PlayGround-LA presents Season 12

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

“Surviving the Holidays”
December 11th, 2023 7pm PT
Broadwater Second Stage & Vimeo Live Simulcast

ACKNOWLEDGING THE LEGACY OF THE LAND WE INHABIT

PlayGround-LA acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Chumash, Tongva, and Kizh (“keech”), the original inhabitants of Los Angeles. As the past and present Indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Chumash, Tongva and Kizh Nation (Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians) have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. We recognize the historic injustice of the forcible removal of the Chumash, Tongva and Kizh people from their ancestral lands, and that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the Ancestors, Elders and Relatives of the Chumash, Tongva and Kizh Communities and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. We honor the storytellers of the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians and are grateful for our ability to share and uplift Indigenous stories and those of other historically marginalized communities.

To learn about the legacy of the land you inhabit, visit Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land. To read the complete Land Acknowledgment Policy, click here.

PLAYGROUND-LA’S ANTI-RACIST POLICY

PlayGround-LA recognizes the impact of racial oppression within society and the American Theater and that we have been complicit in White Supremacy culture. Our goal is to co-create safety for our community by identifying and interrupting instances of racism and all forms of oppression when we witness them, through specific actions rooted in the principles of anti-racism and accessibility. In its endeavor to address the implications of our history, PlayGround-LA is committed to its compliance with the following fundamental rights:

• The recognition of inherent dignity and worth of each human being.
• The recognition of equality of all human beings.
• Recognition of rights of ethnic, racial, cultural, linguistic and religious groups.
• Equality and non-discrimination.

PlayGround-LA’s Anti-Racist Policy applies to: all members of the PlayGround-LA community, including employees, independent contractors, volunteers, audience members, donors, and general members of the community.

To read the complete Anti-Racist Policy, click here.

Monday Night PlayGround Memberships

We are deeply grateful to our 2023-24 Monday Night PlayGround Members, whose direct support helps to underwrite artists fees for the Monday Night series across all four regions: Sharon Baldwin, Jaisey Bates, Tim Bishop, Ms. Linda B Breaux-Smith, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Ben Cain, Julie Campbell, Sidney Glass & Eleanor Clement Glass, Joan Cleveland, Ms. Marilyn Berg Cooper, Ann Ehrmann, Ms. Cherielyn Ferguson, Krystyna Finlayson, Sheri Flanders, Conde Freeman, Dr. Jan Gilman, Michael Tonjum & Jan Gilman, Hollis Greenwood, Dana Hall, Rachel Harner, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Brandy T Jones, Ms. Anne M. Krause, Emily Kuroda, Ms. Kristy Lin Billuni, Mr. John Lindner, Jonathan Luskin & Leslie Katz, Rhea MacCallum, Brian Markley, Linda Marks, Dr. Sheila McCormick, Ms. Cynthia L Morishige, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Annette Oliveira, Ms. Vicki Oswald, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Mrs. Elizabeth Poston, Mr. George Rose, Jessica June Rowe, Michelle Ruscetta, John J. Ruskin, Kathryn Ryan, Miyoko Sakatani, Louel Senores, Mark Sherstinsky, Nancy W. Smith, Stan Stone, Mr. Richard Dana Swart, Kim Tram, Michael E Tuton, Dr. Eidell Wasserman, and Janine Wilburn. Thank you!

To learn more about the Monday Night PlayGround membership program, click here.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!

The Dawn of Mom
by Jessica June Rowe
Directed by Ivan Rivas
Mother……………………..Carolyn Deskin
Father…………………………Julio Hanson
Elder…………….Alejandro Cuauhtemoc
Younger………………………..Mae Ruling

A Very Veggie Thanksgiving
by Adrian Thomas
Directed by Mark Anthony Vallejo
Earnest………………………….Jon Gentry
Zoe…………………………..Krystal Mosley

The Family with a Short Fuse
by Damian Alejandro Arteaga
Directed by Tom Dang
Alyssa Turner…………..…Emily Kuroda
Sandra Turner…………...Christine Liao
Alex Turner…………………….Dean Koya
Dennis Turner…………………Eric Geller

Body, Soul, Heart
by Cara Sanchez
Directed by Rachel Berney Needleman
Jenny ………………………..Melissa Ortiz
Gwen….……………………….Katie Burke

Let’s Not Talk About Israel and Palestine
by Michael B. Kaplan
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
Father……………………Tahmus Rounds
Mother…………….……Stephanie Keefer
Daughter………………….Jahnavi Alyssa
Son………………………………Roland Ruiz

Let the Games Begin
by Amy Ellenberger
Directed by Cybelle Kaehler
Mother.………………………….Janet Song
Father………………………..Richard Ruyle
Jane……………………………….Lea Madda
Julie………………………..Alejandra Jaime

Stage Manager – Jay Dutcher

House Manager – Julie Lippert-Pasco

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Following tonight’s performance, we invite your participation in this month’s People’s Choice Award. Through the People’s Choice Award, our audience can play a direct impact in furthering the career of a promising new playwright. To vote, make a People’s Choice Award tax-deductible donation on behalf of your favorite play(s)/playwright(s) from the evening. Every donated dollar counts as a vote while directly supporting PlayGround-LA’s award-winning incubator programs.

Cast your vote for your favorite play(s) by making a People’s Choice donation via Zelle (info@playground-la.org), Venmo (our account ID is @playgroundsf and if they ask for the last four digits of the phone, it’s 8541) or on our website at https://playground-la.org/monday). Add a note/memo with your gift (you can use the donor acknowledgment section when donating on our website) to indicate your favorite play(s) or email your selection to boxoffice@playground-sf.org.

At the end of the week, we’ll tally up the top vote-getter and automatic semi-finalist for our season-ending Best of PlayGround. It’s a powerful way of showing your support for new writers and their work, while helping PlayGround-LA continue doing what we do!

BIOGRAPHIES

PLAYWRIGHTS

DAMIAN ALEJANDRO ARTEAGA (The Family with a Short Fuse), he/him, is an accomplished playwright, actor and director in Southern California. He recently graduated from Cal State Fullerton with his B.A in theater with an emphasis in Playwriting, and a minor in Chicana/o Studies. His plays have seen staged readings at CSUF’s One Act Play Festival, including (S.D.H.I.F.L) and (Izzy). He has also participated in The Larking House Playwright Intensive to put on a staged reading of (The Hole). He hopes to inspire the next generation of playwrights and push the theater medium.

AMY ELLENBERGER (Let the Games Begin), she/her, is an actress, producer and arts education leader. She is a founding member of the award-winning, Los Angeles based theatre company Chalk Repertory Theatre. Amy has performed with various theatre companies on the east and west coast including South Coast Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theatre Co. in Columbus, OH, and Six Figures Theatre Company in NYC. She has a B.F.A from Otterbein College and an M.F.A. from UC San Diego.

MICHAEL B. KAPLAN (Let’s Not Talk About Israel and Palestine), he/him, had his first play produced in the One-Act Marathon at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York. Since then he has worked primarily as a TV writer and producer on a dozen different prime time shows for ABC, NBC, FOX and the CW, including stints on such seminal shows as “Roseanne” and “Frasier.” He created “I’m in the Band” on Disney XD and “Dog with a Blog” on Disney Channel, serving as showrunner for both. He has been nominated for four Emmy Awards, winning one, and received a BET Comedy Award for his work as a writer on “Girlfriends.” He is the author of the “Betty Bunny” series of children’s books.

JESSICA JUNE ROWE (The Dawn of Mom), she/her, is a writer, playwright, editor, and perpetual daydreamer. Her short plays have been featured on multiple stages in Los Angeles with companies such as Playground-LA and NEO Ensemble Theatre. She is the Flash Fiction Editor of Exposition Review and her fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, and Best of the Net. One of her poems is stamped into a sidewalk in Valencia, CA. She also really loves chai lattes.

CARA SANCHEZ (Body, Soul, Heart), she/her, is a recent graduate of Cal State Fullerton, where she studied theatre and film. Recently, she had a workshop reading of her full-length play, The Dybbuk: A Reimagining with The Larking House Theatre. Also, her murder mystery one-act, Stage Fright, which was produced at the CSUF Advanced Directing showcase. Her other works, Catching Violets and Finding Faith, have been performed at CSUF as well. She’s received a certificate of exceptional writing from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

ADRIAN A. BABATUNDE THOMAS (A Very Veggie Thanksgiving), he/him, has over 25 years of playwrighting experience. He studied Theatre Arts at Prairie View A&M University, where he learned the craft of playwrighting from Dr. Ted Shine. 2004-2005 Adrian was mentored by Phillip Hayes Dean at the Robey Theatre here in Los Angeles. Adrian is a lifetime member of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights and the Dramatist Guild. 

ACTORS

JAHNAVI ALYSSA (Let’s Not Talk About Israel And Palestine, “Daughter”), she/her, has sung, danced, acted, fiddled and choreographed on stages across the country. Most recently in LA she was seen as Anne Redferne in Downtown Repertory’s sensationally reviewed “Witch!”, in Portland as Reza in Once (Broadway Rose Theatre Company), in Los Angeles reading the lead roles in Seven Bridges Road and Hot Tragic Dead Thing (Living Room Series), and in Salt Lake City playing Qfwfq in The Distance of the Moon (Sackerson Theatre Co.) She also recently produced the first iteration of her dream project, The Secret Player, in which she stars as a badass musician/fighter with a disdain for guns. Find her online: @jahnavialyssa & www. jahnavialyssa.com

KATIE BURKE (Body, Soul, Heart, “Gwen”), she/her, is an actor, voice over artist, and musician, living in Los Angeles, CA. When she’s trying to impress a crowd she uses her music and VO work with Howling Music Group, SONY, and Lionsgate for name dropping, however most of the time she can be found in a booth crying, interviewing a stranger about their dreams, or atop a roof watching the sunset.

ALEJANDRO CUAHTÉMOC (The Dawn of Mom, “Elder”), he/him, is a Mexican actor and singer. His most recent works include the musical HOPE, directed by José Luis Valenzuela and produced by LAVC Theater in collaboration with The Latino Theater Company; and SAMA SAMA, directed by Daphnie Sicre and produced by the East West Players. He is a Libra and his life anthem is MOLASSES by Hiatus Kaiyote.

CAROLYN DESKIN (The Dawn of Mom, “Mother”), she/her, has just completed the Shakespeare Summer course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. You can also catch her the second Wednesday of every month with her sketch team, Paperback, at the Pack Theater (also in this theater).

ERIC GELLER (The Family with a Short Fuse, “Dennis Turner”), he/him, has been a member of Dancing Squirrels, a non-profit, children’s theater troupe that performs for ill and abused kids for the last twenty years. Eric specializes in immersive theater and has performed in Hollywood Fringe Fest award winners, “Unreal City” and “Vote For Murder.” Eric’s most recognized for hosting an archaeology/adventure series, “Cities of the Underworld,” for The History Channel. Eric’s from St. Louis, attended “Mizzou” and graduated from UC-Irvine.

JON GENTRY (A Very Veggie Thanksgiving, “Earnest”), he/him, was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Theater credits include A Play is A Poem (Mark Taper Forum), Clybourne Park, Marcus; or, the Secret of Sweet, A Christmas Carol (ACT), Romeo and Juliet, All’s Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare Santa Cruz), Masao & The Bronze Nightingale (CASA 0101) Trouble in Mind (Aurora Theater Company). TV/Film: Somang, Ten, Outlaw Empires. MFA: American Conservatory Theater. BA: Harvard. Social Media: @gentryjon

JULIO HANSON (The Dawn of Mom, “Father”), has been an entertainer and an educator in Los Angeles, California for more than 25 years.  Julio has dedicated years to bridging his African-American and Panamanian cultures to the global community through the study and performance of music, theatre, dance, and multiple languages. As an assistant principal in the Los Angeles Unified School District and a member of the Robey Theatre Company, Julio seeks to inspire audiences to refocus on the love for education, diversity, and humanity.  Julio has performed with Grammy-recognized artists Toni Braxton, Prince, Kelis, and La Ley to name a few. Julio became a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at UCLA where he obtained a Bachelor of Political Sciences with an emphasis in International Relations.  Julio also obtained a Bilingual Teaching Credential from California State University, Dominguez Hills, a Master of Education and Administration from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Doctorate in Education from Pepperdine University researching the Power of Artistic Activism.

ALEJANDRA JAIME (Let the Games Begin, “Julie”), she/her, Alejandra Jaime is glad to be back for another round of Playground! Recent tv/film credits include; Echo (Disney +), The Mosquito Coast (Apple TV), Latasha Harlins (Visual Aptitude). Theatre Credits; (Will Greer Shakespeare Rep.) “Hippolyta”-A Midsummer Nights Dream, (Hollywood Fringe) “Medvedenko”-The Seagull. For rep inquiries: Insta: @Alejandra_Jay_. IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm12485612/

STEPHANIE KEEFER (Let’s Not Talk About Israel And Palestine, “Mother”), she/her, Native Angelino Stephanie T. Keefer graduated from U. C., Irvine where she studied with legendary theatre director Jerzy Grotowski. Favorite roles are Hannah in The Night of the Iguana, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Olivia in Twelfth Night. Keefer’s short films have garnered awards at festivals nationwide. She stars in the feature “A Girl, A Guy, A Space Helmet” currently on TUBI. See Stephanie’s work at IMDb.

DEAN KOYA (The Family with a Short Fuse, “Alex Turner”), he/him, has been with SF Playground since 2016 and is proud to be making his LA Playground debut! He was born and raised in Fiji and received his BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He began his professional acting career in the Bay Area in 2015 at the age of 31; and has been making his way into the LA acting scene since 2021. He is currently enrolled in Acting Masterclass at Seydways Acting Studios.

EMILY KURODA (The Family with a Short Fuse, “Alyssa Turner”), she/her, has been a proud member of PlayGround LA for years.

CHRISTINE LIAO (The Family with a Short Fuse, “Sandra Turner”), she/they, is a Los Angeles based actor. Her best known role thus far is as the restaurant cashier in the comedy sketch, The ABC Who Can’t Read Chinese. You can also find her in Fine China on HBO platforms and the video game Life is Strange: True Colors. When she’s not acting, you might find her at a rock climbing gym, a boba shop, or perched on a tree or rock in the great outdoors.

LEA MADDA (Let the Games Begin, “Jane”), she/her, is a theater artist, educator, and voiceover actor. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance from Boston University and an MFA in Acting from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Recent theater credits include Hand to God (Coachella Valley Rep), A Bright New Boise (Dezart Performs), The Sound of Music (Alaska CAP), Anne, A New Play (Museum of Tolerance), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatricum Botanicum), Queen of Califas (Los Angeles Theatre Center) and She Loves Me (Actors Coop). @reallyofficial.leamadda

KRYSTAL MOSLEY (A Very Veggie Thanksgiving, “Zoe”), she/her, comes all the way from Chicago, currently residing in LA and is super excited about the production this evening! Some of her credits include: 10 Virgins with Chicago Dramatist, Ruined with Eclipse Theatre and Blood Wedding with Pursuit Productions. She would like to thank the PlayGround-LA cast, friends and family for their continued support!

MELISSA ORTIZ (Body, Soul, Heart, “Jenny”), she/her, is a PlayGround and ShotzSF company member. Favorite roles: Yazmin in Water by the Spoonful, Anna in Anna Considers Mars, Masha in The Seagull. She received her MFA from the National Theater Conservatory and studies at John Rosenfeld Studio where she’s also a TA. She sends thanks to her family, friends and husband for their love and support.

TAHMUS ROUNDS (Let’s Not Talk About Israel And Palestine, “Father”), he/him, A professional actor for over 30 years, Tahmus has appeared in many television shows, including How I Met Your Mother, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Parks and Recreation, and Criminal Minds. He can be seen in S3E2 of Upload on Amazon Prime. Among other theatre credits, he is a former Blue Man in Blue Man Group, performing over 1000 shows in Chicago, Boston and New York. He is excited and honored to have been involved with PlayGround-LA for the past 12 years!

ROLAND RUIZ (Let’s Not Talk About Israel And Palestine, “Son”), he/him, Is always down for some theatre. Can find me on my perfunctory Insta @Brolopic 

MAE RULING (The Dawn of Mom, “Younger“), she/her, is a Los Angeles-based actress and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. She recently finished recording her fifth audiobook and post production on a short film that she wrote and starred in about Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. Mae is delighted to be returning to the stage with her fellow Playground LA company members.

RICHARD RUYLE (Let the Games Begin, “Father”), he/him, is an actor, playwright, and civil engineer. Regional acting credits include Over The Tavern at La Mirada Theatre, Sideman at Ensemble Theatre in Santa Barbara, Monster at East West Players, and Heathen Valley at San Jose Stage Company. His one act plays have been produced at the Attic Theatre and Moving Arts. Playground plays he has authored include IC, Do You Hear…?, Heart of a Dog, A Gift, and Straight Shot

JANET SONG (Let the Games Begin, “Mother”), she/her, is an actor and audiobook narrator who loves participating in the development of new plays. https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/janetsong

DIRECTORS

RACHEL BERNEY NEEDLEMAN (Body, Soul, Heart), is a director and dramaturg for new plays and classical work. As a director: Playground-LA (2021-22 Season), Theresa Rebeck’s What We’re Up Against (Pacific Resident Theatre Co-op), Cabaret Noel with Gigi Bermingham (Antaeus Theatre Co. and Skylight Theatre), Five Second Chances by Mattie Brickman (PRT Co-op), Cowgirls by Mildred Lewis (EST-LA), The Space Between (The Braid). Rachel has directed new play readings and workshops at The Blank, EST-LA, Skylight and Theatricum Botanicum. Her dramaturg credits include Antaeus (Diana of Dobson’s, Cloud 9, Henry IV) and Arizona Theatre Company (At Wit’s End). She is also a co-author of the LA Anti-Racist Theatre Standards.

TOM DANG (The Family with a Short Fuse), he/him, is an actor, director and writer based in Los Angeles, CA. Current Projects: As Actor: The Sympathizer (HBO) Angelyne (Peacock), Blue Bloods (CBS), Maika (Sundance), Accidental Getaway Driver (Sundance), The Resemblance (Netflix / Tribeca). As Director: Directors Lab West. He is happy to return for another installment of Playground LA! www.tomdangofficial.com / @thenameistomdang

CYBELLE KAEHLER (Let the Games Begin), she/her, is a film and theatre director who strives to tell meaningful queer and female focused stories. She has worked at New Swan Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, and Playground-LA, and recently directed and produced the new play “Restoration” at Hollywood Fringe. She graduated from UC Irvine with degrees in Drama and Film, where she was co-president of Brick Theatre Company, a student collective focused on LGBTQ+ works. Her latest short film, Tombé, won Best Student Film at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood and at LA Sun Film Fest. She is currently a production assistant on A Christmas Carol, running this December at South Coast Repertory! cybellekaehler.com insta: @cybellerose

JIM KLEINMANN (Let’s Not Talk About Israel And Palestine), he/him, co-founded PlayGround in 1994, along with playwright Brighde Mullins and director Denise Shama, and has served as Artistic Director since 1996. For PlayGround, he has provided artistic and administrative leadership for the past twenty-eight seasons, developing PlayGround’s unique array of new playwright and new play incubator programs, including Monday Night PlayGround, the PlayGround Festival of New Works, the full-length play Commissioning Initiative, the New Play Production Fund, Potrero Stage: PlayGround Center for New Plays, and most recently the Innovator Incubator.  For PlayGround, he has directed more than one hundred short and full-length plays, including works by Garret Jon Groenveld, Aaron Loeb, Geetha Reddy, Lauren Yee, Katie May, and many others. Recent directing and dramaturgy credits include David Steele’s Vignettes on Love and Ruben Grijalva’s Value Over Replacement. He is a veteran arts administrator with more than thirty years of experience, including stints leading Traveling Jewish Theatre, Smuin Ballet and Berkeley Symphony, and received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

IVAN RIVAS (The Dawn of Mom), he/him, is resident director at Downtown Repertory and has worked as a teaching artist at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Pasadena Playhouse.

MARK ANTHONY VALLEJO (A Very Veggie Thanksgiving), he/him, is thrilled to be back with Playground LA! He was born and raised in East LA and received his B.A. in theatre with an emphasis in directing at CSU Long Beach (2016) and his M.F.A. at UCLA in Stage Directing (2020). He trained with Contra’s Tiempo’s Activist Dance Theatre Company in Los Angeles, the Society of American Fight Directors, and was awarded a full grant from UCLA to study theatre in London as well as in France at the Festival D’Avignon. Both experiences heavily influenced his approach to visual imagery and physical storytelling. He currently teaches theatre at East Los Angeles College and Long Beach City College. He is also a proud member of SDC. Select awards include runner up for the Metropolitan Opera Directing Fellowship (2023), Princess Grace Award finalist (2021), UCLA Graduate Opportunity Fellowship Award recipient (2017); Directing credits include Regional: La Comedia of Errors (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Directing Fellow); Mr. Popper’s Penguins (South Coast Repertory, A.D.). Other directing credits include: La Victima (Latino Theatre Company, co-director and choreographer); Middletown (Chance Theatre, A.D.); selected directing credits include Lydia, Bent, Diary of Anne Frank, The Whipping Man, Electra and Appropriate. Mark Anthony is honored to be sharing his work and collaborating with fine artists. He is currently working on Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz and Colossal by Andrew Hinderaker. (Insta- @markanthonydrama)

PRODUCTION

JAY DUTCHER (Stage Manager)

JULIE LIPPERT-PASCO (Front of House)

PLAYGROUND-LA is the first regional expansion of the celebrated Bay Area playwright incubator and theatre community hub, PlayGround. PlayGround was launched in San Francisco in 1994 by co-founders Jim Kleinmann, Brighde Mullins and Denise Shama. In 1996, Kleinmann became PlayGround’s first Artistic Director. Since its founding, PlayGround has developed and staged over 1,000 original ten-minute plays by 250 Bay Area and Los Angeles early-career writers and has commissioned/developed more than 100 full-length plays. In the process of staging those works, PlayGround has helped to identify some of the leading emerging writers and, at the same time, has engendered the creation of a true community of theatre artists, bringing together hundreds of local actors, directors and playwrights. Each month, Oct-Mar, PlayGround-LA announces a topic to the thirty-six writers of the PlayGround-LA Writers Pool. Writers have four-and-a-half days to generate their original short plays and the top six are cast with leading local professionals and rehearsed for just 1.5 hours before being presented as script-in-hand staged readings on the second Monday of the month via Zoom live stream. At the end of each season, six of the thirty-six works developed in the Monday night series are selected for a one-night celebration, the Best of PlayGround. The 12th annual Best of PlayGround Gala will take place on Monday, April 08, 2024, live at the Broadwater Theaters and simulcast via Vimeo Live. PFor more information, visit http://playground-la.org.

PLAYGROUND CONTRIBUTORS

PlayGround is deeply grateful for the generous contributions of the many individuals, foundations, corporations and government agencies whose contributions make our work possible. This list reflects gifts of $125 or more committed between November 1, 2022 & November 20, 2023.

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS

Alameda County Arts Commission • Amazon • American Rescue Plan Act & CARES Act • Art Space Development Corporation • Avenue Greenlight • Berkeley Civic Arts • The Bernard Osher Foundation • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Arts Council • California Humanities • California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program • Creative Capacity Fund • Grants For The Arts • KFF • Koret Foundation • LA County Arts Commission • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • NIAC • Nvidia • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Planet Earth Arts • Rock Paper Scissors Landscape Inc. • Rye Financial Services • San Francisco Arts Commission • The Shubert Foundation • The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, Daniel E. Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)

John H. Gilman, Carlie Wilmans, Anonymous (2)

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Randy Adams, Meriko Borogove, David Goldman, Regina S. Guggenheim, E. Craig Moody, Nitin, David Steele, Anonymous (2)

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Ruth & Robert Brayton, Steve & Gretchen Debenham, Keith Goldstein and Donna Warrington, Jennifer & Sean Jeffries, Paul & Pam Kleinmann, Gregg & Jennifer Le Blanc, Dr. Gary W. London, Pam MacKinnon, Danny & Dolores Martinez, Molly Noble and Bob Guilbault, Pam & John Walker, Janine Wilburn, Maury Zeff, Anonymous (4)

PATRON ($250-$499)

Mary E. Baird, Wendy Bear, Jerome Solberg, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Jon Tracy, Anonymous

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Lynda H Barber, Gerhard and Kathleen Bette, Jack Codd, Fair & Levit Family, Eric Garcia, Anirvan Ghosh, Cindy Goldfield, Gina Harris, Gregg Le Blanc, Jonathan Luskin, Lisa A. Mammel, Tobi Marcus, Paris McCarthy, Michelle Nedboy, Doug Peckler & Evelyn Jean Pine , Jesus Reyes, Mary Ann and Malcolm Rodgers, Emily Brauer Rogers, John J. Ruskin, Kathryn Ryan, Diane Sampson, Christine Sheppard, Susan Terris, Bex White, Christian Edward Wilburn, Susannah Wise & Scott Lebus, Anonymous (2)

To contribute to PlayGround, visit https://playground-la.org/contribute or contact PlayGround Associate Director of Development Lana Richards at lana@playground-sf.org or by phone at (415) 992-6677.

PLAYGROUND-LA WRITERS POOL

Michael P. Adams+, Tamadhur Al-Aqeel, Damian Alejandro Arteaga, Esther Banegas Gatica+, Jaisey Bates, Evan Baughfman+, Emily Bauer Rogers+, Summer Broyhill, Allie Costa+, Joe Luis Cedillo, Sandra Cruze, Stacy Davies, Amy Ellenberger, Lauren Gorski+, Grant Gottschall, Shoshanna Green, Rachel Harner, Briggs Hatton+, Susan C. Hunter, M.J. Kang+, Michael B. Kaplan+, Mildred Inez Lewis+, Rhea MacCallum+, Scott Mullen+, Peter Pasco, Lina Patel, Margo Wade Rofé, Jessica June Rowe+, Cara Sanchez, Baylee Schlichtman, Mark Sherstinsky+, Ayesha Siddiqui+, Maria D. Smith, Adrian Thomas, Evelyn Wu-Coffey, Carolina Pilar Xique

+ Past Best of PlayGround playwright.

PLAYGROUND-LA COMPANY

Jahnavi Alyssa, Jerome Beck, Julia Belanova, Josef Bette, Sylvia Cervantes Blush, Summer Broyhill, Ben Cain, Hugo Carbajal, Jordan Carlson, Jordan Covington, Tom Dang, Frieda de Lackner, Hillary DeMartino, Carolyn Deskin, Rogelio Douglas III, Angel Dumapias, Eliza Frakes, Eric Geller, Danny Gomez, Cassie Grilley, Christian Haines, Julio Hanson, Matthew Henerson, Mark Jacobson, Alejandra Jaime, Alexia Jasmene, Kurt Kanazawa, Stephanie T. Keefer, Tony Kim, Emily Kuroda, Christopher Gary Lawson, Christine Liao, Lea Madda, Jackie Marriott, Gabi Mayorga, Paris McCarthy, Sherry Michaels, Krystal Mosley, Rachel Berney Needleman, Melissa Ortiz, Andrew Perez, Tansu Philip, Gary Poux, Tiana Randall-Quant, Maiya Reaves, Jesus Reyes, Ivan Rivas, Debba Rofheart, Tahmus Rounds, Mae Ruling, Collette Rutherford, Anthony Rutowicz, Richard Ruyle, Janet Song, Angela Sonner, William Warren, Charlotte Williams, Jonathan Wray

PRODUCTION & STAFF

Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 
Paris McCarthy, Associate Artistic Director 
Christian Haines, Co-Executive Producer
Melissa Ortiz, Co-Executive Producer
Sylvia Blush, Associate Producer 
Tiana Randall-Quant, Associate Producer 
Abel Marquez, 2023-24 Directing Apprentice
Julie Lippert-Pasco, 2023-24 Producing Fellow
Sofia Dutcher, Stage Manager

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