Free-Play Festival

5th Annual FREE-PLAY FESTIVAL

July 31-August 23, 2026
Potrero Stage & Simulcast
Admission-Free (Suggested Donation $10-$30)

PlayGround closes out the summer season with the fifth annual FREE-PLAY FESTIVAL! This four-week “fringe style” new works festival features 21 productions and 61 performances by talented theatre artists from across the country including PlayGround artists based in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Detailed schedule below.

TICKETS FREE-PLAY PASS READ THE PRESS RELEASE

The Line Up

(in)credibility: a new curriculum by The Forum Collective
Wed, Aug 19, 8PM; Sun, Aug 23, 12PM

Divorced: The Musical by Hannah Gould
Thurs, Aug 6, 6PM; Sat, Aug 8, 4PM; Sun, Aug 9, 8PM

Down to the “Fifty-Four” by Bill Savage
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
Fri, Aug 14, 6PM; Sat, Aug 15, 8PM, Sun, Aug 16th, 12PM

From Dusk to Dawn by Ely Sonny Orquiza, Jeanie Ngo, & Evert “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, 8PM; 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

Joanie of the U.P. by JJ Gatesman
Fri, July 31, 6PM; Sat, Aug 1, 4PM; Sun, Aug 2, 12PM

Melina’s Not Good Enough For Monday by Melina Cohen-Bramwell
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

Sister Africa by Stephanie Liss, music by RebbeSoul
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: Ethel & Joe at the Empire State by Linda Ayres-Frederick, Revenge of the Q.A.I. by Stan Stone, and 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

Past Free-Play Festivals:

“PlayGround’s Free-Play Festival was a fabulous opportunity to get our reps in – as a new company and first time producer, I was thrilled to be able to breathe life into a play that was sitting on the shelf! With technical support and plenty of rehearsal time at the Potrero Stage, I would highly recommend developing works at the Free-Play Festival.”
– Ipsheeta Furtado (Free-Play, 2023)

“Free-Play is basically that opportunity you wait for as an artist, the chance to do the thing you’ve been dreaming about but haven’t had the resources or space for. For me it’s been the place to really push my boundaries and experiment in a low-stakes environment. Creating my solo performance was something I’d wanted to do for years, and Free-Play was the push I needed to get out of my comfort zone and just do the darn thing.”
– Lana Richards (Free-Play, 2023)

“Free-Play Festival was an opportunity for me to see my first full length play fully produced–not a workshop, not a reading, but talented memorized actors performing my play with props, lighting, and sound. It was such a magical, healing experience sitting with audiences and listening to them laugh, cry, and relate to my writing.”
– Kaz Valtchev (Free-Play, 2024)