PlayGround presents Season 31

PLAYGROUND FREE-PLAY FESTIVAL

August 1-24, 2025
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.

Free-Play Productions

Aug 21 8pm, Aug 22 6pm, Aug 23 4pm, Aug 24 2pm

Al’s Cult
by Melina Cohen-Bramwell
Directed by Soluna Espinosa Pieb

Al………Mayo Arbues
Kayla/Ensemble………..Isabelle Barkey
Dad/Ensemble.……….Peter Malmquist
Shane/Esemble.……..Soluna Espinosa Pieb

Fight Choreography: Raisa Donato
Marketing Outreach: Emily Anderson
Marketing Graphics: Linda Maria Girón
Rehearsal Stage Manager/Backstage Crew: Isabelle Barkey
Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman

Aug 8 6pm, Aug 9 2pm, Aug 10 12pm

Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother
By Lani T. Montreal
Directed by Daisy Castro

Projection Design: Giau Truong
Live Sound: Alexa Bermudez
Live Music: by Josh Icban
Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

Aug 16 12pm, Aug 16 6pm, Aug 17 2pm

Belly of the Beast
By Aisha Rivera
Directed by Andres Agustin Barrera & Aisha Rivera

Angel.……….Alejandra Wahl
The Beast………..Mylo Cardona
Paz.……….Linda Amayo-Hassan
Doctor/Nurse/Therapist/Saint Catherine/Ensemble.……….Ash M.B
Jasmine/Ensemble……….Vircel June
Brian/Ensemble.……….Giovanny Perez
Francine/Ensemble………..Valerie Fachman

Fight Director: Dave Maie
Stage Manager: Mercedes Rivera

Aug 9 12pm, Aug 10 8pm, Aug 11 8pm

Daddy’s Girl
By Bill Savage

Paul………..Bill Savage
Larry………..Justin McDavitt
Regan………..Cristina Botti
Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

SETTINGS
ACT 1, Scene 1: A hotel bar in Chicago. An evening in the present.
ACT II, Scene 1: A park across the street, a bit later that evening.
ACT II, Scene 2: The same park, shortly thereafter.
ACT III, Scene 1: A living room in Denver, Colorado, the next day.
EPILOGUE, The hotel bar, a few weeks later.

Aug 7 6pm, Aug 9 8pm, Aug 10 4pm, Aug 11 6pm

Escape from Tehran
By Stephanie Liss
Directed by Stephanie Liss
Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

Aug 23 12pm, Aug 24 12pm & 8pm

Everyone’s a Hamlet
By Michelle Haner & Tom Bentley-Fisher

Featuring Tom Bentley-Fisher and Michelle Haner
Artistic Collaborator in Direction and Design: Joshua Waterstone
Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman

Aug 2 12pm, Aug 3 2pm, Aug 4 6pm

First Contact
By Levani Ko
Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

Aug 1 8pm, Aug 2 4pm, Aug 3 4pm

FRANKS’s on Tour
Produced by Edward Hoke, Frank Demma, Moses Mascuch, and Lucy Parks Urbano

TICKET TAKERS
Written and Directed by Frank Demma
Coat Man………..Riley Quinn Scott
Twin Coat Man………..Lucy Parks Urbano
Legs………..Edward Hoke and Moses Mascuch

THE DANCE
Choreographed by Riley Quinn Scott
Performed by the cast of FRANK’s on Tour

GOING OUT
Written by Moses Mascuch
Directed by Edward Hoke
1………..Moses Mascuch
3………..Frank Demma
4………..Zaya Kolia
Lauren………..Olivia Braun

GIRL, BOY, BIRD
Written by Lucy Parks Urbano
Directed by Roxanne Rogers
Bird Costume by Tina Preston
Bird Consultation by Anne-Marie Slaughter
Girl………..Lucy Parks Urbano
Boy………..Edward Hoke
Melinda………..Olivia Braun

MOUNTAINS, THE MOUNTAINS
Written and Directed by Frank Demma
Girl………..Riley Quinn Scott
Boy………..Daniel Matute

Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

Aug 1 6pm, Aug 2 2pm, Aug 3 2pm

La Cucaracha
By J. Lynn Jackson
Directed by Richard Perez

Salma…..Aisha Rivera
Lila…….Isabella E. Lowry
Claudia…….Janelle Aguirre
Sam…….Noe Flores
Chuy/Ricky……….Eric Esquivel-Gutierrez
Mon……….Michelle Navarrete
Gael.…….Hector Zavala
Diego.………Logan Christian
Dragon/Fred………Bert Ramirez

Stage Manager: Raphael Louis Buenaventura
Stage Manager: Courtney Sutherland

Aug 8 8pm, Aug 10 6pm, Aug 16 8pm, Aug 17 4pm

Lifedebt
Written and Directed by JJ Sutton

Bobby…….Beth Bemis
Dana……..Jason Berner
Anadon Voice…….Connor/Hana Yankowitz

Lead Designer: Ari Pefley
Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

Aug 14 6pm, Aug 15 8pm, Aug 16 4pm

Made In America?
By Yide Cai
Directed by Lauren Komer
Stage Manager: Raphael Louis Buenaventura

Aug 2 6pm, Aug 3 8pm, Aug 15 6pm, Aug 17 8pm

Man of Tomorrow
Written, Directed, and Produced by Reg Clay

Dana.…….Zoe Chien
Petteway/Marcus.…….Jake Fong
Lady Rutherford.…….Sylvia Kratins
Rutherford.…….Tony Daniel
Duncan.…….Tom Reilly
Alex Duncan.…….Eugenio Geiken
Ms. Baker/Barker.…….Jessica Fong
Peg/Barker.…….Storm White
Mr. Baker/Barker……..Neil Harkins

Assistant Director: Neil Harkins
Stage Manager: Raphael Louis Buenaventura

Aug 7 8pm, Aug 9 4pm, Aug 16 2pm, Aug 17 6pm

Mine for the Tribe
By Chris Smith
Directed by Atim Udoffia

Stage Manager: Novalynn Stone

Aug 2 8pm, Aug 4 8pm, Aug 9 6pm, Aug 10 2pm

The Miss Rose Show
by Ken Prestininzi (writer) and Christopher Winslow (composer)
Directed by Ken Prestininzi

Rose.…….Judy Lea Steele
Jerry.…….Don Seaver
Tom.…….Matt Hammons

Assistant to the Director: Jenna Stein-Corman
Music Director: Don Seaver
Vocal Director: Christopher Winslow
Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman

Special Thank You: New Dramatists in NYC for original developmental support; D’Arcy Drollinger and Oasis Arts for the best San Francisco embrace and support possible.

Aug 18 6pm, Aug 22 8pm, Aug 23 6pm, Aug 24 4pm

Visions of an Innovator
Producer & Production Design: Brittany Mellerson
Lighting Design: Brittany Mellerson & Michael D Combs

Innovators……..Tanika Baptiste, Cali Cazanova, Norman Gee, Carl Johnson, Shayla Kerr-Munsie, Chris Martinez, and Z

Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman

Aug 21 6pm, Aug 23 8pm, Aug 24 6pm

What I Remember Most about the End of the World
By Nino Greene
Directed by Bruce Avery

Stage Manager: Jenna Stein-Corman

Aug 14 8pm, Aug 18 8pm, Aug 23 2pm

What’s Your Protest Song?
Protest Organizer: Melanie DuPuy

Featuring The Wypspers: Jennifer Chan, Gabriel Chaparro, Melanie DuPuy, Susan Kleinman, Eric Lamothe, Kasey Needham and Susan Quintanar
Music Directors: Gail Gallagher, Joshua Raoul Brody & Liz Baker

Stage Manager: Raphael Louis Buenaventura

 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

ASH M. B. (“Doctor/Nurse/Therapist/Saint Catherine/Ensemble,” Belly of the Beast), they/he/elle, is a Puerto Rican multi-disciplinary artist originally from SoCal, currently based on the unceded land of the Lisjan, Ohlone people, also known as Oakland, CA. His recent credits include ROMEO/JULIET (dir. by Jon Tracy) at Marin Shakespeare Co., PLUCK as Cleo (dir. Molly Van Der Molen) at Shotgun Players, Alice by Heart as Alice (dir. Trey Reeves) at Bay Area Stage Theatre, Spring Awakening as Wendla (dir. Kyle Carrillo-Enders) at Masquers Playhouse, Cinderella: A Fairytale as the Prince (dir. Sequoia Schirmer) at Towne Hall Theatre Company, and Antigone, presented by the girls of St. Catherine’s as Tamsin (dir. Claire Ganem) at Towne Hall Theatre Company. Free Palestine. Free Puerto Rico. End all occupation!

LINDA AMAYO-HASSAN (“Paz,” Belly of the Beast) (She/Her) is a Mexican-American and Native American playwright, an Equity actor, singer, director and a theatre professor at Chabot College in Hayward, California. In 2018 Linda had the honor to attend The Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive which motivated her to pursue a career as a professional playwright and the professional theatre world. Since then; Linda is currently under commission with PlayGround and her play, Latino Souls was part of Monday Night PlayGround and La Vida Lobo was selected for Best of PlayGround-SF ’23.

EMILY ANDERSON (Marketing Outreach, Al’s Cult) is an actor, producer, and musician based in San Francisco. She holds a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and has appeared onstage at Marin Theatre, Pallas Gallery, Cutting Ball, Lifeline Theatre (Chicago), The Back Room Shakespeare Project and SheNYC Festival (NYC). Emily hosts monthly “jam sessions” and readings for theatre artists in the Bay Area to build community, develop techniques, and share work. Next Up: PLEASE DON’T SLOW ME DOWN – a house show meets theatrical experience in the East Bay and San Francisco. Follow along @emilyquail

MAYO ARBUES (“Al,” Al’s Cult), (he/they), is a Queer Filipino Theatre Artist. A Techincal Theatre student they can be found in more than the booth. From onstage, behind the camera, to uncomfortably under a table somewhere overheating and puppeteering, Mayo prides themselves on being a truly multidisciplinary artist up for anything. Previous select credits include Don’t Stop Me (Korsa Musical Theater), Choir Boy (Shotgun Players), and Duck Soup (Bindlestiff Studios). @mayo.arbues

BRUCE AVERY (Director, What I Remember Most about the End of the World), is Professor of Theatre Arts at SFSU, and a San Francisco actor and director. He is the Artistic Director of Bread & Butter Theatre Co.  His PhD is from UC Santa Cruz, where he also worked as Dramaturge for Shakespeare Santa Cruz.  His recent directing credits include a devised pandemic radio show, Learning Alone. Also Twelfth Night for African American Shakespeare Company, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Marisol, Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice and Much Ado About Nothing at SFSU, along with the world premiere of Funeral Game, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Bread & Butter Theatre Co.  Acting credits include Tom Sargeant in David Hare’s Skylight, Danielson in The North Pool, Rothko in Red, (Bread & Butter Theatre Co) Peter Quince in Midsummer, Polonius in Hamlet, Old Capulet in Romeo & Juliet, and Dennis Shepard in The Laramie Project.   As an acting teacher, he is certified in Chekhov Technique, and has studied the Meisner Technique, Suzuki Movement, and stage combat. As a scholar, he has published acclaimed articles on James Joyce, Edmund Spenser, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Kipling, and the pedagogy of Shakespeare.

LIZ BAKER (Musical Director, What’s Your Protest Song?), is a Bay Area native who loves theater and performance. After studying Playwriting at San Francisco State, she went on to create her own theater company where she produced, directed, and wrote comedy stage productions across the Bay Area. She wears many hats, and has participated as a musician, composer, writer, and director for various theatrical groups including Leela SF, BATS, Unscripted, Flash Mob Musical, SF Fringe, SF Olympians, and The Great Charles Dickens Faire. In addition to performing, Liz is also a teacher. After her time producing, she taught theater to children with Learning Disabilities for 7 years, and helped them connect their love of performance to academics and social-emotional development. Currently, she teaches music lessons to students of all ages, and loves spending time showing others how to make their passion for music grow.

TANIKA BAPTISTE (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator) is an award-winning director, actor, vocalist, producer, and costume designer based in the Bay Area, recognized for her work as a recipient of the SFBATCC Award. She currently works as the Assistant Production Manager for The Freight and is the former Head of Entertainment for Enchant Christmas at PayPal Park Stadium in San Jose, CA. She is directing The Color Purple Musical early 2026 playing Jan 30-Feb 22nd at the California Theatre in Pittsburg and Campbell Theatre In Martinez.

ISABELLE BARKEY (“Kayla/Ensemble” and Stage Manager, Al’s Cult) graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in Theatre Arts in 2023. They’re most recent project was the Scottish Play, with We Players at Fort Point, and they are so excited to be a part of Playground’s Free Play Fest!

BETH BEMIS (“Bobby,” Lifedebt), she/her, is an actor, producer, and playwright. She is Meisner-trained and used to teach Meisner technique acting in San Jose. She is a SAG actor and has done films and TV/new media in Los Angeles and Northern California. She is excited to be back on stage with Lifedebt. imdb.me/bethbemis

TOM BENTLEY-FISHER (Writer, Performer; Everyone’s a Hamlet), is the artistic director of the Yat-Bentley Centre. Tom’s theatre career began as an actor, training with Sanford Meisner and Yat Malmgren. He has been the artistic director of five professional theatres, directed internationally over one hundred productions, and taught in universities and theatre schools throughout North America and Europe. He has a strong reputation for developing and producing new work (including Paula Vogel’s first professional play), as well as innovative European productions such as an all-female version of the Iliad which toured Spain for a year. His approach to teaching is based on his many years as a theatre artist, exploring and developing the techniques of Yat Malmgren. Read more at tombentleyfisher.com

JASON BERNER (“Dana,” Lifdebt), he/him, has performed in numerous Bay Area theatres, including Altarena (“Eat the Runt”), Contra Costa Civic Theatre (“You Can’t Take It With You,” “All the Way”), Masquers (“The Gamester,” “As You Like It”), and many more. Jason has also directed plays at Masquers (“And Then There Were None,” with Kit Lanthier and “Stupid F—king Bird”) and Pinole Community Players (“Life Sucks”). When not theatre-ing, Jason can be found working hard at Contra Costa College (Go Comets). He is a lifelong Mets fan, a voracious reader, and the faithful servant of a chubby cat.

ANDRES AGUSTIN BARRERA (Co-Director, Belly of the Beast), he/him, brings his passion for storytelling to this year’s production of As You Like It as an assistant director. In 2024, he served as an assistant director for NVC’s Arty award-winning production of Spring Awakening and Shakespeare Napa Valley’s site-integrated production of Twelfth Night at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. A playwright and stage director, Andres was featured as an emerging theatre-maker in NVC’s 2025 Emergence Festival with his production of Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story. He has also written and directed original works for the festival, including his short play Moises and Ella (2024). NVC acting credits include Es Una Vida Maravillosa (Tony), She Kills Monsters (Orcus), and various roles in 2023’s Shakespeare Summer Stroll at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. Andres is co-founder and artistic director of Teatro Alebrijes del Valle, a growing Latino/ Hispanic theatre company based in Napa, CA. After his chapter with NVC, he plans to transfer to UC Berkeley and pursue a BA in Theatre and Performance Studies. Beyond the stage, Andres is president of NVC’s Pride Learning Community and serves on the board of directors for Arts Council Napa Valley. He enjoys the outdoors, reading, and spending time with his loved ones.

ALEXA BERMUDEZ (Foley Artist, Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother) is a communication arts sophomore at DePaul University in Chicago. She did the awesome sound effects for the first production of Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother in June 2024 at Links Hall. Alexa’s first theatre performance was in Nanay (Mother) at Free Street Theatre (2017), where she played the role of young Mina. Since then, she has acted in school plays, including in Willie Wonka as the adorable Oompa-Loompa. She’s excited to reprise her role for her mom’s play in San Francisco. Please check out her YouTube channel, Lexa’s Life.

CRISTINA BOTTI (“Regan,” Daddy’s Girl) has acted in several small films. She has taken classes at Academy of Arts in San Francisco and First Take.  She has also taken classes in mechanical engineering, computer science, and nursing.

OLIVIA BRAUN (Actor, FRANK’s on Tour) is an LA-based actor. She studied theater at Oakland School for the Arts and UCLA. Most recently, you may have seen her as a sexy cow at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Her animal streak continues as Melinda the Bird. Olivia is so excited to be performing so close to her hometown!!

MYLO CARDONA (“The Beast,” Belly of the Beast) is a Puerto Rican/Egyptian/ anti – American multidisciplinary artist, producer, and Theater of the Oppressed facilitator. From hosting anti-imperialist Cabarets to clowning for the revolution, they love to release their inner creature for the people. As Oakland Theater Project’s production manager, co-founder of The F*gs & Friends performance troupe, and Operations Manager of Brooklyn Sound Lab, there’s always a stage or booth where you can catch Mylo in creation. They dedicate this performance to all those that have struggled with eating disorders. May we dismantle the fatphobia within and remember that diet culture is a grandchild of colonization and mirrors a long history of racism that systematically subjects certain bodies while elevating others.

DAISY CASTRO (Director, Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother) has been involved in Chicago theatre for 25+ years both on and off stage as a dancer, performer, tech hand, administrator, producer and director. She was part of the second generation of Stir-Friday Night! as writer, actor and development coordinator. In 1991, she was cast as the love interest of Carlos Bulosan in Pintig Theatre group’s maiden production, America’s in the Heart. This started her long, complicated, and fulfilling relationship with the organization. What a privilege to witness its evolution from concept to the present incarnation.

CALI CAZANOVA (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator) born and raised in SF, Cali has lived all over the Bay Area growing up. Cali discovered his passion of music through his father. Some know him as Dee Mack another local rapper out of West Point. Cali has attended college and played sports. After graduating with his AA and Bachelors he began pursuing music. Especially during Covid he lived in the studio attempting to discover his sound. He is also a working actor on the side and as his professional 9-5 he works in the mental health field.

MELINA COHEN-BRAMWELL (Playwright, Al’s Cult), he/him, is a writer and lifelong San Francisco Bay Area resident who also happens to be a biracial, gender-queer, spoonie. Never a fan of the education system, at age sixteen, Melina dropped out of school and began a career in theater. After years of working as a technician at regional theater companies such as Aurora, Cal Shakes, and Berkeley Rep, Melina “retired” to focus on healing from chronic illness and pursuing writing as a profession. His play, Please Don’t Slow Me Down, was workshopped in PlayGround SF’s summer 2023 Free Play Festival. His play, One of the Good Ones, received a reading in 2022 at Theatre Battery, and in PlayGround SF’s 2024 Free Play Festival. Buy his book, Bar Fights with Sad Kids, available from Finishing Line Press. In 2026, check out his book Nevada, due from Gnashing Teeth Press.

JENNIFER CHAN (Ensemble, What’s Your Protest Song?), Back in the Late Pleistocene, she studied theater at UC Santa Cruz and NYU. As the ice began to recede, it stole her ability to memorize lines. Now, she is an improv performer and coach. She performs regularly with Improv Marin and sporadically with other troupes, including Unhinged, Jill & Jackie, and the Silly Sunday Matinees at BATS. Significant coaches have included Jules Munns, Traci Burns and Drew Merit. She is thrilled to be here and wants to thank her parents and the now-extinct Glyptodon (a genus of large, herbivore armadillos roughly the size of a VW bug).

GABE CHAPARRO (Ensemble, What’s Your Protest Song?), is the tallest in his family. He is #MadeInHayward, having successfully completed elementary school through his bachelor’s degree and teaching credential in Hayward schools. Gabe has a bachelor’s degree in physics with a minor in music, a master’s in Educational Leadership, and continues to contemplate completing his PhD in Higher Education. As he muses this option, he enjoys serving as a community college STEM Center Equity Director, working his chops on saxophone, making audiences laugh through improv, and creating his own clothing and leather goods.

LOGAN CHRISTIAN (“Diego,” La Cucaracha), he/him. Logan wanted to be an actor since age nine. Taking singing and acting lessons in high school, followed by dancing in college, Logan has been able to make that dream a reality. Productions with Diablo Valley College have included Head Over Heels, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Witness for the Prosecution, as well as various dance shows in which he performed many styles of dance such as salsa, modern, hip-hop, and ballet.

FRANK DEMMA (Producer/Playwright/Actor, FRANK’s on Tour) is an LA-based playwright and the Artistic Director of FRANK’S.

RAISA DONATO (Fight Choreography Al’s Cult) any pronouns, is a proud immigrant to Filipino parents. They’ve been teaching stage combat for over 18 years, starting with the nonprofit, Passado Action Theatre. Since their move to the Bay Area, their work has been seen at Shotgun Players, Bindlestiff Studio, Crowded Fire Theater, Golden Thread and Chabot College. Their goal is to empower those around them and build lasting relationships. Artists deserve space and safety to tell their stories, to explore fearlessly and to “be like water!” Catch their next work in Magnolia Ballet and Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood. raisadonato.com

MELANIE DUPUY (Creator/Producer/Protest Organizer, What’s Your Protest Song?), is a screenwriter from Los Angeles with decades of experience in theatre, film and TV. She writes stage plays, feature films, fictional podcasts, sketch comedy and teleplays. Her writing has been recognized by the Austin Film Festival, SlamDance and The Big Apple Screenwriting Competition. In a world where women are asked to starve, Mel loves to explore female characters who eat until they’re full – if not spilling over. She writes as a form of protest and a call for love. She’s also an actor and singer-songwriter who recently discovered musical improv and honestly, can’t get enough. When she’s not sitting in a café drinking too much coffee and writing, Mel loves to collaborate with others and get into good trouble with What’s Your Protest Song?  Enjoy the show.

ERIC ESQUIVEL-GUTIERREZ (Chuy; Ricky, La Cucaracha), he/him. Eric is a Bay Area actor and teaching artist. His most recent credits include The Future Liberals Want or; Resume-Building Post-Apocolypse (Awesome Theatre) and a developmental reading of Nos Llegamos Aqui Solos (Teatro Vision). Eric is reigniting his time on stage after a year’s hiatus to focus on completing a degree from California State University, East Bay in Human Development. Follow him on Instagram @happy__himbo.

VALERIE FACHMAN (“Francine/Ensemble,” Belly of the Beast), she/they, is a professional actor for 40+ years, first 15 in Chicago. Co-founded Bright Arrow Theater (plays by & about women), created roles in new plays like Oedipus Requiem,(Jeff citation, original music & adaptation, nominated ensemble) and Shrapnel in the Heart (Jeff nominated adaptation & ensemble). Favorite roles played: Widow Begbick, Brecht’s Mann ist Mann, Alma in Williams’ Summer and Smoke, Lear in King Lear. Co-conspirator of Performers Under Stress (new & rarely produced plays, specialists in Samuel Beckett’s works) with partner Scott Baker. Recently Val toured Romeo & Juliet with SF Shakespeare, played Antipholus of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors with Marin Shakes, and created the role of Seth in People of the Shifting Sands by Nirmala Nataraj for PUS. Up next: Caliban in The Tempest (Berkeley Shakes), Dorothea Lange in new play Last West.

JESSICA FONG (“Ms. Baker/Barker,” Man of Tomorrow), (she/her) is a queer Filipina multidisciplinary artist, and is excited to be performing in Man of Tomorrow! She has been doing theatre for over twenty years and has no plans of slowing down. She recently directed Bi(annual) Women’s Support Group with Queer as Fuck at Bindlestiff Studios. Jessica is also a stage combatant who is certified in six different disciplines. She recently did the fight choreography for Shakespeare in Babak as part of Bindlestiff’s Stories High ‘24. Jessica holds a BA in Theatre Arts and a Minor in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University. She would like to thank her husband Jake and their two cats for their support and keeping her sane!

NOE FLORES (“Sam,” La Cucaracha), (he/him). Noe is a homegrown comedic Bay Area actor with raíces in Mexico and El Salvador. Stage credits include Ghosts of Bogotá (AlterTheater) and Brilliant Lies (Firescape Theater). His screen work includes Spin Junkies and Start with Where. Noe is currently training in improv at All Out Comedy in Oakland and sometimes performs with the San Francisco sketch comedy troupe Killing My Lobster. He loves characters that make audiences laugh, squirm, and think.

NORMAN GEE (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator), he/him, is Artistic Director of Oakland Public Theater (OPT), Associate Producer with PlayGround-SF, and regularly directs there during the season. He rejoins SPARC/Livermore Shakespeare this summer in Merry Wives of Windsor. Norman also works with companies including A.C.T., SF-Shakes, Lorraine Hansberry, TheatreWorks, Shotgun Players, CentralWorks, Ubuntu, San Jose Stage, and SF Mime Troupe. Last fall Gee produced OPT’s INVENTORY/James Baldwin Abroad, celebrating Baldwin’s centennial. This spring Norman appeared in BUTTERCUP at the Marin Shakespeare Studio, and in a Word For Word workshop at Z Space-SF (for possible Spring 2026 production -stay tuned!)

EUGENIO GEIKEN (“Alex Duncan,” Man of Tomorrow), is an actor and a musician based in the Bay Area. Primarily a screen actor, he recently made his theatre debut at Berkeley Playhouse in The Sound of Music. He has been seen in Land’s End, an official selection for the Chandler International Film Festival, and will be seen in a soon-to-be-released series available on major streaming services. As a musician and singer/songwriter, he can be seen performing original songs at various venues, and is a featured artist on Sofar Sounds. He dedicates every performance to his parents, Brooks and Delfina.

LINDA MARIA GIRÓN (Marketing Graphics, Al’s Cult), they/them, is a full-time theater-maker, part time graphic designer, and big time Melina Cohen-Bramwell fan. lindamgiron.com  Free Palestine!

MATT HAMMONS (“Tom,” The Miss Rose Show) Matt is excited and a bit anxious to be making his return to the stage after a 5-year absence. This team and this project, however, proved irresistible. Before his hiatus, Matt was seen filling in as Prez in The Pajama Game at 42nd Street Moon. Before that, his last full run was as every single member of the D’ysquith Family in their production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He also appeared at Moon as The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come/Dick in Scrooge in Love, Morris in Fiorello!, and the guitar-wielding Narrator in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Other favorite roles include Jack/Jesus in Reefer Madness and Crawford/Papa in Silence! The Musical (both with Ray of Light,) Tom in The Glass Menagerie (Eugene O’Neill Festival,) Jay/Fusco in Saturday Night Fever (Broadway by the Bay) and Paul in When we Were Young and Unafraid (Custom Made Theatre Co.) During the day, Matt helps run a day program in Hercules dedicated to supporting adults with developmental disabilities. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading, watching movies/tv and playing video games as well as spending as much time as possible with his beautiful wife, Ashley, and their beloved fur baby, Clementine.

MICHELLE HANER (Writer, Performer; Everyone’s a Hamlet), Passionate about the power of human connection in this digital era, Michelle works at the crossroads of international education, performing arts and community engagement. She leads the theater program and arts department at the International School of San Francisco. Michelle also works internationally with a range of professional and university programs in France (l’ESCA, le Programme Baudelaire and L’Ecole de l’Acteur-Sophie Akrich) and leads workshops on collaboration, public speaking and story-telling. Michelle is also an experienced professional producer, translator and theater maker (MFA from UCLA, SAG/AFTRA/AEA). She has performed and directed with foolsFURY, Ensemble Studio Theater- LA, Open Fist and Classical Theater. She co-leads the company Blue Monkey Works, with Steve Morgan Haskell. Read more at michellehaner.com

STACY HOGG (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator) is an Oakland, California native, mother, book author, national recording artist, hair care expert and founder of the Sharon Randolph Health Breast Foundation. Stacy began her journey in helping others be advocates for their health after experiencing two brain surgeries back-to-back. Through her experience, she learned being your own advocate for your own health and having the knowledge to look for answers outside of your direct healthcare professional. Today, Stacy coaches’ individuals through her Unstoppable Health and Healing Initiative. She engages with those who seek to find answers in taking the first step to be knowledgeable and comfortable asking for help when needed. Her compassion for helping others truly speaks volumes as this is indeed her love language: Service to Others. She lives, influences and stands by her slogan L.A.N.D. – Love And Not Die

EDWARD HOKE (Playwright/Producer/Actor, FRANK’s on Tour), is an actor, filmmaker, FRANK’s board member and published poet. He trained at Northwestern University, American Conservatory Theatre, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first film, WOOF. (which he wrote, directed, produced and starred in) premiered this summer at Palm Springs Shortsfest and already has over fifty thousand views online. He just finished serving as the alternate in the title role of Hamlet at the Mark Taper Forum, under the direction of Robert O’Hara. He is currently developing his first feature film.

JOSH ICBAN (Live Music, Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother), he/him, is a proud son of Vallejo,CA, and has had the privilege to work with a wide array of prestigious musical talents and organizations such as Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito, the San Francisco Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra , KULARTS under the direction of SFAC Legacy Artist Alleluia Panis, and Oakland Hip Hop Collective Grand Nationxl. Josh’s original compositions and sound design have appeared in spaces such as Counterpulse Theater, the Asian Art Museum, Bindlestiff Studios, Dance Mission, Fringe Manila Arts Festival in the Philippines and as part of Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s United States of Asian America festival. He was recently a California Arts Council and Youth Speaks Emerging Artist Fellow. Josh holds a MA degree in ethnomusicology from CSU East Bay where he completed his thesis on the creation and impact of Filipinx diaspora in the Bay Area. Follow him @jicban or joshicban.com

J. LYNN JACKSON (Playwright, La Cucaracha), he/him. Mexico/US-based playwright J. Lynn Jackson’s plays include La Cucaracha, Charles Darwin – Her True Story, Lucía Fuentes, and The Red Sweater. His plays have been developed/presented with PlayGround, Oficina de Proyectos Culturales, Latinx Mafia, Playland Productions, Town Hall Theatre, JUST Play Productions and others. Jackson’s a Playwrights Foundation and Woodward International Playwriting Prize semifinalist and a member of the Playwrights’ Center, the Dramatists Guild, Theatre Bay Area and Berkeley Play Cafe.

CARL JOHNSON (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator) has a passion for writing satire, speculative fiction, and comedy. While taking screen and stage playwriting courses at Berkeley City College, he was encouraged by his instructor to submit his work to local theater groups. His writing often draws from personal experiences, blending humor and thought-provoking elements, with the goal of ensuring that audiences leave with both a smile and something to ponder.

VIRCEL JUNE (“Jasmine/Ensemble,” Belly of the Beast), they/them/elle, is a queer actor and writer, and co-founder and artistic director of Teatro Alebrijes Del Valle. Since joining Napa Valley College’s theater community, June has actively been involved in being a part of the theater magic. June has acted in Shakespeare Napa Valley’s production of Twelfth Night as a handmaiden, Peter in The Zoo Story by Edward Albee, and as Bronco’s Agent in As You Like It, a Shakespeare musical adaptation. Alongside acting, June enjoys writing poetry and developing their original plays. June debuted their spoken word piece, Back of House, at Napa Valley College’s 2025 Emergence Festival of New Works. June continues to expand and explore the world of theater to find their true goal, expression through the arts.

SHAYLA KERR-MUNSIE (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator) is a Congolese Jamaican-American multidisciplinary writer and producer who was born in and raised in Albany and Schenectady, NY by her mother, uncles, and cousins in a diverse, working-class inner city community. She recently moved to the Bay Area in August of 2024 to serve as an AmeriCorps member in East Oakland, managing a reading center at an elementary school. She is a storyteller specializing in curating narratives through poetry and personal essays that combat the erasure of vulnerable communities as well as preserve and work with memory. From time to time, she shares her experimental work in theater, dance, and spoken word and performs burlesque under the name Sultry Solana.

SUSAN KLIENMANN (Ensemble, What’s Your Protest Song?) A New York City native, caught the acting bug as a child after appearing in the children’s show The Great Space Coaster and in several NYU short films. After being edited out of an SNL sketch, she quickly abandoned her dreams and for a time led a normal life, only to move to San Francisco and discover improv. Susan studied at BATS Improv and with teachers including Tim Orr and Becky Haycox. She was a founding member of the early aughts improv troupe the Frookies and the NYC sketch group Amazing Larry. She currently performs with the Improv Marin and with the longform improv group Unhinged. Susan sometimes appears as Jill in “From the Heart with Jill and Jackie,” dispensing spectacularly bad parenting advice.

ZAYA KOLIA (“4,” Going Out – FRANK’s on Tour) is an Assyrian actor from the Bay Area. He received his Bachelor in Fine Arts in Acting from the Academy of Art University. He has worked onstage extensively (including with: Academy of Art University, Broadway by the Bay, Berkeley Playhouse, Hillbarn Theatre, The Custom Made Theatre Company, Golden Thread, Crowded Fire Theatre, Los Altos Stage Company, and most recently Peninsula Ballet Theater.) He now resides in LA where he just participated in the Hollywood Fringe Festival and a tour of Romeo and Juliet! He originated the role of Danial in the world premiere of The Language of Wild Berries and Seth in the West Coast premiere of Bald Sisters. Zaya recently got back from Sacramento where he played Omid in English at Capital Stage!

LAUREN KOMER (Director, Made In America?) is a Brooklyn-based director and theater artist. A majority of Komer’s work explores the convergence of theater, film, and interactive media. Komer is obsessed with deviancy, disgust, and the dark urges that lay in wait within the psyche. She rejects linear, naturalistic storytelling and embraces highly visual, fragmented, and referential narratives. Her work is steeped in pop culture, eroticism, mysticism, and postmodernism. Her work has appeared in NYC, Boston, and internationally in Europe and the U.K. She is a Theater Arts Fellow of Brandeis University (B.A. Theater Arts with Highest Honors). Komer also studied playwriting, theater theory, and screenwriting at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University. Follow her work @postmodernlady_

SYLVIA KRATINS (“Lady Rutherford,” Man of Tomorrow), is delighted to be performing with so many others in this exciting festival. She has been acting since she was a child, and has worked as a stage manager, company manager, costumer, and producer in a wide range of theatrical environments. Sylvia is a member of the San Francisco based women’s acapella chorus, Conspiracy of Venus.

ERIC LAMOTHE (Ensemble, What’s Your Protest Song?), has lived in the Bay Area for over 30 years. During this time he’s had the good fortune to dabble in acting, singing and improv. Before Wypsers, Eric has enjoyed improvising musically as part of Flash Mob Musical in the Bay Area and beyond, in the cast of Mixtape at Unscripted Theatre Company in SF, and on mixer teams at the Bay Area and Chicago musical improv festivals. This in addition to many workshops and classes at All Out Comedy, Endgames, Leela and others. In the early 2000’s, prior to a lengthy break from performing, Eric was a fixture in the SF cabaret scene and performed at Martuni’s, the Plush Room and other local venues, including the Thick House Theatre, now the Potrero Stage. Eric is thrilled to be performing in this amazing space again!

STEPHANIE LISS  (Playwright/Director, Escape from Tehran), is the award-winning writer of such television movies, as SECOND SERVE – THE RENEE RICHARDS STORY, starring Vanessa Redgrave, for CBS. SECOND SERVE was the first movie produced about the trans community, and was nominated for a Golden Globe, Emmy, and received worldwide attention. Stephanie has also written the award winning movies, DAVID for ABC, HIDDEN IN SILENCE for Lifetime, and her ABC movie, GOING UNDERGROUND, was screened before Congress as a testimony, in order to change laws in custody cases, where domestic violence was an issue. She created and Executive Produced the documentary, ONE SURVIVOR REMEMBERS, which won the Academy Award for Documentary Short.

ISABELLA E. LOWRY(“Lila,” La Cucaracha), she/her. Isabella made her professional debut on A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe stage this past winter in A Whynot Christmas, directed by Pam MacKinnon. She first discovered her love for acting at ACT’s Young Conservatory in the summer of 2022 and has been passionately training ever since. She dedicates her performance to all the young bug loving Latinas out there and her familia en El Salvador!

DAVE MAIER (Fight Director, Belly of the Beast) is a prolific fight director who has choreographed violence for over 300 professional and college productions. He is the resident fight director at San Francisco Opera, California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes) and Oakland Theatre Project (formally Ubuntu Theatre Project). He has been awarded several honors including six San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, five Theatre Bay Area Awards and a Falstaff Award. His work has been seen at American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Playhouse, Center Rep, Marin Theatre Co., Magic Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Shotgun Players, among others.

PETER MALMQUIST (“Dad/Ensemble,” Al’s Cult), is an actor from Mill Valley, CA. He received a BA in Acting from Penn State University. Theatre: Line to Hope (Elevate Theatre Company), Who’s Gonna Kill The Cockroaches? (FrigidNY), Please Don’t Slow Me Down (Playground). Film: Mommy, Mommy, Mommy (dir. Helen Gallagher) and Art Kills (dir. Chris Pittas).

CHRIS MARTINEZ (aka Chrissy T), he/she, is a Bay Area native who has just embarked on her journey of becoming a world renowned Drag Queen and ASL interpreter… ok maybe not “world renowned” but fuck it—she has dreams.

MOSES MASCRUSH (Playwright/Actor, FRANK’s on Tour) is a board member of FRANK’S. His play, Going Out, was previously presented at the inaugural FRANK’S, followed by his sophomore piece, Cockroach Play, which was produced at New Theater Hollywood for A FRANK’s Cabaret. He lives and works in Los Angeles.

DANIEL MATUTE (“Boy,” Mountains, The Mountains – FRANK’s on Tour) is an actor/artist born and raised in SF, and currently based in LA. Daniel is proud to be returning to his hometown to perform theatre. Recent credits include Armand/Daniel-Understudy in the musical Once on This Island with Kentwood Players Theatre Company. When he’s not chasing Hollywood, Daniel can be found in city parks around Los Angeles, birdwatching, skateboarding, and/or nose deep in a book. He is repped by Calliope West Artists Management and AEFH Talent.

JUSTIN S. MCDAVITT (“Larry,” Daddy’s Girl) is a stage & film actor who enjoys working on quality stories, and growing through life’s experiences.

BRITTANY MELLERSON (Producer & Production Design, Visions of an Innovator) is an East Coast native and graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory Program, with a BFA in Theatrical Lighting & Sound Design. Brittany is the Resident Lighting Designer for Lamplighters Music Theatre, PlayGround, and the Telluride Film Festival. Recent credits include lighting design for PlayGround’s Solofest 2022, Awesome Theatre’s feature film THEM, lighting and sound design for The Pear’s Mountaintop, and Sunset Baby. Throughout the pandemic, Brittany has been dedicated to sourcing and producing equitable employment avenues within the Bay Area for Black designers and technicians. Up Next: Lamplighter’s Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder; Custom Made’s Blood at the Root; Awesome Theatre’s Coffee Lady.

TINA PRESTON (Costume Designer; Girl, Boy, Bird – FRANK’s on Tour) began her acting career at the Music Center Theater Lab, and has since performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and London. She participated in the Padua Hills Playwrights Festival from its beginning, performing in the first runs of plays by John O’Keefe, Maria Irene Fornes, John Steppling, Julie Hebert, Susan Masakowski and Murray Mednick. She has garnered multiple LA Weekly and Dramalogue awards, and was also nominated by Stage Raw and The Valley Theater Awards for best solo performance for O’Keefe’s “Don’t You Ever Call Me Anything But Mother.” She has appeared in over 20 films, and her vocal work can be heard in collaboration with Don Preston. She continues to explore all levels of the creative process.

ARI PELFLEY (Lead Designer, Lifedebt), they/them, is a multi-disciplinary artist with a strong visual background. A Stanford University graduate, they are a director, designer, fabricator, graphics artist, and more. Ari’s past work includes directing a production of Little Shop of Horrors for Ram’s Head Theatrical Society and prop fabrication/design for Antigone: A New Trans Play.

GIOVANNY PEREZ (“Brian/Ensemble,” Belly of the Beast), he/him/el, is an actor and co-founder and artistic director of Teatro Alebrijes del Valle. Giovanny has been seen in several productions at Napa Valley College’s Performing Arts Center, including in the Arty-award winning production of Spring Awakening as Otto Lammermeier, Tinman in The Wizard of Oz, Jerry in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, and as Oliver in the musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. A Napa Valley College Theatre Arts graduate, he will be transferring to UC Berkeley starting in Fall 2025.

RICHARD PEREZ (Director, La Cucaracha), he/him. Richard is a nationally recognized director, actor, and educator with a focus on new play development. He has held leadership roles as Associate Artistic Director at Chicago Dramatists and Artistic Director at Bloomington Playwrights Project. Currently Artistic Director of Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette, Richard has collaborated with leading theatres including Goodman Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The New York Fringe Festival, and The Kennedy Center.

SOLUNA ESPINOSA PIEB (“Shane/Ensemble,” Al’s Cult), (they/them), is a queer, nonbinary actor and theater maker based in the Bay Area. They are a proud staff member of both Crowded Fire Theater and Golden Thread Productions, both of whom call Potrero Stage home along with PlayGround. For the past few years, Soluna has had the privilege of helping bring several of Melina’s honest, heartfelt, and hilarious plays to life, including Good White Men, One of the Good Ones, and Please Don’t Slow Me Down. Soluna is blessed to be surrounded by so many brilliant and creative artists, and thanks the audience for helping their work reach more and more hearts.

SUSAN QUINTANAR (Ensemble, What’s Your Protest Song?),  began her acting journey in the fifth grade when she was spontaneously cast as the “madcap director” of her school’s production of The Night Before Christmas. Many years ago, on a whim, she took a musical improv class, fell head over heels in love and has been improvising ever since. She has studied primarily at Michael Howard Studios (NYC), Beverly Hills Playhouse and BATS Improv and completed UCLA’s professional program in screenwriting. Susan has performed with many Bay Area improv groups, and is currently a guest player with BATS Improv, as well as a member of Monkey Monkey, Topsy Turbo and Secret Improv VICE, a monthly improvised film noir show. She is also an occasional corporate improv coach who helps companies apply storytelling techniques to craft compelling branding and marketing content. When she’s not improvising, you might find her in local commercials and corporate industrials, mostly playing “good/bad” HR managers, or providing the voiceover for local wineries. If you are a fan of Japanese television, you might also catch her on episodes of The World’s Astonishing News!”

BERT RAMIREZ (“Dragon; Fred,” La Cucaracha), he/him. Bert has been active with the theater since retiring in Mexico in 2009, starring in many productions including as Trekkie and Nicky in Avenue Q, Dr. Scott in Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Mother Superior in Nunsense A-men. After a 31-year career with the fire service, Bert lives in Puerto Vallarta with his wife, Cindy.

TOM REILLY (“William Duncan,” Man of Tomorrow) is an East Bay actor who has appeared frequently with Actors Ensemble, Ross Valley Players, and the Curtain Theatre.  His favorite roles include Oberon in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Abraham Lincoln in “A Civil War Christmas.” He will be appearing as the Old Man in the Masquers’ production of “A Prelude to A Kiss” in October.

AISHA RIVERA (Playwright & Co-Director, Belly of the Beast; “Salma,” La Cucaracha) (they/them) is an Artist, Writer, and Actor. Aisha. Belly of the Beast is the their second full-length play. Words can’t express how important the story is to tell especially given the current political climate and rise in extreme thinness as the beauty ideal. Their first full length, a Spanish adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life premiered with Shakespeare Napa Valley in 2023. Favorite acting credits include R&J (Marin Shakespeare Co.), Yerma (Shotgun Players), Cymbeline (Berkeley Shakespeare Company), and Dead Man’s Cellphone (Upstage Napa Valley). Aisha is also the current Poet Laureate for Napa County. Aisha is a lover of coffee, possums, and poetry.

ROXANNE ROGERS (Director, Girl, Boy Bird – FRANK’s on Tour) is an original member of Padua Hills Playwrights’ Workshop. She won Dramalogue, LA Weekly and Critics Circle awards for her direction of John Patrick Shanley’s Savage in Limbo. Rogers also directed King Lear for the National Theater of Turkiye. She has performed in Jon Jost’s films, several of which screened at the LA Cinematheque this summer.

BILL SAVAGE (“Paul,” Writer, Producer, and Director, Daddy’s Girl) is making his West Coast performance debut in this production. He has appeared in his plays, as necessary, in performances in Pennsylvania, including “On Our Way to the Fair,” “Say He Was a Soldier,” and others. He has written more than a dozen plays that have been performed at numerous venues, and will be producing and directing his play “Leave it to the Angels” at the Scranton (Pa.) Fringe Festival in September.

KATHRYN SEABRON (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator) is a Creatrix, Activist, Sex-Educator, Producer, Director, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer, Ecdysiast, & Mistress of Ceremonies.

DON SEAVER (“Jerry,” The Miss Rose Show) has been working a very long time in the theater, since 1990, predominantly in the Bay Area. His main companies have been Marin Theater Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Exit Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, Aurora Theatre, Thrillpeddlers, and Phoenix II. He has collaborated extensively with playwrights/lyricists Sean Owens and William Shakespeare. (Sean was more amenable to rewrites than Bill….). He’s also done scores for a number of short films and dance pieces, including Paul Taylor Dance Company. He is truly honored that Ken and Chris have entrusted this jewel of a piece to him.

RILEY QUINN SCOTT (Choreographer/Actor, FRANK’s on Tour) is an LA native actor and writer.

ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER (Bird Consultation, FRANK’s on Tour) the CEO of the New America Foundation. Formerly, she served in the Obama administration as the Director of Policy Planning for the State Department, the first woman to ever hold the position. She is an avid birder.

MIKALA SLOTNICK (Rehearsal Stage Manager/Stage Crew, Al’s Cult) is excited to be back at the theater! She currently goes to UC Davis studying sociology, psychology and biology. Her previous credits include ASM for Yellowface (Shotgun Players), Stage Manager for Doomers (BCTR) and Helena from River Bride (Chanticleers Theatre).

CHRIS SMITH (Playwright/Performer, Mine for the Tribe), he is a country boy who reads philosophy and writes plays. He grew up on a cattle ranch, found theater, went to LA, became a producer for film and TV and then returned to the ranch. These days he’s writing and annoying cattle. As a writer, and due to events that shaped him in this solo show, he’s focusing on two areas that matter to him “Mental Health in the Arts” and “Building Better Men”. After years of acting, writing, directing, producing, designing and other film and theater stuff, he wants to help his fellow artists.

JUDY LEA STEELE (“Rose,” The Miss Rose Show) is delighted to be here with The Miss Rose Show. An interdisciplinary performer, poet, emerging playwright and producer, her theatrical career spans stage, film, commercials and VO. Most recently seen in Orpheus Descending with The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, she has enjoyed work as both an actress and performance artist on many stages. Her play Gerutha and Margaret was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Play Conference and The Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival in Los Angeles, will be published in River Styx next fall and produced in Mexico City next spring. She was a Women of Williams panelist for the 2024 Tennessee Williams Literary Festival of New Orleans. Her hybrid poetry has been awarded by the Patty Friedmann Writing Competition and published here and there. Selected and awarded in film festivals home and abroad, her cinepoem Eve’s Ribs Lilith’s Lungs, produced with an international group of collaborators, can now be found in the Bridge Video archive in Chicago. Judy is the owner of Wisteria Root Productions, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to amplifying the voice of women in the arts, especially over 50. She is a 2023 MFAW graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Originally a musician, she loves to sing and fiddle around on the piano, autoharp, melodica and an accordion half her size. And she talks to live oaks.  Gratitude “to infinity” (as Rose says) for Ken and Chris. Love to the ever-patient Steele family.   Theatre representation: Kyle Mundil-Dye/Big Mouth Talent Chicago. judyleasteele.com

JENNA STEIN-CORMAN (Stage Manager), she/her, grew up immersed in the bay area theatre community. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she has gone on to work as a teaching artist, stage manager, and director in theaters all over the bay. Currently, she works with Town Hall Theatre, The Berkeley Playhouse, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. She recently stage managed PlayGround’s 2nd annual “twisted” holiday show, A Very Hitchcock Christmas.

JJ SUTTON (Writer & Director, Lifedebt), (they/she),  is a playwright, director, and contemporary performance artist. JJ’s writing and directing capstone for the Stanford Theater and Performance Studies program, Antigone: A New Trans Play, premiered in the Nitery Experimental Theater’s 2021-22 season. They pursue theater with a drive towards political investigation, queer expression, and artistic innovation.

NOVALYNN STONE (Stage Manager), she/her, is a local San Francisco stage manager/board operator that has been working with Playground for over 2 years now! She is a recent graduate of San Francisco State University. Theater has been a passion of hers for many years and is glad to be a part of the technical team putting this show together.

LUCY PARKS URBANO (Playwright, FRANK’s of Tour ), is an actress and writer from Berkeley, CA who lives in Hollywood. She has performed, produced, and workshopped plays in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York City. She has acted in films premiered internationally (including at Sundance, LA Shorts, and Raindance) and streaming on NoBudge, Tubi, and Short of the Week. She is honored to be a board member and producer of FRANK’s, and excited to return to Playground after being a 2019 Writer’s Pool participant and two time Young Playwright Project winner. She is represented by Brave Artists Management.

ALEJANDRA WAHL (“Angel,” Belly of the Beast) (she/they) is an artist who seeks to explore the intersection between justice, transformation, liberation, and healing in creative, imaginative expression. Most recently seen as Edward/Victoria (Cloud 9 at Custom Made Theater Co.); recent roles include Sabina (The Skin Of Our Teeth, Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley), The Porter/Lady Macduff (Macbeth, Berkeley Shakespeare Company). A bilingual teaching artist and director, Alejandra directs theater programs with incarcerated men and women in California state prisons, using Shakespeare, contemporary plays, and acting skills as a tool for self-reflection and empowerment. She firmly believes in the radical power of theater, and is honored to have helmed the energetic, uplifting production of Berkeley Shakes’ Much Ado About Nothing.

CHRISTOPHER WINSLOW (Musician/Composer, The Miss Rose Show), original works include Mr. Irresistible, Alcazar Theater SF & La MaMa Theater New York, OMFG: The Internet Dating Musical ODC Theater SF, adaptations with Ken Prestininzi: Gaveston, Celebration Theater LA; Peer Gynt, UC Davis. Musical Directing credits include Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge and Luis Alfaro’s The Golden State at Magic Theater in San Francisco, The Fourth Messenger at Ashby Stage in Berkeley, Dave End’s Fabulous Artistic Guys Get Overtly Traumatized Sometimes at CounterPulse SF, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown/Snoopy at San Francisco School of the Arts, and Continental Drift, a cabaret collaboration with acclaimed soprano Karen Thomson Hall.

CONNOR/HANA YANKOWITZ (“Anadon Voice,” Lifedebt), they/them, is proud to present their first voice-over role, adding to their previous experience as an opera pit musician and High School Musical stagehand. When not playing the megaphone of our corpo overlords, they can often be found playing trombone, playing board and video games, or playing dead (#napnation)

Z (Innovator, Visions of an Innovator), she/her, is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses music, movement, poetry and prose as mediums to experiment with thought, sound, and emotional expression. From a small Chicago suburb, Z utilizes her artwork to process both collective and personal grief and the wide spectrum of human emotion. As a person with bipolar depression and cPTSD, Z uses her work as a personal mental health tool and conversation starter for vulnerable topics.

HECTOR ZAVALA (“Gael,” La Cucaracha), he/him/they. Hector is a multifaceted artist and international creative force with an expansive career spanning theater, film, and dance. As an actor, dancer, set designer, technical director, and producer, Hector’s work has graced stages across Mexico and the U.S., including standout performances in La Leyenda de Georgia McBride and the bilingual solo show Seeking the Last Gay Man. Hector’s work is rooted in cultural integrity, queer visibility, and transformative artistry.

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 $125 or more committed between May 1, 2024 & May 1, 2025.

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS

Alameda County Arts Commission • Amazon • Art Space Development Corporation • Berkeley Civic Arts • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Arts Council • Grants For The Arts • KFF • Koret Foundation • LA County Arts Commission • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • NIAC • Nvidia • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Rye Financial Services • San Francisco Arts Commission • The Shubert Foundation • The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)

Daniel E. Cohn & Lynn Brinton, John H. Gilman, Nitin Nitin & Vasugi Kailasam

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Randy Adams, Meriko Borogove, Jediah Craig, Regina S. Guggenheim, Just Play Productions, Linda Kremer, Rebecca Martinez, Daniele Nathanson , Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, Ronald Whittier Family Foundation, John J. Ruskin, Tom Swift, Malachy Walsh, Anonymous

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Phoenix Theatre SF, Jim Brayton & Debbie Marr, Richard Davis – Lowell, Paulette Donsavage, Keith Goldstein & Donna N. Warrington, Kathryn A Hecht, Toby Inoue, Diane Leonard, Diane Sampson, Janine Wilburn, Maury Zeff, Anonymous (2)

PATRON ($250-$499)

Nina Ball & Jon Tracy, Clint Fleener, Chris & Cindy Redburn, JM Solberg, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Mia Evana Taylor

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Cass Brayton, Marilyn Berg Cooper, Michael Fried, Gina Harris, Stanley William Hathaway, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Jean Jensen, Mildred Inez Lewis, Pam MacKinnon, Paris McCarthy, Mark Peters, Doug Peckler and Evelyn Jean Pine , Carolina Rojas Moretti, Abigail May Rosen, Stan Stone, Bex White, Scott Lebus & Susannah Wise, Anonymous

SUPPORTING MEMBER ($75-$124)

Sam & Naomi Abramovitz, Nissa Anklesaria, Mary E. Baird, Robert Battle, Julie Berthold, John Brown, Bruce Colman, Please don’t , Frieda de Lackner, Albert & Joyce Dieda, Krystyna  Finlayson , Anirvan and Lee Anna Ghosh, Hon. John Hale, Martin Haro, Sharlene Hartman, Richard Hillman, Lucy Hsu, Tanuja Devi Jagernauth, Pamela Kennedy, Mike, Erin & Cameron, Michael Kobori and Sachiko Nagai-Kobori, Drew & Carrie Nagel, Jack needleman, Bridget O’Keeffe, Louis Parnell, Veril L Phillips, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Stephanie & David Haines, Kimberly Ridgeway, Emily Brauer Rogers and Gene Rogers, Phyllis Rothman, Miyoko Sakatani, Louel Senores, Alex M. Shafer, Michael Slade, Nancy W. Smith, Kurt Taylor, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Michael E Tuton, Christina Velasco, Christian Edward Wilburn, Anonymous (3)

CONTRIBUTING MEMBER ($25-$74)

Melissa A Argo, Evan Baughfman, Tesia Renee Bell, Anne and Kevin Brady, Thomas Patrick Broyhill, Tom Bruett, Ben Cain, Mark Calhoun, Todd Cerveris, Parvesh Cheena, Ed Chiu, Ronald a Cook, David Cramer, Mark Doyle, Elizabeth Dudak, Deepanshu Dutta, JoAnne Winter and Adrian Elfenbaum, Jerri Farnsworth, Caitlin Floyd, Sandy Hansen, Miss Richelle Lopez Harding, Steve Harper, Brian and Jocelyn Herndon, Jane Hopkins, Uma Incrocci, Michael Kaplan, Ruth Kirschner, Katherine Swan, Angela Loria, Kelley Macmillan, Gabriela Mayorga, Lisa McCaffrey, Colette Meunier & Mark van Norman, Marnie Monogue, Mr. & Mrs. Tom J Monogue, Dionna Ndlovu, Richard Orchid, Vivian M. Pisano, Dorothy Fuller Polash, Shariba Rivers, Charlie Rodriguez, Debba Rofheart, Katie Ryan, Kevin Sabato, Jeunee Simon, Dakota Solomon, William & Sharon Thompson, Colin Thomson & Karen Thomson Hall, Braedyn Youngberg

FRIEND ($1-$24)

Tod Abbott, David Adams, Michael Adams, Scott Adams, Anthony Anello, Micheline Auger, Oscar Avila, Daniela Bailes, Anna Bass, Laura Bennett, Mayuri Bhandari, Erica Blumfield, Roberta D’Alois, Jack Darling, Samantha Dickinson, Eileen Dixon, Amy Dobzynski, Jordan Don, Leah T Dudak, Dr. Morgan Dundon, Amanda Andrei, Emily Esner, Morgan Fabber, Sara Felder, Cherielyn Ferguson, John Flanagan, Linette Floyd, Saiya Floyd, Christina M Freitas Blair, Jake Friedman, Enid Lucchesi Gil, Katie Gnagy Melendez, Anne Gorman, Kara Grayson-Groom, Elizabeth Groenewegen, Julien Gussman, Nay Harris, Laurie Henderson, Wendy Herbert, Leon Macias, Aaron Higareda, Edward Hong, Ellen Ilfeld, Tim Jacques, Brandon Jenkins, Eric Judson, Dawn Juhas, Myung Kang Huneke, Vassilisa Kapila, Jacinta Kaumbulu, Javid Khoshnood, Amanda Kim, Lydia Kim, Frances Ann Krepchin, Shelly Kurtzl, Connor Larkin, Vivian Le, & Jeffry A Leblanc, Gerald May, Eris Mayeroff, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Trisha McKethan, Christopher Mehrvarzi, Amy Meyers, Allie Costa, Frank Nims, Dakota Pariset, Phillip Pineno, Fred Pitts, Christian Pizzirani, Melanie Claire Queponds, Charli Renken, Jess Roat, Bill Roberts, Velma Ross , Jason Ruderman, Patrick Russell, Collette Rutherford, Jorge Salas, March Saper, Dr. Jenni Schlossman, Hayley Schueneman, Andrew Seller, Tori Serpico, Baylee Anne Shlichtman, Miss Eden Olivia Sides, Diana Simonzadeh, Sergio Solis, Ginger Marie Standridge, Natalie Standridge, Spencer Talesfore, Sharlee Taylor, Phone Myat Tha, Ian Thielman, Karly Thomas, Sharon Thompson, Miss Isabel Anne Torres, Allison Tu, Miranda Velasco, Kim Webster, Shontel Westbrook, Jo Yuan, William Zhang

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 Company

PLAYGROUND WRITERS POOL 2025-26

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Robyn Brooks, Madeleine Butler, Melina Cohen-Bramwell, Jediah Craig, Laura Domingo, Garret Groenveld, Frances Hartline, Carl Johnson, Ruth Kirschner, Greg Lam, Justin Lopez, Daniel Martinez Jr., Gillian O’Leary, Richard Perez, Bridgette Portman, Jan Probst, Kimberly Ridgeway, George Rose, Sophie Ruf, Greg Sigur, Chris Steele, Stan Stone, Lisa Thompson, Maury Zeff.

PLAYGROUND RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHTS 2025-26

Announced soon!

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, Zoe Chien, 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, Dave Sikula, 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, Wayne Wong, Elena Wright, Hector Zavala

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 STAFF

Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Lana Richards, Associate Director of Development
Jonathan Josephson, Director of Marketing & Communications
Norman Gee, Associate Producer
Katja Rivera, Associate Producer
Zoe Chien, Associate Producer
Tessa Corrie, Co-Casting Director
Patricia Cotter, Co-Casting Director
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer
Liam Kirk, Resident Stage Manager
K’Zhane McGill, Box Office Manager
Katie Brown, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
Jacinta Kaumbulu, 2024-25 Producing Fellow

PLAYGROUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephanie Prentice, Chair
James A. Kleinmann, President
Emilie Talbot, Vice President
Nitin, Treasurer
Christian Wilburn, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus

Tanvi Agrawal
Linda Amayo-Hassan
Julia Brothers
Ben Cain
Howard Ho
Toby Inoue
Rebecca Martinez
Kendall Phillips
Jessica June Rowe

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