To, Jon Trac, Mark Rafael Truitt, Maryssa Wanlass, Tracy Ward, Christian Wilburn, Wayne Wong, Elena Wright, Hector Zavala.
* Company Member Emeritus
PlayGround Staff
Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 
Lana Richards, Director of Development
Jonathan Josephson, Director of Marketing & Communications
Stephanie Prentice, Education Coordinator
Tanika Baptiste, MNP Executive Producer
Norman Gee, MNP Associate Producer
Katja Rivera, MNP Associate Producer
Zoe Chien, MNP Associate Producer & Casting Director
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer & Technical Director
K’Zhane McGill, Box Office Manager
Donna Fondjo, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
Jordan Don, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
Juliana Morgado Brito, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
Devin Cunningham, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
PlayGround Ambassadors
Julia Brothers, Jordan Carlson, Ben Chau-Chiu , Julia Crowley, Sheri Flanders, Claire Ganem, Eric Geller, Monica Ho, Tony Kim, Christine Liao, AJ Lily, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Andrew Perez, Ivan Rivas, Miyoko Sakatani, Braedyn Youngberg
PlayGround Equity Workgroup
Diana Burbano, Victoria Evans Erville, Norman Gee, Jim Kleinmann, Brittany Mellerson, Tiana Randall-Quant, Katja Rivera, M. Graham Smith.
PlayGround Board
Stephanie Prentice, Chair
James A. Kleinmann, President
Christian Wilburn, Vice President
Nitin, Treasurer
Ben Cain, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus
Tanvi Agrawal
Linda Amayo-Hassan
Julia Brothers
Howard Ho
Alex Kingsley
Rebecca Martinez
Kendall Phillips
Jessica June Rowe
www.PlayGround-sf.org
3286 Adeline St #8
Berkeley, CA 94703-2485
info@playground-sf.org
(415) 992-6677