Company in the News July 2023

See what PlayGround-LA Writers, Alumni, and Company Members are up to this July!

Mason Greer’s latest film: SHOUT is now an official selection at LA Shorts Fest and will mark the first academy award qualifying festival for this film. For more information, visit www.thiccboyproductions.com

Joe Luis Cedillo just wrote, co-directed and performed in his play THE SECOND GOOD BYE, a three part 10-minute play series for Theater Unleashed’s Dime Store Detective Stories show for Hollywood Fringe 2023 (2023 Producer’s Encore Award Winner). He was recently accepted into Ensemble Studio Theater Los Angeles (EST/LA) Playwrights Unit and this past weekend he started the year-long WGA Veteran’s Writing Program in pursuit of his screenwriting dreams. For more information, visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9740

Allie Costa recently booked and recorded an appearance on a podcast series – Stay tuned! Her play There Will Be Polar Bears was performed at The Cockpit Theatre in London and Creepypasta was seen at The Pleasance in London. Art Imitates Life was selected for the Open Space Arts Summer Playwrights Festival, taking place August 4th-13th in Maryland. Learn more at http://www.alliecosta.com and http://www.imdb.me/alliecosta

After pivoting from live performance to audiobook narration and production in late 2020, Andrew Joseph Perez has officially narrated over 50 titles now available for sale. You can find titles under his own name, and his pseudonym Julio Maxwell wherever you get your audiobooks. For more details, visit https://tinyurl.com/mkbe69bz

Evan Baughfman‘s darkly comic play, F IS FOR, is now available from Next Stage Press! A script about the possible future of public education! Inspired by Evan’s many years as a middle school teacher! “The mother and sister of a troublemaking student meet with a representative from the school district to discuss an unconventional way of dealing with the boy’s poor behavior…” More information about Evan’s play is available at: https://www.nextstagepress.com/f-is-for/

Tiana Randall-Quant is currently coordinating and co-teaching a three week playwriting intensive for teens at Boston Court Pasadena. She is very excited to be guiding these young storytellers through this writing process and cannot wait for the presentation on July 15th. Hopefully the students will grow up to be Playground Writer’s Pool writers!

Joni Ravenna‘s ten minute play (based on Playground’s final prompt for ’23) “TOM CRUISE SAVES THE PLANET” will have a live staged (and taped) reading as part of LEFT EDGE THEATRE’S 2023 International Hindsight Festival on July 3rd, at the California Theater in Santa Rosa.

Esther Banegas Gatica encourages you to Support Chicano/An emerging Chicana Playwright/ Female-led theater All-Latine cast /All BIPOC creative team in helping CHICANA LEGEND make it to SHEATL and any little bit helps! This story is Young Lulu embarks on an epic, video game coming-of-age adventure to become “a Chicana Legend” – the ultimate inspiration to her community. Lulu must make good choices, combat small-town chisme and defend her family’s reputation, all with the weight of the community on her shoulders. Just as Abuela warned her…one little mistake, it’s GAME OVER. Will Lulu rise to the challenges of each level or become a Chicana Myth? Press Start to find out! Click here to support!

Mildred Inez Lewis‘ The Peace of Home which won an L.B. Williams award from New Circle Repertory will be read by The Beekeepers Theater at the Pride Playreading in Sheffield, MA. Her script for the short Mirrored has gone into preproduction.

Carolyn Deskin is beginning her Shakespeare training at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts this summer. www.carolyndeskin.com