Company in the News April-2024

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

Shoshanna Green has donned her fight choreography hat for Last Call Theater’s production of Pirates Wanted! on the Tall Ship The American Pride. Also on April 11th, Shoshanna will be joining long-time friend and performer Cubby Altobelli for a reunion show of their nihilist children’s band The Pyropodes – a once-in-a-lifetime event – don’t miss it!

Ben Cain is in a production of August Wilson’s King Hedley II at A Noise Within Theater, running from March 31 – April 28. More info here.

Evelyn Wu-Coffey‘s one act play “Ground” will premiere in participation with Taipei Shorts 台北短劇節 (April 12-21), an annual bilingual short play festival held in Taipei, Taiwan. “A new college student faces expulsion from his prestigious university after submitting his financial aid forms improperly. He visits the school’s financial aid office and throws himself at the mercy of the exasperated front desk employee. Their lives are changed forever.” More info here.

Allie Costa recently appeared in two films that are now in post-production – Stay tuned! Her play Blue Christmas, which began at PlayGround-LA, runs April 5-13 in Dallas as part of A Light in Dark Places. Catch the staged reading of Before We Burn April 18th and 19th at Earth Day Expo in Manhattan. Live a Little is currently running in L.A. Learn more.

Evan Baughfman‘s all-ages horror novel, BAD FOR YOUR TEETH! will be discussed at a virtual book club hosted by The Thing in the Labyrinth Book Club (in association with Denver Horror Collective) on Sunday, April 28th.  BAD FOR YOUR TEETH is a spooky story set in the “dental horror” subgenre, and it contains a multitude of humor, suspense, and surprise! “What terrible secret does Dr. Sharp hide behind his shiny smile? Eleven-year-old Jase and his quirky, new friend, Braxton, discover there may be very good reason to fear their dentist. The boys believe Dr. Xander Sharp, D.D.S. (“Deadly Dr. Sharp”) and his assistant, Alexis, have kidnapped two of their patients and brainwashed the kids’ parents into thinking their children have gone to “Colorado.” But if the missing middle-schoolers aren’t away in some other state, where could they possibly be?” More info about the book and the book club.

Julia Belanova plays Gayle on the Apple TV+ show, Sugar, debuting April 5th. Julia has a scene opposite Oscar Nominee Colin Farrell. Watch Episode 2 to see Julia! More.

Mildred Inez Lewis‘ Louisiana Shoal, a 2023 Best of PlayGround pick, was published in Smith & Krauss 10-Minute Play Anthology and in From Page to Screen magazine. She’s also been selected for SPACE on Ryder Farm’s “Come to the Table” initiative.

Jonathan Josephson‘s CHUBBY BUNNY, the marshmallow comedy-that-could, will have its 24th production in May. His new short play TERRORS ACROSS THE UNIVERSE was just part of Force of Nature’s Beatles-themed shorts festival “ALL YOU NEED IS RUSH,” March 23-25. Set “Across the Universe, the larger than life comedy features love-spurned intergalactic conquest-ors uniting to defeat ravenous Terrors (as manifested by twin 13-year-old theatre kids that threaten the very fabric of existence). This silliness is Jonathan’s 50th produced play. More info here.

Jully Lee signs with new management ARTISTS FIRST.

Andrew Joseph Perez, most Aries of Aries, has just celebrated his birthday! You can find him on Instagram and TikTok @andrewjosephperez and please follow him for ways you can help him in his advocacy work to repair bugs in Medi-Cal’s system and probably some goofy audiobook bloopers.