PlayGround presents Season 31

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

“Holiday Surprise”
December 16, 2024 7pm PT
The David Brower Center & 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.

Monday Night PlayGround Memberships

We are deeply grateful to our 2024-25 Monday Night PlayGround Members, whose direct support helps to underwrite artists fees for the Monday Night series across all four regions: Dr. & Mrs. Sam & Naomi Abramovitz, Sharon Baldwin, Tim Bishop, Ms. Linda B Breaux-Smith, Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, John Brown, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Ben Cain, Joan Cleveland, Ms. Sheila Collins, Ms. Marilyn Berg Cooper, Logan Varas De Valdes, Cathy Earnest, Krystyna Finlayson, Hollis Greenwood, Ms. Elizabeth Groenewegen, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Brandy T Jones, Emiy Kuroda, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Le Blanc, Alice Lehmann, Ms. Kristy Lin Billuni, Linda G Marks, Dr. Sheila McCormick, Ms. Cynthia L Morishige, Dan Morley, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Ms. Annette Oliveira, Mr. George Rose, Jessica June Rowe, Michelle Ruscetta, John J. Ruskin, Miyoko Sakatani, Jennifer Schultz, Mark Sherstinsky, Nancy W. Smith, Stan Stone, Cathy M Stonie, Michael Tonjum & Jan Gilman, Mary Lou Torre, Kim Tram, Vicki Victoria, Dr. Eidell Wasserman, Janine Wilburn, and Ms. Cindy Womack. Thank you!

To learn more about the Monday Night PlayGround membership program, click here.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!

Twas the Launch Before Christmas
By Carl Andrew Johnson
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Malik………………………………..Khary Moye
David……………………………Ben Chau-Chiu
Nicholas “Nick” Klauson….Ron Campbell

Grandma’s First Festivus
By Laura Domingo
Directed by Ciera Eis
Indigo…………..Leon Goertzen
Sage…………….Isabel Anne To
Grandma…..Miyoko Sakatani

No More Salt Needed
By KT Frances Hartline
Directed by Emilie Talbot
Sophia….Tessa Koning-Martinez
Marin……………………….L. Duarte
Lucy………………………Marjan Safa

Grammie’s Ambrosia
By Grace Hoffman
Directed by Jeunee Simon
Natalie…………Maryssa Wanlass
Liv……………….Melanie Marshall
Grammie……Stephanie Prentice

Holiday Plans Detained
By Rob Dario
Directed by Linda Amayo-Hassan
Capt. Frank Henderson…..Michael Barrett Austin
Pvt. Bryan Kamit………………………..Louel Señores
Mitsyoko “Mitsy” Ouchi….Eiko Moon-Yamamoto

An Emblem of Christmas
By Bridgette Dutta Portman
Directed by Norman Gee
Lex………………………….Zoe Chien
Nick/Sam……Christian Wilburn
Evie/Faith………….Elena Wright

Stage Manager – Liam Kirk
Broadcaster – Alanna McFall
Box Office Manager – K’Zhane McGill

This performance is produced under agreement with SAG-AFTRA.

PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area, A.R.T./New York, the League of Chicago Theatres and Theatre Communications Group. PlayGround is a Partner Organization of the National New Play Network (NNPN).

Biographies

PLAYWRIGHTS

ROB DARIO (Holiday Plans Detained), he/him, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a theatre artist for over twenty years, acting with companies such as San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Shotgun Players, and Asian American Theatre Company. A graduate of California State University Sacramento’s Department of Theatre and Dance, has also been a designer, director, stage manager, teacher, and playwright. His first full-length play to be produced was Bagyó at TheatreFirst, for which he was awarded Berkeley’s Sui Generis Foundation Award. He is currently a member of the writing pool for SF PlayGround, where his play Spiskammers was selected for the 2018 Best of PlayGround. Rob is also a visual artist and graphic designer.

LAURA DOMINGO (Grandma’s First Festivus), she/her, is a Native Hawaiian/Filipina writer and actor based on Oakland, CA. She has written screenplays for three Best Film winners for the 48-Hour Film Project (2019 – San Jose; 2020 – U.S. West; and 2021 – San Jose), and her short plays won runner-up in 2023 and 2024 for Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s 48-Hour Play Festival. She is part of the writing pool with SF-based sketch comedy company Killing My Lobster.

KT FRANCES HARTLINE (No More Salt Needed), she/her, is a Berkeley-based playwright and screenwriter. After working as a New York City public school teacher, she was editor for two New York-based magazines and wrote for Oakland and Parents Press. Her plays have appeared in festivals around the country, including It’s Alarming, a Heideman Award finalist which premiered in Playground’s Monday Night Series. Her screenwriting accolades include AFF Second Rounder and Finalist in the International PAGE Awards. She is now in Roadmap Writers’ Career Writer Program. Her greatest joy is squeezing into a hardcore punk show and watching the son she homeschooled absolutely shred on drums.

GRACE HOFFMAN (Grammie’s Ambrosia), she/her, is making her PlayGround debut tonight! She graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Theatre Studies and is currently finishing her MFA in Playwriting at SFSU. She’s participated in Emerson College’s New Works Festivals, The Dragon’s Monday Night Play Space Series and The Ohlone Playwrights Festival. An Aquarium Play, was produced as an audio play through Theatre Viscera. Curtain Call was a 2024 semifinalist for the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill. She’s a proud alumna of Company One’s Play Lab and TheatreWorks’ Susan Fairbrook Core Writers Group.

CARL ANDREW JOHNSON (Twas the Launch Before Christmas), he/him, is a recent addition to PlayGround-SF, with 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.

BRIDGETTE DUTTA PORTMAN (An Emblem of Christmas), she/her, is a playwright, novelist, and teacher. She is president of the Pear Theatre board of directors and a member of the Pear Playwrights’ Guild and the Dramatists’ Guild. She received the 2023 June Anne Baker Prize from PlayGround and is currently developing a full-length commission, RIVALS OF MARS. She teaches composition and creative writing at UC Berkeley.

ACTORS

MICHAEL BARRETT AUSTIN (Holiday Plans Detained, “Capt. Frank Henderson”), he/him, has recently appeared in Fallen Angels (Aurora Theatre Company) Apertures of Love in Times of War at the PlayGround Festival, A Christmas Carol at Center Rep and the Chinglish at SF Playhouse (SFBATCC nomination for principal performance). Favorite past projects include The Kilbanes’ musical As You Like It (SF Shakespeare Festival), The Elephant Man (Hillbarn), Finks (TheatreWorks) and Red Hot Patriot with Kathleen Turner (Berkeley Rep). He has also worked locally with 42nd Street Moon, San Jose Stage, Playwright’s Foundation, Central Works, Hillbarn and more, and performed at the NY Fringe Festival. Michael toured America with The National Theatre for Children and Italy Shakespeare at Stinson, and has appeared on television, film and in countless commercials. He is a PlayGround and ARC member, an alumnus of Just Theater and TheatreFirst and the proud husband of Emily and father to Lucille. www.michaelbarrettaustin.com

RON CAMPBELL (Twas the Launch Before Christmas, “Nicholas ‘Nick’ Klauson”), he/him, is an actor. Also a clown, poet, comic book artist and former member of The Playground Writer’s Pool. A veteran of many Monday Night Playgrounds, he wrote and performed “How To Fail” as part of the Playground Solo Festival and simply loves this company.

BEN CHAU-CHIU (Twas the Launch Before Christmas, “David”), they/them, is an actor, director, singer, and educator based in the San Francisco-Bay Area. As a performer, their credits range from Shakespeare to musicals to new works to opera. They’ve been grateful to have worked with many theaters all around the Bay Area, such as A.C.T., S.F. Shakes, 42nd Street Moon, Cal Shakes, and Berkeley Rep. They have directed for PlayGround-SF, where they are a company member, Marin Shakespeare’s Teen Touring Company, and for U.C. Santa Cruz’s Theater and Opera programs. They are drawn to new works, especially those that cover topics of mental health, race, and trauma. Whether on or off the stage, Ben is determined to promote diverse voices and work in theater, as well as encourage a kinder and human-first environment.

ZOE CHIEN (An Emblem of Christmas, “Lex”; Associate Producer), she/her, is an actor and arts administrator with a BFA in Theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, Playwrights Horizons Theater School, and the Stonestreet Studios for Television and Film. Zoe is the Casting and Producing Director of 3Girls Theatre Company, and is a PlayGround Associate Producer this season. She feels lucky to be in this industry in a time when so much art is being made in response to our social and political climate, and is proud to represent her mixed-race (Taiwanese and Italian-American) community. For more, visit zoechien.com.

L. DUARTE (No More Salt Needed, “Marin”), they/them, is an actor, director & playwright whose recent projects include: Citizen with Word for Word/Z Space, August: Osage County with San Jose Stage Company, Julius Caesar with PacRep, The Review with Theatre Rhinoceros , Helen! With Theatre of Yugen, Into the Beautiful North & The King of Cuba with CentralWorks. Duarte is a graduate of UCLA, UCSC, and has trained with A.C.T, Shakespeare & Co. and BraveMaker Academy. The are a proud TBA and Play Ground Company member. Find a full range of work by Duarte at Casting Networks.

LEON GOERTZEN (Grandma’s First Festivus, “Indigo”) has worked at theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, including East West Players, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Will and Company, Magic Theatre, Asian American Theater Company, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Road Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, PlayGround, Aurora Theater Company, Bay Area Playwright’s Festival, California Conservatory Theatre and New Conservatory Theater.

TESSA KONING-MARTINEZ (No More Salt Needed, “Sophia”) really enjoyed seeing last year’s ‘”Very Hitchcock Christmas”, and she is tickled green to be acting in this year’s. Ms. Koning-Martinez has been performing professionally in the Bay Area for many years, beginning with Milcha Sanchez-Scott’s “Roosters” and most recently in Jose Diaz’s “Pasta”. Regional credits with San Jose Rep and Teatro Campesino, original production roles in plays by Josefina Lopez, Octavio Solis, and Cherrie Moraga. Tessa has also worked for many years as a Teaching Artist/Director.

MELANIE MARSHALL (Grammie’s Ambrosia, “Liv”), she/her, is a longtime company member of PlayGround and Killing My Lobster. In January, she will be performing in Nightmare Show’s Buffy Night on January 11th as her drag alter ego Marshall Flaw at Eclectic Box, in Dragcula at Oasis on January 16th and 18th, and at Sketchfest when Killing My Lobster remounts its sold out Agatha Christie-themed show J’ACCUSE on January 29th.

EIKO MOON-YAMAMOTO (Holiday Plans Detained, “Mitsyoko “Mitsy” Ouchi”), she/they, is a multi-hyphenate artist. Eiko is an Ilchom ose/ Issei, born in Japan with roots in Korea and Hawaii. She champions historically excluded voices in the American theatre canon and has developed new works with Playwrights Foundation, The Magic Theatre, PlayOn Shakespeare, Z Space, The Ground Floor at BerkeleyRep, San Francisco Playhouse, FaultLine Theater, and Company One. She is currently performing A NOH CHRISTMAS CAROL at Theatre of Yugen. Upcoming: PACIFIC OVERTURES at Kunoichi Productions/ Theatre of Yugen. THE TRUER HISTORY OF THE CHAN FAMILY by Eugenie Chan. Graduate of UCLA. Member of SAG-AFTRA. www.eikoyamamoto.com | @eikoyh

KHARY MOYE (Twas the Launch Before Christmas, “Malik”), he/him, is happy to be back at PlayGround! His previous credits Include Two Trains Running with Marin Theatre, Toni Stone with A.C.T, Six Degrees of Separation with Custom Made Theatre and A Streetcar Named Desire with African American Shakespeare Company. He is always honored to enter the PlayGround with such an amazing cast of actors! He is thankful to his family/friends and girlfriend for always being so supportive of his dreams. A special shout out goes to his father Adrian Clements who always said, “In order to catch A dream, you have To Chase one.” Thank you Dad. Love you.

STEPHANIE PRENTICE (Grammie’s Ambrosia, “Grammie”), she/her, is a Bay Area Native and has been an AEA member for over 20 years. She has been a PlayGround Company member for over 10 years, and is currently the Chair of the PlayGround National Board of Directors.

MARJAN SAFA (No More Salt Needed, “Lucy”), she/her, is thrilled to be back on stage at PlayGround. She was last seen as Puck, Theseus, and Starveling, at San Francisco Shakes’ educational tour. She has previously worked with The Pear Theatre, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Altarena Playhouse, TheatreFirst, Golden Thread Productions, San Francisco Playhouse, Palo Alto Players, San Francisco Playwrights’ Center, and Multi-Ethnic Theatre. Currently, she is in ongoing classes with Richard Seyd at the Seydways Acting Studios. To learn more about her you can visit her webpage at marjansafa.com

MIYOKO SAKATANI (Grandma’s First Festivus, “Grandma”), she/her, is a SAG-AFTRA-e actor, singer, writer, and producer and proud SF PlayGround company member. She is currently a PlayGround Ambassador and a 2024 Director Apprentice. Miyoko has performed on many SF Bay Area regional and community theatre stages over many years, including writing and performing her own solo play. Film credits include the award winning Samuel Goldwyn film “East Side Sushi” (IMDb.com/Miyoko Sakatani). As founding director of Playland Productions, Miyoko has produced and co-directed films and stage plays. Endless love and deepest gratitude to Richard, Shanti and dearest friends.

LOUEL SEÑORES (Holiday Plans Detained, “Pvt. Bryan Kamit”), he/him, is delighted to be back at it with another Monday Night PlayGround! He is a Berkeley-based actor, stage manager, and playwright. Recent acting work includes Found Family (Left Coast Theatre), Four Play (Theatre Rhinoceros/JT Presents) & The Engine of our Disruption (Central Works). Recent SM work includes Yerma (Shotgun Players) & Water by the Spoonful (SF PlayHouse). Recent playwriting work includes Better Unkept (part of Best of PlayGround 2024). He’s also a proud company member of Berkeley Interactive Theater and PlayGround SF, and a member of Shotgun’s EDIB Committee. LouelSenores.com

ISABEL ANNE TO (Grandma’s First Festivus, “Sage”), she/her, is an actor, singer, and proud PlayGround company member based in the SF Bay Area and has appeared in PlayGround SF festival productions (Starlight and Funny, Like an Abortion). She is currently performing in Queer As Fuck VI: Escape to Queertopia at Bindlestiff Studio. Isabel also collaborates frequently with sketch comedy company Killing My Lobster, and was last seen in The Skin We’re In. Other selected credits: Tea Party (One Of Our Own Theater), The Jersey Devil Play (Awesome Theatre), and Avenue Q (New Conservatory Theatre Center). Offstage, Isabel enjoys cross-stitching, jigsaw puzzles, and baking. www.isabelanneto.com

MARYSSA WANLASS (Grammie’s Ambrosia, “Natalie”) they/she, is an actor, director, and educator with a focus in social justice and classical theater. In addition to working with California’s incarcerated population with Red Ladder, she also created a storytelling program for unhoused community members with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. They have directed professionally for SF Shakes, Utopia Theatre Project, PlayGroundSF, Shotz, and Advice to the Players. Acting credits include SF Shakes (As You Like It, Hamlet, and Winter’s Tale), CalShakes (As You Like It), San Jose Stage (Persuasion), Livermore Shakespeare Festival (As You Like It, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor), Center REPertory Company (Sweat, Enchanted April, Witness for the Prosecution), Woman’s Will (Much Ado About Nothing, Good Person of Szechuan).

CHRISTIAN WILBURN (An Emblem of Christmas, “Nick/Sam”), he/him, is a San Francisco based writer whose work blends the deeply personal and the fantastical. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Santa Clara University and holds an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Over the past three years Christian has been an active PlayGround member, frequently contributing to PlayGround programming. He’s been featured in Monday Night PlayGround, Best of PlayGround, and the PlayGround Playwright Residency Program.

ELENA WRIGHT (An Emblem of Christmas, “Evie/Faith”), she/they, is a Bay Area actor, teacher, and fight/intimacy choreographer, and PlayGround company member. Previous credits include The Language Archive, Frost/Nixon and Silent Sky at Theatreworks, Shakespeare’s Will, Much Ado About Nothing, Three Musketeers, Othello (BATCC award best actress), 12th Night, As You Like It, and Richard III (Marin Shakespeare), Red Velvet (SF Playhouse), Betrayal, A Doll’s House, In the Next Room, and The Scene (Capital Stage), The Verona Project (California Shakespeare Theatre), Venus in Fur (Pacific Repertory), The Winter’s Tale (Seattle Shakespeare). She is an artistic associate with Marin Shakespeare and member of Actors Equity. MFA University of Washington BS Northeastern University.

DIRECTORS

LINDA AMAYO-HASSAN (Holiday Plans Detained), is a Native/Chicana actor, director, and playwright. She’s the Artistic Director of Theatre Cultura, a PlayGround Board Member, and a theatre professor at Chabot College. Linda directed La Perra Triste Llorand, The Negotiators and Acknowledgement for Monday Night PlayGround. Most recently, she directed To Catch a Grinch for PlayGround’s third annual “A Very Hitchcock Christmas.”

CIERA EIS (Grandma’s First Festivus), she/her, is a director and producer who is dedicated to seeding the theatrical landscape with risky new work that promotes the next generation of artists and activists in the field. She has worked at Berkeley Repertory, Magic Theatre, A.C.T., Thunder Bay Theatre, and Shotgun Players. Currently the Artistic Director of FaultLine Theater and the Interim Artistic Director of Custom Made Theatre Co. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz and was an SDCF Observer Class 2019-2021. www.cieraeis.com.

NORMAN GEE (An Emblem of Christmas; Associate Producer), he/him, is Artistic Director of Oakland Public Theater (OPT) and is an Associate Producer with PlayGround-SF. Norman works with Bay Area companies including A.C.T., SF-Shakes, Word for Word, Lorraine Hansberry, TheatreWorks, Shotgun Players, CentralWorks, Oakland Theater Project, the San Jose Stage Company, and the SF Mime Troupe. Most recently Gee produced, directed & acted in OPT’s INVENTORY/James Baldwin Abroad, celebrating that writer’s centennial. Norman also just finished the film IN THE MIDST OF THEM, playing Pastor Blue.

JIM KLEINMANN (Twas the Launch Before Christmas; Artistic Director & Co-Founder), he/him, co-founded PlayGround in 1994, along with playwright Brighde Mullins and director Denise Shama, and has served as Artistic Director since 1996. For PlayGround, he has provided artistic and administrative leadership for the past twenty-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.

JEUNEE SIMON (Grammie’s Ambrosia), she/her, is an actor, director, and intimacy coordinator. Recent acting credits include: Intimate Apparel (Lorraine Hansberry Theatre), Stoop Stories (Aurora Theatre Company), La Ronde (Cutting Ball Theater), Men On Boats u/s (American Conservatory Theater), It Can’t Happen Here u/s (Berkeley Repertory Theatre) among others. Simon is a proud recipient of the 2017 RHE Artistic Fellowship and a 2019 Directing Apprentice with PlayGround. www.jeuneesimon.com

EMILIE TALBOT (No More Salt Needed), she/they, is a Bay Area-based actor, director, and teacher. She is a longtime PlayGround company member as both an actor and director, serves on the PlayGround Board, and teaches in the Schools of Entertainment at AAU. She has appeared on stages across the country from Boston to La Jolla, Oregon to Dallas, including stints at numerous Bay Area theatres. Film and television work include 13 Reasons Why, Sonder, and Starting Over plus a whole slew of commercials, industrials, radio dramas, and video games. Later this month she will begin filming on Little Mother Lies with Friday Morning Films. www.emilietalbot.com

PRODUCTION

LIAM KIRK (Stage Manager), he/him, is PlayGround’s Resident Stage Manager.

KATJA RIVERA (Associate Producer), she/her, is a theater artist/massage therapist/Abuela, who originally hails from Los Angeles. She’s a Shotgun Players Company member and an associate producer for PlayGround-SF. Recent shows: Yerma (Shotgun), La Vida Lobo (Theater Cultura), and References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, (Custom Made Theatre). Special thanks to Angela Wall for the French pronunciations.

PLAYGROUND, founded in 1994 by Jim Kleinmann, Brighde Mullins and Denise Shama, has grown into one of this nation’s leading playwright incubators and theatre community hubs, with a core commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, helping to uplift and center artists from historically underrepresented communities. Over three decades, PlayGround has supported more than 300 early-career playwrights, developing and staging over 1,500 of their original short plays through PlayGround’s signature programs, Monday Night PlayGround and the PlayGround Festival of New Works. PlayGround has also commissioned 100 new full-length plays by 60 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and has directly facilitated the premiere of 36 of those works through its innovative New Play Production Fund. Over the past 29 years, PlayGround has developed a unique model for identifying and nurturing some of this country’s best new writers, while helping them to build a significant body of original work and lasting connections with the artistic collaborators they need to know to ensure their success. PlayGround expanded to Los Angeles in 2012, to NYC in 2021, and to Chicago in 2022.

In 2015, PlayGround signed a long-term lease to operate the former Thick House Theater (San Francisco), where PlayGround has produced its festival since 2008. Following a successful $300,000 renovation, PlayGround reopened the theatre in February 2017 as Potrero Stage: PlayGround Center for New Plays. In addition to supporting PlayGround’s expanding new play programs (including the PlayGround Solo Performance Festival launched in 2018, as well as Free-Play Festival and “Twisted” Holiday Show, both launched in 2022), the theatre serves as home for some of the Bay Area’s leading new play developers and producers. In 2019, PlayGround launched the Innovator Incubator, fostering theatrical innovation and next generation innovative theatre companies. The program culminates in the annual Innovators Showcase, which takes place each November, featuring over half-a-dozen new works, from developmental readings to full premieres, by the year’s Innovator Incubator cohort. PlayGround has fostered 13 new companies through this program.

Following the closure of theaters due to the pandemic in 2020, PlayGround was one of the first theatres in the country to shift all of its programming online, with the launch of the PlayGround Zoom Fest and a unique partnership with the performers union, SAG-AFTRA. With the return of in-person performance, PlayGround recommitted to radical accessibility with admission-free programming and online simulcast and on-demand streaming of all performances.

PlayGround’s alumni have gone on to win local, national, and international honors for their short and full-length work, including recognition at the Steinberg Awards, Glickman Awards (including 6 of the last 10), Humana Festival, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, 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.

In addition to its company of playwrights, PlayGround maintains a company of leading local directors, actors, designers and technicians whose work is regularly seen on the top professional stages in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and at regional theatres across the country. PlayGround has actively positioned itself as a hub, bringing together hundreds of individuals and organizations representing the best in local theatre. For more information about PlayGround, visit https://playground-sf.org.

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.

Coming Soon!

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 December 1, 2023 & December 16, 2024.

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS

Alameda County Arts Commission • Amazon • American Rescue Plan Act & CARES Act • Art Space Development Corporation • Avenue Greenlight • Berkeley Civic Arts • The Bernard Osher Foundation • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Arts Council • California Humanities • California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program • Creative Capacity Fund • Disney • 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 • NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Planet Earth Arts • Rock Paper Scissors Landscape Inc. • Rye Financial Services • San Francisco Arts Commission • The Shubert Foundation • The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Paul Haahr, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)

Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, Daniel E. Cohn & Lynn Brinton, John H. Gilman, Nitin, Anonymous (2)

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Randy Adams, Meriko Borogove, Jediah Craig, David Goldman, Keith Goldstein & Donna N. Warrington, Regina S. Guggenheim, Just Play Productions, Linda Kremer, Ronald Whittier Family Foundation, Daniele Nathanson , Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, John J. Ruskin, Tom Swift, Malachy Walsh, Janine Wilburn, Anonymous

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Phoenix Theatre SF, Jim Brayton & Debbie Marr, Mr. Richard Davis – Lowell, Hillary DeMartino, Paulette Donsavage & Deeje Cooley, Kate Hecht, Diane Leonard, Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb, Dr. Gary W. London, Molly Noble and Bob Guilbault, Diane Sampson, Marian Scheuer Sofaer & Abraham D. Sofaer

PATRON ($250-$499)

Nina Ball & Jon Tracy, Ruben & Keli Grijalva, Brandy T Jones, Jonathan Luskin, Dolores Martinez, Rebecca Martinez, Christopher Reber, Chris and Cindy Redburn, Christian Wilburn, Anonymous (5)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Naomi & Sam Abramovitz, Mary E. Baird, Ms. Portia F. Bock, Cass Brayton, Sheila Collins, Joyce Dieda, Clint Fleener, Michael Fried, Patience Haggin, Gina Harris, Ms. Sharlene Hartman, Mr. Stanley William Hathaway, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Tanuja Devi Jagernauth, Abbe S. Kalos & Kitt Saginor, Gregg Le Blanc, Pam MacKinnon, Paris McCarthy, Kimberly Ridgeway, Ms. Jessica Rofé, Margo Rofé, Carolina Rojas Moretti, Katie Ryan, Christine Sheppard, Stan Stone, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Susannah Wise & Scott Lebus, Anonymous

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.

PlayGround-SF Writers Pool 2024-25

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Tanika Baptiste, Daniel Baxter, Nico Bocalan, Robyn Brooks, Madeleine Butler, Melina Cohen-Bramwell, Jediah Craig, rob dario, Laura Domingo, Elizabeth Flanagan, Reed Flores, Antonio Greene, Garret Groenveld, KT Frances Hartline, Grace Hoffman, Everett Holland, Christine C. Hsu, Carl Johnson, Ruth Kirschner, Sarena Kuhn, Greg Lam, Jennifer Le Blanc, Kristy Lin Billuni, Daniel Martinez Jr., Richard Perez, Bridgette Portman, Kimberly Ridgeway, George Rose, Louel Señores, Alexis Standridge, Stan Stone, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Kaz Valtchev, Livian Yeh, Maury Zeff.

PlayGround Resident Playwrights

Michael Adams, Anthony Anello, Robyn Brooks, Bailey Jordan Garcia, Garret Groenveld, Juliet Kang Huneke, Karissa Murrell Myers, Lyra Nalan, Jacob Marx Rice, Kimberly Ridgeway, Louel Señores, Christian Wilburn.

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, 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 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
Katie Brown, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
Leon Jones, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
Zoe Lesser, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
Joey Reyes, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
Amal Mazen Salem, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
Sarah Showich, 2024-25 Producing Fellow
K’Zhane McGill, Box Office Mananager
Liam Kirk, Resident Stage Manager

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
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

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PlayGround
3286 Adeline St #9
Berkeley, CA 94703-2485