Company in the News Feb-2024

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

Rogelio Douglas III will make his debut in one of the most enduring comedic masterpieces in the theatrical canon: TARTUFFE by Molière as ‘Damis’! The show will go up in two locations: North Coast Repertory Theatre (in Solana Beach) March 6th – March 31st, tickets; and Laguna Playhouse (in Laguna Beach) April 17th – May 5th, tickets.

Ben Cain is one of the leads in the independent movie “Thats Funny” on Amazon and Apple TV. Please check it out since they are working hard to get it on Netflix. If you could click on the link and type in “Thats Funny”, it would help them tremendously.

Stephanie T. Keefer performs in the play 12 ANGRY JURORS at The Group Repertory Theater in North Hollywood January 26 – March 3. Check it out here.
Aaron Higareda is happy to announce that his short play “South Hope St.”, which was developed at Playground-LA in October of 2021, has been selected for this year’s Region 8 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) National Playwriting Program. His play will be presented in mid February for Festival 56 at Glendale Community College. Aaron is also happy to announce that he has officially launched Aaron Higareda’s Playwriting Experiment. You can learn more and participate here.
Jonathan Josephson is looking forward to the 7th production of his THE LEGEND(S) OF SLEEPING HOLLOW, this one with Patriot Players in South Carolina, in March. His short play THIS HUNGRY CHURCHYARD will receive its fourth production in La Vegas, Feb 9-25 . Learn more.
Allie Costa recently wrapped two films and performed in a workshop of a new musical. Her play Unfinished Business is currently running in Illinois as part of Memoriam Development’s Nightshade Festival. Faking Glory runs February 16th through February 24th in Michigan as part of Little Love Stories. On February 17th, her critically-acclaimed play Two Girls will be presented at The Bread and Roses Theatre in London for V-Day 2024. Learn more at her website and IMDb.
Sylvia Cervantes Blush is freezing her Southern California toes in Brunswick, Maine as she jumps in the rehearsal room at Bowdoin College for the school’s historic bilingual production of Ana Caro’s VALOR, OUTRAGE AND WOMAN. Translated by the UCLA working group Diversifying the Classics, Caro’s poetic verse commands a fast paced and comedic lens on gender constructs while subverting the Don Juan myth as our heroine Leonor creates her own rules to restore her honor. Presented by the Departments of Theater and Dance, Music, Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies, and Romance Languages and Literatures will feature renowned musical ensemble La Chimera who is providing live accompaniment for all performances. Performances will take place, February 29 – March 2, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wish Theater. Read more.
Tiana Randall-Quant (she/they) is ecstatic to announce that she has been elected as Co-Artistic Director of Ammunition Theatre Company. She also just had an article in Shoutout LA come out discussing her journey as an actor, facilitator, and educator. Check it out here. She has also been teaching sex ed at various schools with More Than Sex Ed and has been having a great time facilitating fruitful conversations with the youth about being a human and having a body!
Lina Patel kicked off 2024 being invited to the Lark Playwright’s Workshop at Second Stage to create new work under the mentorship of May Adrales, David Henry Hwang and Rajiv Josef. She’ll also be co-moderating Rogue Machine Theater’s first Playwright’s Roundtable.
Carolyn Deskin is currently working on two new short films and just signed with Lemon Lime Agency.
Evan Baughfman‘s horror play, OPEN MIC NIGHT, has been published in “Gather by the Ghost Light: Year Three,” an anthology of scripts recently produced on the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast! What is OPEN MIC NIGHT about? “Surprises await audience members at a mysterious ‘Open Mic’ performance…” Here is what some people have said about the play: “…something spooky and very fun that is reminiscent of an episode of Tales from the Crypt.” “Whew! This play just builds and builds and then wham!” “Oh. My. Gosh. I did not expect that!” If interested in reading Evan’s script (and many others from other talented playwrights!), grab your copy of “Gather by the Ghost Light: Year Three” on Amazon. Listen to the podcast here.

Mildred Inez Lewis had the pleasure of mentoring Sasha Sereda, a playwright hoping to pursue her undergraduate work in the U.S. through Young Playwrights Ukraine.

Andrew Joseph Perez is resurfacing for air after a whirlwind few months of audiobook narration, principal photography on a new indie feature, and teaching theatre in Mammoth. Learn more here.