Company in the News Sep-2025

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

Ivan Rivas is producing a one night only benefit reading of THE BRAMFORD by PlayGround-LA alum Lauren Gorski in service of Planned Parenthood on September 7th at the iconic The Village Studios. Cast includes Kaitlyn Dever, Kyle Allen, J. August Richards and Kiersey Clemons. PlayGround-LA alum Rachel Harner is the General Manager. Please come and support this worthy cause!

Jo Yuan is performing her solo play, “something old. something new. something tesla. something true.” at the Curtis Theatre on 9/21 at 5pm!

Evan Baughfman’s short play, EVERY SHEEP COUNTS, will be featured in Foothill Arts Council’s 5th annual One Act Play Festival! September 19-21, at SUNY FMCC, Johnstown, NY! What is EVERY SHEEP COUNTS about? “Inside a sleepy person’s mind, sheep jump over a fence… until a literal Nightmare interrupts their routine.” This play originated with last season’s PlayGround prompt, Dreams and Nightmares.” More info about the production can be found here.

Tahmus Rounds recently worked on the latest Attack of the Killer Tomatoes movie!!

Allie Costa recently appeared in Murder Behind the Mic, an evening of noir stories filled with murder and romance. The sold-out show was presented in full old-time radio broadcast mode, complete with live sound effects and music, in front of a live audience. Recent film roles include several twisty thrillers, a sci-fi movie, a coming-of-age story, and a musical. The world premiere of her play Looking Foreclosure is currently running at M.T. Pockets Theatre in West Virginia. For more information, visit alliecosta.com or her IMDB page.

Matthew Henerson recently appeared in the US premiere of THE VIOLIN MAKER by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum and Ronda Spinak at International City Theatre, and he’s currently rehearsing Paul Slade Smith’s BESIDE MYSELF which will premiere at North Coast Repertory, and then transfer to the Laguna Playhouse. He also continues to recur as Special Agent Carl Loughlin on the second season of NCIS: ORIGINS.

Esther Banegas Gatica will play Tita for Full Circle Players in their production of Luis Alfaro’s Mojada (September 26 – October 4, 2025) at The Box in Riverside, CA. In Mojada, Alfaro takes the chilling ancient Greek tale of Medea and re-imagines it in a Los Angeles Mexican-American immigrant community. After sacrificing nearly everything to begin this new life, Medea and her family weigh their love for each other against their drive to succeed.

Vivi LeVivi Le is co-directing COLLECTIVE RAGE: A PLAY IN 5 BETTIES by Jen Silverman, a one night benefit showing on September 25 at the LA LGBT CENTER in Hollywood. Five Women. All Named Betty. One Play. Zero Fucks Given. Jen Silverman’s COLLECTIVE RAGE is a queer, punchy, gender-f*cking explosion wrapped in glitter and rage. You should come see it 🙂

Jennie Webb’s DEAD PEOPLE’S DISHES was part of Open Fist Theatre Company’s First Look Festival with readings on August 23 & 24, directed by Margaret Shigeko Starbuck, featuring Barbara Schofield, Syanne Green, Amir Levi, Sandra Kate Burck, Scott Keiji Takeda, Amanda Weier & Tania Verafield. A play about what we hang onto, what we let go of and the impact of our losses, DEAD PEOPLE’S DISHES is made up of unexpected stories which move through Los Angeles history to look at how we get through things—fires, floods, earthquakes, riots, wars, health crises, environmental disasters and personal tragedies—over and over again. The 2025 First Look Festival continues through September 7th.

Collette Rutherford is directing Sam Spoll’s new play Helen & Paris for Moving Arts’ MADLab Readings. Running September 13-21. About the play: This is not the West End or East Village – this is Hollywood theater. And Helen and Paris have been doing the same play for 15 years. When an unsuspecting tech comes in to fix a light, they are a little too excited to get some new blood in the show.

Mildred Inez Lewis‘ short play Through Water into Blood as part of ReproEco has been added to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Healing Arts Week, a dynamic program of events celebrating innovative approaches to global health and wellbeing through the arts.

Janet Song will play Aunt Lily in the SAG-AFTRA Radio Play A Date with Judy: Aunt Lily Needs a Date at The Autry on Thursday, September 11 at 7pm. Free admission.

Debba Rofheart will appear as Head Cook and Brunelda in the world premier of Dietrich Smith’s adaptation of Franz Kafka’s novel: AMERIKA or THE MAN WHO DISAPPEARED. Opening October 3 at the Open Fist Theatre Company in Atwater Village.

Isabel Siragusa wrote and directed a new short film, 2×6, that won the Cinematography for Actors quarterly challenge.

Steve Harper will be performing his solo show – SNOW: [black man. whiteout conditions.] as part of The Unerasable Solo Festival in Inglewood on September 18th, 19th and 20th.

Jonathan Josephson recently workshopped his short play From Inside the House with Force of Nature Productions – its a brooding, comedic-mystery based on a Reddit post. His dark comedy Dark Druids and Their Dark Jars (originally written for PlayGround-LA under the title Warlocks and Their Jars) will be published in the September, 2025 issue of Masque and Spectacle, a literary journal. His short play Tacoma, Trains, and Toothpaste was recently recorded as a radio play for Community Arts Center of Cambria County in Johnstown, PA. The audio version will be available soon! On the prose front, an excerpt from Jonathan’s novella “The Monster is Confused” was recently published by Zoetic Press and recorded as a podcast for 4LPH4NUM3R1C and his short story “Tall Grow the Bones” was selected for the January 2026 issue of Fabula Argentea magazine. [jonathanjosephson.com]