PlayGround presents Season 32

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND-SF

“Musical Parody”
December 1st, 2025 7pm PT
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.

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, Julie Berthold, Tim Bishop, Linda B Breaux-Smith, Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, John Brown, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Ben Cain, Sidney Glass & Eleanor Clement Glass, Joan Cleveland, Sheila Collins, Marilyn Berg Cooper, Logan Varas De Valdes, Betsy Dudak, Cathy Earnest, Ann Ehrmann, Krystyna Finlayson, Michael Tonjum & Jan Gilman, Hollis Greenwood, Elizabeth Groenewegen, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Brandy T Jones, Roxy Jones, Jacqueline Whittier Kubicka, Emily Kuroda, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Le Blanc, Alice Lehmann, Karen & Matt Levesque, Kristy Lin Billuni, Melinda Lopez, Linda G Marks, Dolores Martinez, Dr. Sheila McCormick, Yvonne McIntyre, Cynthia L Morishige, Dan Morley, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Annette Oliveira, Emily Brauer Rogers, George Rose, Jessica June Rowe, Michelle Ruscetta, John J. Ruskin, Miyoko Sakatani, Jennifer Schultz & Eric Rosenzweig, Mark Sherstinsky, Nancy W. Smith, Stan Stone, Cathy M Stonie, Mary Lou Torre, Kim Tram, Vicki Victoria, Dr. Eidell Wasserman, Bex White, Janine Wilburn, and Cindy Womack. Thank you! 

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

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!

Breaking the Circle
by Bridgette Dutta Portman
Directed by Jenna Stein-Corman
Assistant Directed by Lindsey Abbott
Giselle……………..Maryssa Wanlass
Zadie………Natalia Delgado

5-9
by Kimberly Ridgeway
Directed by Peter J. Kuo
Assistant Directed by River Bermudez Sanders
Violet…………Danielle Thys
Doralee……….Sakura Nakahara
Judy…………L Duarte
Warden……….Rebecca Pingree

A Blackbox of Our Own
by Justin P. Lopez
Directed by Norman Gee
Assistant Directed by Saffron Quinn
Morty…………..Louel Senores
Sadie……….Isabel Anne To
Sadette.……….Eiko Moon-Yamamoto

Lil Ole Orphan Annie
by Sophie Ruf
Directed by Tanika Baptiste
Assistant Directed by Lindsey Abbott
Old Orphan Annie………………..Rebecca Pingree
Daddy Warbucks…………………Wayne Wong
Grace.…………….Zoe Chien

Favorite Things
by Madeleine Butler
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Assistant Directed by River Bermudez Sanders
Maria…………………….Julie Kuwabara
Captain Von Trapp………………..Michael Barrett Austin
Mother Superior…………….Mary Baird

Schmicked
by Laura Domingo
Directed by Jeffrey Lo
Assistant Directed by Saffron Quinn
Blinda…………………..Karen Offereins
Elsaba.………..Jacinta Kaumbulu

Stage Manager – Khem Myrick

This performance is produced under agreement with SAG-AFTRA.

PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area, ART/New York, the League of Chicago Theatres and Theatre Communications Group.

Biographies

PLAYWRIGHTS

KIMBERLY RIDGEWAY (5-9), she/her, is an award winning Playwright, Actor, and Director. She is a Playground company member, is in the Actor’s Pool, Director’s Pool and is in her third year in the Writer’s Pool. Kimberly is a Brady Fellow Recipient, a Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Art Leadership Residency Grantee and the Artistic Associate at Altarena Playhouse. Kimberly is also the recipient of the 2024 June Anne Baker Prize. Her play Snowbound: A Holiday Tale, which she co-wrote with Writer’s Pool member Richard Perez, will have its World Premiere in December 2025 at Town Hall Theatre.

JUSTIN P. LOPEZ (A Blackbox of Our Own) is a San Francisco-based artist who is forever surprised and proud to be making a career out of pretending. His favorite roles include Mr. Karp (A Chorus Line), General Lamarque (Les Mis), Evita the dead Akita (Rent), and the titular character in Waiting for Godot.

LAURA DOMINGO (Schmicked), 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.

BRIDGETTE DUTTA PORTMAN (Breaking the Circle), she/her, is a playwright and novelist. More than two dozen of her plays have been produced locally, nationally, and internationally. She received the 2023 June Anne Baker Prize from PlayGround, and has been a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights’ Festival, the Theatre Bay Area TITAN award, the PlayPenn Conference, the New Dramatists playwrights’ residency, and more. She holds an MFA in creative writing (Spalding University, 2018) and teaches composition and dramatic writing at UC Berkeley’s College Writing Programs.

SOPHIE RUF (Lil Ole Orphan Annie), she/her, is an Oakland-based theater fanatic. She has performed or written for staged readings and mainstage productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area with the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, SF Eagle Players, Queer as Fuck (Bindlestiff Studio), Orinda Starlight Village Players, and Theatre Lunatico. She is currently a MAD Scenic Design Fellow at Shotgun Players, and the scenic designer for Plethos Productions upcoming show at Chanticleers Theater. By day she is an architect and origami enthusiast. Her favorite playwrights are Paula Vogel and Wendy Wasserstein.

MADELEINE BUTLER (Favorite Things), she/her, has had various plays staged for Monday Night PlayGround including A Beautiful Evening, The Story of Our Lives (People’s Choice Award), The River God (Best of PlayGround 2016), The Last Pirogue, Beshert, Stuck, and The Case of the Missing Messenger (Best of PlayGround 2025). Her short plays have also been staged by Playwright’s Center of San Francisco, FABUM (Washington, D.C.), Drama with Friends, and 3 Girls Theatre, including an episode of a collaborative serial radio drama. She regularly attended the Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive and studies playwriting on an ongoing basis with Anthony Clarvoe.

ACTORS

MICHAEL BARRETT AUSTIN (Favorite Things, “Captain Von Trapp.”), he/him, recent projects include ‘The Bridge’ (TheatreWorks), ‘Fallen Angels’ (The Aurora), ‘A Christmas Carol’ (Center Rep) and ‘Chinglish’ at SF Playhouse (SFBATCC nomination for principal performance). Favorite credits include ‘As You Like It’ (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), ‘The Elephant Man’ (Hillbarn), ‘Finks’ (TheatreWorks) and ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’ (Berkeley Rep). Michael toured America with The National Theatre for Children and Italy with Shakespeare at Stinson, and has appeared on television, film and in countless commercials. He is a member of PlayGround and ARC, alumnus of Just Theater and TheatreFirst, and is the proud husband of Emily and father to Lucy. www.michaelbarrettaustin.com @michaelbarrettaustin

MARY BAIRD (Favorite Things, “Mother Superior”), she/her, Thrilled to be back. Is an ARC company member seen in Outside The Box and soon Mr. Griddle’s Christmas. Worked in NYC, regionally and nationally. Locally seen in Fraulein Elsa, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla, Mc Carter and Long Wharf, India Ink, ACT and Hank Williams Center Rep to name a few.

ZOE CHIEN (Lil Ole Orphan Annie, “Grace”; Casting Director/Associate Producer), she/her, is an actor, casting director, and theater producer. She received her BFA in Theater from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Zoe is the Artistic Lead for 3Girls Theatre Company, and is the Casting Director and Associate Producer for PlayGround. She is a PlayGround company member, and a graduate of the 2023/24 Producing Fellowship. She feels lucky to be in this industry at 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. @thezoechien zoechien.com

NATALIA DELGADO (Breaking the Circle, “Zadie”), she/her/ella, was born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles, where she was constantly surrounded by creativity and innovation. Now based in Oakland, CA, she brings over a decade of theater experience and more than five years of on-screen work to her craft. Her deep-rooted passion for storytelling drives her to seek truth in every role she takes on. Whether on stage, on set, or behind the scenes, Natalia brings a commanding presence, genuine warmth, and an infectious spirit to every project. Her notable theater credits include Felicia in Dreaming in Cuban, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Blondie in Zoot Suit, and Camila in In the Heights, among many others. She has also appeared in numerous staged readings, short films, and theatrical productions in collaboration with several Bay Area theaters. Natalia’s independent film work includes roles in Birthday Boy, Dead in Love, and Twin Flame, further showcasing her versatility and commitment to authentic, emotionally resonant performances. @artistanatalia

L DUARTE (5-9, “Judy”), they/them, is an actor, teaching artist, playwright and director. Recent projects include: Citizen with Word for Word – Z Space, House of Desires with Those Women Productions, 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.
L is a founding member of Latinx Mafia, a Bay Area collective of Latinx Teatristas, working to ensure Latinx stories are valued and accurately represented. Find out more at latinxmafia.com. L is a graduate of UCLA, UCSC, and has trained with A.C.T. and Shakespeare & Co.

JACINTA KAUMBULU (Schmicked, “Elsaba”), she/her, is a Bay Area actress from Oakland CA. She has performed and worked with The Oakland Theater Project, Lorraine Hansberry Theater-Magic Theater, SF Playhouse, African American Shakes, Crowded fire, The Playwrights Foundation, PlayGround SF, The Lower Bottom Playaz, and others. She is thankful for every opportunity to grow and learn as an artist. Thankful to be able to share her work with the community. @spaciotemporal

JULIE KUWABARA (Favorite Things, “Maria”), she/her, is excited to be back with Playground. Sound of Music is a childhood favorite. Up next, is a not so nice XXXMas comedy sketch show with Granny Cart Gangstas at Bindlestiff Studio opening December 12th. @Jularie

EIKO MOON-YAMAMOTO (A Blackbox of Our Own, “Sadette”), she/they, is currently performing as Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods at San Francisco Playhouse. Other selected stage credits include the world premiere of Little Women at TheatreWorks; Follies and Clue at San Francisco Playhouse; Cymbeline at San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Steel Magnolias at SierraRep; and Pacific Overtures at Kunoichi Productions. Film: The Truer History of the Chan Family. Eiko is a company member of PlayGround and an Artistic Associate of Rainbow Zebra Productions. Graduate of UCLA and member of SAG-AFTRA www.eikoyamamoto.com | @eikoyh.

SAKURA NAKAHARA (5-9, “Doralee”), she/her, is a San Francisco Bay Area based actor, voice actor, improviser, and teaching artist. Recent performances include Aya in “Apertures of Love in Times of War” (PlayGround Festival of New Works), Emmy Lou in ‘The Confession of Lily Dare’ (New Conservatory Theatre Center), Sugar in ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ (Plethos Productions), Frances in ‘Melancholy Play’, (Theater Lunatico), and Eurydice, Lucina, et al. in ‘Metamorphoses’ (The Pear Theatre) and many more. Sakura also performs as a voice actor, notably portraying the role of Parker in the Student BAFTA-nominated virtual reality mystery game, ‘Penrose Station’. @cheeryblissoms

KAREN OFFEREINS (Schmicked, “Blinda”), she/her, is a company member of PlayGround and was last seen on stage in Quicksand Club Sketch Comedy. Recent credits include EVOLUTION (Ferocious Lotus, where she is also a company member), How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (Custom Made Theatre Company), Elevada (Shotgun Players), and Two Mile Hollow (Ferocious Lotus). Past credits include Phèdre (Cutting Ball Theater), The Potrero Nuevo Project (PlayGround), The Rules (SF Playhouse), The Mousetrap, Top Girls, and Our Town (Shotgun Players), The Pain and the Itch (Custom Made Theatre Company), and Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Big Funk, and No Exit (AtmosTheatre).

REBECCA PINGREE (Lil Ole Orphan Annie, “Old Orphan Annie”), she/her, is delighted to return, having been a member of PlayGround’s Acting Company for over a decade. Most recently she played Adira in Exodus to Eden at OTP, Bridget Potter in the original cast of The Kilbanes’ The Code with ACT YC, and The Baker’s Wife in Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Berkeley Playhouse. She holds an MFA in Collaborative Theatremaking from Rose Bruford in London and co-founded Analog Theatre (analogtheatre.org) a member of PlayGround’s IN2 cohort.

LOUEL SENORES (A Blackbox of Our Own, “Morty”), he/him, is 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). He hasn’t SM’d for a bit, except for Shotgun’s Champagne Staged Reading Series, in which he SM’d Yellow Face and The Motion. Recent playwriting work includes Better Unkept (part of Best of PlayGround-SF ’24) which he hopes to make a full-length by 2026! He’s also a proud company member of Berkeley Interactive Theater and PlayGround-SF, and a member of Shotgun’s EDIB Committee.
LouelSenores.com

DANIELLE THYS (5-9, “Violet”), she/her, is an actor, writer, and producer, and an original member of PlayGround. Her work spans regional theatre, film, and solo performance and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her short film Open House won Best Comedy in the National Film Challenge. Danielle is currently developing a new solo show while continuing her work at a certified simulation healthcare educator, using dramatic improv to educate all levels of learners at Stanford Medical School

ISABEL ANNE TO (A Blackbox of Our Own, “Sadie“), she/her is an actor, singer, and PlayGround company member based in the SF Bay Area. She’s been thrilled to perform regularly at Monday Night PlayGround, in addition to PlayGround SF festival productions (The Passing Storm, Starlight, and Funny, Like an Abortion). Other selected credits: Tea Party (One Of Our Own Theater), The Jersey Devil Play (Awesome Theatre), and Avenue Q (New Conservatory Theatre Center). Isabel has also collaborated on to-be-released film projects with Liam Kirk and Èlement Magique. Offstage, she enjoys cross-stitching and traveling. www.isabelanneto.com

MARYSSA WANLASS (Breaking the Circle, “Giselle“), she/they, is a PlayGround company member and local actor, director, and educator. Acting credits include SF Shakes (Much Ado, Pericles, As You Like It, Hamlet, and Winter’s Tale), CalShakes (As You Like It), San Jose Stage (Persuasion), SPARC (As You Like It, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor), Center REPertory Company (Sweat, Enchanted April, Witness for the Prosecution), Woman’s Will (Much Ado, Good Person of Szechuan). She has directed professionally for SF Shakes, Utopia Theatre Project, PlayGroundSF, Shotz, and Advice to the Players. They also teach improv to California’s incarcerated population with Red Ladder, and created a storytelling program for unhoused community members with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.

WAYNE WONG (Lil Ole Orphan Annie, “Daddy Warbucks”), he/him, believes in love, laughter, and PlayGround-SF.

DIRECTORS

TANIKA BAPTISTE (Lil Ole Orphan Annie; Executive Producer), she/they, is an actor, director, and theatre artist recognized for her powerful stage presence and versatility. A proud AEA and SDC member, she has performed with acclaimed companies including San Francisco Playhouse, Magic Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, and Berkeley Playhouse. Known for dynamic performances in *Waitress the Musical*, *Sister Act*, *Nollywood Dreams*, and *Dreamgirls*, Tanika brings depth, humor, and authenticity to every role. A UC Davis graduate with a B.A. in African and African American Studies, she has also trained extensively in Shakespeare, voice, and dance, continuing to shape stories that celebrate Black artistry and resilience.

NORMAN GEE (A Blackbox of Our Own), he/him, is the Artistic Director of Oakland Public Theater (OPT), and Associate Producer with PlayGround-SF where he regularly directs. Norman also acts with companies including A.C.T., SF-Shakes, San Jose Stage, Livermore Shakes /SPARC & SF Mime Troupe. Last year Gee produced OPT’s INVENTORY/James Baldwin Abroad, celebrating Baldwin’s centennial, a final project with recently deceased playwright Richard Talavera. There is a memorial honoring Richard at the Mission Cultural Center in SF on Oct.26. November Norman performs in My Obsession with HamletMachine at Dance Mission, and possibly a new work with Word For Word at ZSpace-SF in Spring 2026.

JIM KLEINMANN (Favorite Things; 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.

PETER J. KUO (5-9), he/him, is a theatre director, producer, writer, and educator focusing on raising the visibility of marginalized communities. Currently, he is the Director of the Conservatory at American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). Named as one of TCG’s Rising Leaders of Color in the Round 3 cohort, he is also a co-founder of Artists at Play, an Asian American theatre collective that produces Los Angeles premieres. He holds an M.F.A. in directing from The New School, College of Performing Arts, School of Drama. @peterjkuo

JEFFREY LO (Schmicked), he/him, is a Filipino-American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the 2014 Leigh Weimers Emerging Arist Award, the 2012 Emerging Artist Laureate by Arts Council Silicon Valley and Theatre Bay Area Director’s TITAN Award. His plays have been produced and workshopped at The BindleStiff Studio, City Lights Theatre Company and Custom Made Theatre Company. His play Writing Fragments Home was a finalist for the Bay Area Playwright’s Conference and a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Playwright’s Conference. Recent directing credits include The Language Archive and The Santaland Diaries at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Vietgone at Capital Stage, Peter and the Starcatcher at Hillbarn Theatre, The Grapes of Wrath, The Crucible and Yellow Face at Los Altos Stage Company, Uncle Vanya at the Pear Theatre (BATCC award for Best Production), Eurydice at Palo Alto Players (TBA Awards finalist for Best Direction) and The Drunken City at Renegade Theatre Experiment.

JENNA STEIN-CORMAN (Breaking the Circle), she/her, is a theatre artist who works with schools and theaters across the Bay Area as an educator, stage manager, and director. She has worked for the SF Mime Troupe, The Berkeley Playhouse, Musical Theatre Works, Town Hall Theatre, and Golden Thread Productions, to name a few. She particularly enjoys directing shows with themes of social justice. This is her third year with PlayGround-SF, and she is grateful to be a member of the PlayGround community.

PRODUCTION

K’ZHANE MCGILL (Box Office Manger), she/her, recently graduated from San Francisco State University in the spring, where previous credits include Eurydice, Everybody, and Stupid F**king Bird.

KHEM MYRICK (Stage Manager).

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 October 1, 2024 & October 17, 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 • Fleishhacker Foundation • 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 • SF Shines • The Shubert Foundation

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Emilie & Gordon Brooks, Dan Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Keith Goldstein & Donna Warrington, Regina Guggenheim, Jim Kleinmann & Lara Gilman, Craig Moody

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)

Randy Adams, John Gilman, Kathryn Hecht, Nitin, Jessica June Rowe, Darryl Wilburn, Christian Wilburn, Anonymous

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Jahnavi Alyssa, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Meriko Borogove, Anne & Kevin Brady, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Sheila Collins, Jediah Craig, Elizabeth Dudak, David Goldman, Greg Gorel, Jonathan Josephson, Linda Kremer, Tobi Marcus, Rebecca Martinez, Molly Noble, Berlanti Family Foundation, Kendall Phillips, Doug Peckler & Evelyn Jean Pine, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, Kathryn Ryan, Miyoko Sakatani, Diane Sampson, Kurt Taylor, William & Sharon Thompson, Jeffrey Trescott, Hechale Productions, Anonymous

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Tanvi Agrawal, Jim Brayton, Ben Cain, Lydia R. Diamond, Philip Gotanda, Toby Inoue, Jacqueline Kubicka, Bram McGinnis, Jenny Rand, Kitt Saginor, Anonymous, Janine Wilburn

Maury Zeff

PATRON ($250-$499)

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Ruth Brayton, Mara Gaudette, Matt Schwartz & Karen Levesque, Alex Loddengaard, Gary London, Alan Maass, Pam Mackinnon, Anonymous, Cindy Redburn, George Rose, Jerome Solberg, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Mia Taylor, Robin Wimsatt

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Sharon Baldwin, Marilyn Cooper, Clint Fleener, Wilmina Jensen, Abbe Kalos, Abbe Kalos, Ellen Loebl, Mark Peters, Abigail Rosen, Anonymous, Stephen & Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, Bex White, Susannah Wise

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 2025-26

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

PlayGround Resident Playwrights

San Francisco: Monique Adams, Madeleine Butler*, Laura Domingo**, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Daniel Martinez Jr., Christian Wilburn; Los Angeles: Summer Broyhill, Amy Ellenberger, Paris Herbert-Taylor, Jonathan Josephson, Mercedes Segesvary, Baylee Shlichtman*; New York: Saiya Floyd, Howard Ho, Dana Leslie Goldstein, Wade Lawrence Hollomon, Lyra Nalan, Camron Wright*; Chicago: Anne Brady*, Jessie Bond, alfonzo kahlil, Juliet Kang Huneke, Karissa Murrell Myers, Katherine Swan.

* Playwrights under commission for the 2025-26 season
** June Anne Baker Award Winner

PlayGround Company

Molly Aaronson-Gelb, Angel Adedokun, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Liz Anderson, Rinabeth Apostol, Michael Asberry, Michael Barrett Austin, Mary Baird, April Ballesteros, Tanika Baptiste, Aldo Billingslea, Julia Brothers, Nicole Apostol Bruno, Lizzie Calogero, Ron Campbell, Nancy, Carlin, Joy Carlin, Ben Chau-Chiu, Zoe Chien, Tessa Corrie, David Cramer, Will Dao, Anne Darragh, Roshni Datta, Natalia Delgado, Dodds Delzell, Livia Gomes Demarchi, Carolyn Doyle, Leticia Duarte, Nora el Samahy, Rebecca Ennals, Britney Frazier, Michael French, Claire, Ganem, Norman Gee, Douglas B. Giorgis, Linda Giron, Amy Glazer, Leon Goertzen, Cindy Goldfield, BW Gonzalez, GG Grilli, Rudy Guerrero, Karina Gutierrez, Rosie Hallett, Katherine Hamilton, Matthew Hanjoong, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Brian Herndon, Champagne Hughes, J Jha, Christian, Jimenez, Colin Johnson, Jacinta Kaumbulu, Emily Keyishian, Jennifer King, Tessa Koning-Martinez, Randy Lee, Danielle Levin, Amy Lizardo, Jeffrey Lo, Gwen Loeb, Charisse Loriaux, George Maguire, Melanie Marshall, Alicia Mason, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Julia McNeal, Sam Misner, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto, Brady Morales-Woolery, Carolina Morones, Lisa Morse, Khary L. Moye, Sakura Nakahara, Molly Noble, Karen Offereins, Annette Oliveira, Soren Oliver, Ely Orquiza, Tony Ortega, Doyle Ott, June Palladino, Carla Pantoja, Louis Parnell, Jed Parsario, Michael, Phillis, Krystle Piamonte, Rebecca Pingree, Stephanie Prentice, Ezra Reaves, Ginny 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 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, Director of Development 
Jonathan Josephson, Director of Marketing & Communications 
Stephanie Prentice, Education Coordinator
Tanika Baptiste, MNP Executive Producer 
Norman Gee, MNP Associate Producer 
Katja Rivera, MNP Associate Producer 
Zoe Chien, MNP Associate Producer & Casting Director 
Brittany Mellerson, Resident Designer & Technical Director 
K’Zhane McGill, Box Office Manager 
Donna Fondjo, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Jordan Don, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Juliana Morgado Brito, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Devin Cunningham, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 

PlayGround Ambassadors

Julia Brothers, Jordan Carlson, Ben Chau-Chiu , Julia Crowley, Sheri Flanders, Claire Ganem, Eric Geller, Monica Ho, Tony Kim, Christine Liao, AJ Lily, Ely Sonny Orquiza, Andrew Perez, Ivan Rivas, Miyoko Sakatani, Braedyn Youngberg

PlayGround Equity Workgroup

Diana Burbano, Victoria Evans Erville, Norman Gee, Jim Kleinmann, Brittany Mellerson, Tiana Randall-Quant, Katja Rivera, M. Graham Smith.

PlayGround Board

Stephanie Prentice, Chair 
James A. Kleinmann, President 
Christian Wilburn, Vice President
Nitin, Treasurer
Ben Cain, Secretary
Regina Guggenheim, Chair Emeritus
Tanvi Agrawal
Linda Amayo-Hassan
Julia Brothers
Howard Ho
Alex Kingsley
Rebecca Martinez
Kendall Phillips
Jessica June Rowe

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
https://facebook.com/PlayGroundsf
https://instagram.com/playgroundsftheatre
www.playground-sf.org

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