PlayGround’s 10th annual Solo Performance Festival: Jan 15-Feb 7

PlayGround has announced the lineup for its tenth annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, a curation of the best in solo performance, running January 15-February 7, 2027 (Thurs-Mon), presented live at San Francisco’s Potrero Stage and simulcast online. The festival of new solo work features 20 solo performers and 60 performances, including work by James Christy, Kristen Cosby, Tina D’Elia, Marissa Fennell, Patti Gassaway, Jon Gentry, Neil Harkins, Irma Herrera, International Sex Club Party Girl, Nehanda Julot, Kirk McGee, Fenner Merlick, Andrea Mezvinsky, Kendall Phillips, Suzanne Pullen, Kunal Prasad, Novalynn Stone, Stewart Alden Tabler, Erin-Kate Whitcomb, and Sydney Yu.

This year’s festival was competitively selected from open applications, and is a direct extension of PlayGround’s mission and commitment to the discovery of bold new voices for the stage and the development of innovative and timely original content. Tickets are Admission-Free (Suggested Donation: $10-$30). All donations directly support PlayGround and our guest artists. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit playground-sf.org/solofest.

Schedule of Performances and Show Synopses:

A Woman in Reverse written and performed by Andrea Mezvinsky
Fri, Jan 29 at 8:30pm; Sat, Jan 30 at 4pm; Sun, Jan 31 at 2:30pm

A Woman in Reverse is a darkly comic solo play about a divorced actress who moves in to care for her aging mother—and watches her own life disappear one breakfast tray at a time. Andrea Mezvinsky plays three generations of women: the exhausted, increasingly unfiltered Daughter; her imperious, razor-sharp Mother; and her flamboyant, larger-than-life Grandmother. As the women collide across generations, old family patterns emerge—along with uncomfortable questions about what daughters owe their mothers, what women sacrifice to care for everyone else, and how easily a woman can vanish inside the roles she is expected to play.The performance combines dark comedy, theatrical storytelling, character work, physical comedy, and dramatic monologue, with Andrea transforming vocally and physically among all three women.

All My Dads Were Gay written and performed by Jon Gentry, directed by Shinelle Azoroh
Fri Feb 5 at 7pm; Sat, Feb 6 at 5:30pm; Sun Feb 7, 2:30pm

A tribute to Jon Gentry’s godfather and sequel to Black Bastard, All My Dads Were Gay is a baptism by fire—a millennial retelling of The Prodigal Son meets The Wizard of Oz. As a Black queer youth leaving the American South, Jon emerges into early adulthood across Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Navigating public perception against private desire, he confronts the lies he tells himself and others to maintain a mask of masculinity. As he struggles to control the narrative, he risks losing himself inside a web of deceit and facing the “freak” within. 

Peer into the paradox of finding freedom in digital spaces while simultaneously feeling more trapped by their algorithmic expectations. Humor, heart, and a touch of horror course through the veins of this solo performance piece blending spoken and recorded text, stylized movement, musical interludes, and audience engagement to answer the question, ¿Do u know Y UR here? 

The Break-Up! A Latina Queer Torch Song written and performed by Tina D’Elia, directed by Mary Guzmán, dramaturgy by David Ford
Sat Jan 16 at 8:30pm; Sun, Jan 24 at 8pm; Sun Jan 31 at 8:30pm

The Break Up Show! is a multi-character solo show comedy break up show. Trina Maria, miserable in Heartbreak-ville after she loses the Movie Butch of her dreams, stumbles into a mystical queer misfits “break-up” support group.

Dorothy Samsonite SAVES the WORLD written and performed by Fenner Merlick
Sun, Jan 31 at 7pm; Sat, Feb 6 at 7pm; Sun, Feb 7 at 5:30pm

Dorothy Samsonite is becoming an artist! 

She may be on her way to the bunker to live out the chaos in stockpiled luxury, but not without one last experiment in the magic of the theater, the allure of healing through art, being in community, and having ‘enough’ Dorothy brings her big bust and devilishly disconnected worldview to the stage to try and give a little before it all goes away. She is armed with a ukulele, her sweet voice and diamond shoes. Will it be enough to save anyone besides herself? 

Music, clown, satire, bouffon, and something you can’t just buy, makes this insightful and rich show from multi-genre artist Fenner truly unique.

FIVE DOORS: Drama, Doubt and Democracy, written and performed by Erin-Kate Whitcomb, directed by Francine Torres
Fri, Jan 29 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 30 at 2:30pm; Sun, Jan 31 at 4pm

Delve into the fascinating world of American politics through the eyes of five unique women. Experience their captivating stories, as they reveal intimate details of their lives and the experiences that shape their political beliefs. This captivating performance offers a rare glimpse into the moderate heart of America, often overshadowed by the radical fringes. Be prepared to laugh, reflect and question, as our writer/talented performer Erin-Kate Whitcomb impeccably brings these unique characters to life, demonstrating the diversity of whiteness itself, and challenging us to reconsider common stereotypes we hold of American voters today. This riveting show offers a refreshing perspective on the political landscape, promising an evening of entertainment, humor and thought-provoking dialogue.

Forgive Me, Angelina written by Arabella DeLucco, performed by Cameron Wise, directed by Kendall Phillips
Fri, Jan 15 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 16 at 4pm; Sun, Jan 17 at 4pm

In the early morning of September 11, 2001, a fashion design student prepares an outfit for her older stepsister to wear to a New York Fashion Week show later that day. The sisters share the same first name, and nothing else: one is a White artist, and the other is a Filipina investment banker. The artist recounts to us her relationship through times of closeness and estrangement. She tells the audience her stepfather sexually abused her when she was 11 years old, but her mother and stepsister did not believe her. This caused her to move to San Francisco to live with her uncle, the only person who believed her. While telling her story, a call interrupts her. She’s told that a plane just hit the World Trade Center, where her stepsister works. The world transforms into immediate tragedy and magical realism as the artist walks the streets of Manhattan to try to find her sister. Told through letters, voicemails, and unreliable narration, this memory play explores accepting accountability for others’ actions and the act of forgiveness as an unfair yet necessary practice for survival and love. 

GRINDR, GLITTR, AND GRIEF a one guy dance-campout show written and performed by Kunal Prasad, directed by Lana Richards
Sun, Jan 17 at 7pm; Mon, Jan 25 at 8:30pm; Sat, Feb 6 at 4pm

A queer dance party about grief.

A park ranger arrives at a queer campout that’s rained out. The field’s a river and everyone’s going home. But he’s already bought the glitter, so he throws the party anyway, for whoever’s in the room. Under the mirror ball, we hear poems about a man’s sex life, his mother’s death, and his father’s blood pressure pills.

“Shine like the sun, and cherish your light.

Bask in your warmth: illuminate the night!”

Partial nudity. Total sincerity.

The Honorable Herbert Peabody, written and performed by Kirk McGee, directed by Corey Atkins
Fri, Jan 22 at 8:30pm; Sat, Jan 23 at 5:30pm; Sun, Jan 24 at 2:30pm

The Honorable Herbert Peabody is a captivating solo show that blends physical comedy, insightful satire, and a heartfelt story set during the opening day of The Honorable Herbert Peabody Library and Legacy Center. A well-intentioned tour guide named Joe faces an increasingly disgruntled tour group while trying to juggle a Senator’s lofty legacy with his recently revealed litany of sex scandals. As the tour unfolds, Joe gains a new insight into his own actions and must decide whether to stand idly by or finally stand on the right side of history. It’s Ted Lasso meets What the Constitution Means to Me.

I Didn’t Manifest This written and performed by International Sex Club Party Girl, directed by David Ford
Sat, Jan 30 at 5:30pm; Thurs, Feb 4 at 8:30pm; Sun, Feb 7 at 8:30pm

A middle-aged woman decides to prove she’s enough by doing less to find love. When the universe responds by offering a compelling Tinder match, international travel, and sex clubs, the woman perceives it as an opportunity to practice setting boundaries. She says yes to the compelling Tinder Match and no to the sex clubs and international travel. She expects the universe to reward her for exerting minimum effort to secure anyone’s attention and adoration. The universe has other ideas. I Didn’t Manifest This is the story of how she becomes an International Sex Club Party Girl anyway.

I THINK NOT written and performed by Jim Christy
Sat, Jan 23 at 2:30pm; Sun, Jan 24 at 4pm; Mon, Jan 25 at 7pm

Spend an evening eavesdropping on one man’s ongoing conversation with his inner monologue. In I Think Not, playwright and performer Jim Christy confronts the voice in his head that works against him in every phase of his life: during professional presentations, at stadium urinals, in fights with his wife, etc. I Think Not shows how men’s battles with their inner monologues have inspired content creators from John Hughes to Moses. (The Testament might be Old, but the laughs are fresh.)  Along the way, Jim asks the big questions: Why do you love your dog more than the people in your life? Is it appropriate to serve alcohol at an intervention? What’s the best happy birthday greeting for a dead friend on Facebook? There will be no answers, character arcs, or personal growth.

The ICEmen Cometh written and performed by Irma Herrera, directed by Rebecca Fisher, developed with David Ford
Thurs, Jan 28 at 7pm; Mon, Feb 1 at 8:30pm; Sun Feb 7 at 4pm

In The ICEmen Cometh, Irma Herrera’s characters wonder what it means to be a patriot as they confront xenophobia, racism, and nationalism. Through personal stories, history, and social commentary, she explores how fear is used to dehumanize immigrants and people of color. As ICE terrorizes our communities, no one is safe. Your rights are next.

“Is This About Abortion?” Or Why I Keep Telling My Stillbirth Story written and performed by Suzanne Pullen
Sun, Jan 17 at 8:30pm; Thurs, Jan 21 at 8:30pm; Thurs, Jan 28 at 8:30pm

This solo one act autobiographical play weaves a series of vignettes from the playwright’s past unplanned pregnancy and unexpected stillbirth, with her reproductive justice advocacy at street-side memorials, in the halls of Congress, and among Christian families. The play is set against a backdrop of legislative threats to abortion, its eventual banning in 14 states when Roe was overturned, and the increasing threats to all pregnant people as a national abortion ban looms. In the polarizing landscape of abortion and the silence around stillbirth and pregnancy loss, how do we honor those who mourn and also uphold the right of a person to end their pregnancy? 

It’s All A Joke written and performed by Marissa Fennell, directed by Andrew Ceglio, with producer David Hardy
Sat, Jan 30 at 7pm; Sun, Jan 31 at 5:30pm; Mon, Feb 1 at 7pm

It’s All A Joke is a comedy about a stand up comedian trying to survive the apocalypse. After her stand up show in Los Angeles, a comedian is thrown into a world apocalypse where she must figure out how to survive. She embarks on a life threatening comedic journey trying to get to her parents home in Montana in hopes they are still alive. Along the way she is rescued by doomsday preppers, learns to tie knots, sucks gas from a car, and tries to find her place in this new world where creatives are no longer needed. Throughout her journey she copes with her changing circumstances by creating different comedic personas and writing jokes that she improvises on the spot while imagining herself at an open mic trying out new material. Even during this devastating experience she realizes that if you look hard enough, there’s funny in everything. Because when the world ends, do we stop creating? No. We just pretend to talk to a fake audience.

The Last Leaf written and performed by Sydney (Jiani) Yu, with producer Samantha (Sihan) Yang
Fri, Jan 22 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 23 at 7pm; Sun, Jan 24 at 5:30pm

What does love mean to you? How do you express it? Can you move forward while still longing to stay within the memories? The Last Leaf is Sydney Yu’s autobiographical journey through her grandfather’s illness and the family she left behind. Born in Sydney, raised in Beijing, and now living in the U.S., Sydney often reflects on how she ended up here. It begins in a dreamlike world of childhood and fantastical love. Then reality breaks through, and what’s left is the truth she never quite said out loud. This story is for anyone who has loved someone implicitly, grieved someone quietly, or wondered what home and love actually mean. This piece is dedicated to her grandfather and to her family.

Nova Magika written and performed by Novalynn Stone
Sat, Jan 23 at 8:30pm; Sat, Feb 6 at 8:30pm; Sun, Feb 7 at 7pm

Nova Magika is a solo piece about theater tech, what it means to be a performer, trauma, gender, existing as a trans person, and teaching people how working on a show works. The show draws back the curtain on the arcane art of theater tech by going over the inner workings of Potrero stage, showing how lights are programmed and all of the inventive ways that they can be used. The show is primarily a presentation of the space and what can happen when you open your imaginations to what is possible within it. Nova Magika deals with the pain of growing up not fully being oneself and all of the issues that can arise from repressing one’s true self and how damaging that is to yourself and those around you. It seeks to give the audience insight into things that are often ignored or dismissed and get them to think more critically about the theater. If any of those things interest you then you are the perfect audience member for this night of wonderment!

The Runaround: The Journey of Abel the Amish Misfit written and performed by Stewart Alden Tabler, directed by Ciara Renée
Thurs, Feb 4 at 7pm; Fri, Feb 5 at 8:30pm; Sat, Feb 6 at 2:30pm

What happens when someone who was never supposed to be online, logs on? Abel begins secretly sharing life as an Amish kid. As the following grows, so do the consequences. When violence and misunderstanding of the English world brings the community to its knees, Abels’ search for belonging leads beyond the limits of home. Shunned and outcast, Abel’s only choice left is to run. An original solo electronic musical about identity, forgiveness and finding where you belong.

Secrets – Abbreviated written and performed by Patti Gassaway, music by Emily Bond
Sat, Jan 16 at 2:30pm; Mon, Jan 18 at 8:30pm; Sat, Jan 23 at 4pm

Storytelling preceded and interspersed with original music by composer Emily Bond. Four children, their mother and father, growing and maturing through the 1990s. Focus is on the eldest son rebelling, and the parents’ different disciplinary styles, culminating in a family therapy session. Funny, sad, and tender details reveal the nature of each family member through life events including school, Christmas, and dreams. This is Act 2 of a two-act play titled Secrets.

All My Drownings written and performed by Kristen Cosby
Sun, Jan 17 at 5:30pm; Thurs, Jan 21 at 7pm; Sat, Jan 30 at 8:30pm

At once intimate and unsentimental, All My Drownings, is a clear-eyed meditation on kinship, vulnerability, and the radical act of rising. Kristen Cosby presents this work which chronicles the intense bond between two siblings aboard their father’s sailboat where they are physically tethered together. Their bodies and lives diverge as they grow. When one sibling suffers a paralyzing accident, the other begins a complex journey of grief, hope, and movement in order to embrace the fragile beauty of living bodies. A story of love, survival, and the miraculous ways connection can endure through tragedy.

Wealth I Am Money Stories (Part I: The American Dream. Or Yours.) written and performed by Nehanda Julot
Fri, Jan 15 at 8:30pm; Sat, Jan 16 at 5:30pm; Sun, Jan 17 at 2:30pm

Financial challenges: How are you handling them? Financial breakthroughs: How did you achieve them? Sit back, relax and eavesdrop on real, juicy stories about money from people like you (or absolutely not like you). You’ll learn a thing or two from whatever mountains these folks have climbed without ever having to climb that mountain yourself. This show stems from interviews with my community members about their financial learning lessons. The show format includes 6 monologues and 3 spoken work pieces. Each piece is a different character that spans across race and gender.

Year of the Cat written and performed by Neil Harkins
Sat, Jan 16 at 7pm; Mon, Jan 18 at 7pm; Sun, Jan 24 at 8:30pm

Year of the Cat is a true coming-of-age memoir of the 1990’s, filled with road trips, alternative rock bands, found family, and surviving a tidal wave of drugs engulfing the scene (or not). Teenagers stranded in rural Pennsylvania gain their independence through saving money from their first job for their very first used car, with which they discover a much larger world and figure out who they are going to be within it. But also realize some things they can’t leave behind, when their 16-year-old voices mysteriously appear on Spotify and Apple Music long after all their bandmates have died.

PlayGround, a leading national playwright incubator, provides unique development opportunities for the Bay Area’s, Los Angeles’, New York’s, and Chicago’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 400 early career playwrights, developing and staging more than 2,000 of their original short plays through the Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series and the PlayGround Festival. PlayGround has also commissioned 110 new full-length plays by 70 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and, through the innovative New Play Production Fund, has directly facilitated the premiere of 38 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-seven 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 Steinberg Awards, Glickman Awards (including 6 of the last 10), O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and New York International Fringe Festival, among 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. Originally founded by Thick Description as Thick House in 1999, the theater underwent a significant renovation in 2016 and reopened in 2017 as Potrero Stage: PlayGround Center for New Plays. The venue hosts more than 300 public performances each year for a combined audience of over 8,000, in-person and simulcast. For more information, visit https://potrerostage.org.

WHERE: Potrero Stage & Simulcast (on-demand access for one week)

WHAT & WHEN:

PlayGround Solo Performance Festival – Performance Schedule

Friday, January 15, 2027
7:00pm Forgive Me, Angelina
8:30pm Wealth I Am Money Stories (Part I: The American Dream. Or Yours.)

Saturday, January 16, 2027
2:30pm Secrets – Abbreviated
4:00pm Forgive Me, Angelina
5:30pm Wealth I Am Money Stories (Part I: The American Dream. Or Yours.)
7:00pm Year of the Cat
8:30pm The Break-Up! A Latina Queer Torch Song

Sunday, January 17, 2027
2:30pm Wealth I Am Money Stories (Part I: The American Dream. Or Yours.)
4:00pm Forgive Me, Angelina
5:30pm All My Drownings
7:00pm GRINDR, GLITTR, AND GRIEF: a one guy dance campout show
8:30pm “Is This About Abortion?” Or Why I Keep Telling My Stillbirth Story

Monday, January 18, 2027
7:00pm Year of the Cat
8:30pm Secrets – Abbreviated

Thursday, January 21, 2027
7:00pm All My Drownings
8:30pm “Is This About Abortion?” Or Why I Keep Telling My Stillbirth Story

Friday, January 22, 2027
7:00pm The Last Leaf
8:30pm The Honorable Herbert Peabody

Saturday, January 23, 2027
2:30pm I Think Not
4:00pm Secrets – Abbreviated
5:30pm The Honorable Herbert Peabody
7:00pm The Last Leaf
8:30pm Nova Magika

Sunday, January 24, 2027
2:30pm The Honorable Herbert Peabody
4:00pm I Think Not
5:30pm The Last Leaf
7:00pm The Break-Up! A Latina Queer Torch Song
8:30pm Year of the Cat

Monday, January 25, 2027
7:00pm I Think Not
8:30pm GRINDR, GLITTR, AND GRIEF: a one guy dance campout show

Thursday, January 28, 2027
7:00pm The ICEmen Cometh
8:30pm “Is This About Abortion?” Or Why I Keep Telling My Stillbirth Story

Friday, January 29, 2027
7:00pm FIVE DOORS: Drama, Doubt and Democracy
8:30pm A Woman in Reverse

Saturday, January 30, 2027
2:30pm FIVE DOORS: Drama, Doubt and Democracy
4:00pm A Woman in Reverse
5:30pm I Didn’t Manifest This
7:00pm It’s All A Joke
8:30pm All My Drownings

Sunday, January 31, 2027
2:30pm A Woman in Reverse
4:00pm FIVE DOORS: Drama, Doubt and Democracy
5:30pm It’s All A Joke
7:00pm Dorothy Samsonite SAVES the WORLD
8:30pm The Break-Up! A Latina Queer Torch Song

Monday, February 1, 2027
7:00pm It’s All A Joke
8:30pm The ICEmen Cometh 

Thursday, February 4, 2027
7:00pm The Runaround: The Journey of Abel the Amish Misfit
8:30pm I Didn’t Manifest This

Friday, February 5, 2027
7:00pm All My Dads Were Gay
8:30pm The Runaround: The Journey of Abel the Amish Misfit

Saturday, February 6, 2027
2:30pm The Runaround: The Journey of Abel the Amish Misfit
4:00pm GRINDR, GLITTR, AND GRIEF: a one guy dance campout show
5:30pm All My Dads Were Gay
7:00pm Dorothy Samsonite SAVES the WORLD
8:30pm Nova Magika

Sunday, February 7, 2027
2:30pm All My Dads Were Gay
4:00pm The ICEmen Cometh
5:30pm Dorothy Samsonite SAVES the WORLD
7:00pm Nova Magika
8:30pm I Didn’t Manifest This

TICKETS: Admission is free (donations gratefully accepted and directly support the artists). For tickets and more information, visit playground-sf.org/solofest or call (415) 992-6677.