Dinner, Drinks, and a Night with Steve Yockey at this year’s One PlayGround Gala

On the third Monday each September, PlayGround brings together its vibrant community of artists and supporters that spans the nation for a very special evening: the annual One-PlayGround Gala. Held simultaneously across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, the One-PlayGround Gala is more than just a dinner. It’s a way for attendees to connect with theatermakers and supporters across time zones in one shared night of celebration and support for all that PlayGround does. 

This year, PlayGround-LA supporters are in for a treat! On September 15th, PlayGround-LA will host its gala at the chic downtown Italian restaurant, Rossoblu. Admission gets you a seat at the table; it secures you a beautiful curated meal, and a night of meaningful conversation and laughter with celebrated playwright and television creator Steve Yockey, our 2025 guest of honor.

If you’ve stepped into a theater anywhere in the country over the past decade, chances are you’ve come across Yockey’s work. A self-proclaimed “spectacle junkie,” his plays are known for pushing boundaries, blending horror, comedy, and drama in ways that keep audiences both uneasy and enthralled. Georgia filmmaker Raymond Carr once described his plays as “weird, surrealist, gut-wrenching,” which, if you know Steve Yockey’s work, is exactly the point.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Steve Yockey began his career producing short plays and one-acts in the local community theater scene (hot fitting for a PlayGround honoree!). He went onto study Theater at University of Georgia, around the same time he lived in the same apartment building with acclaimed playwright Lauren Gunderson. Both Gunderson and Yockey went on to study Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch and from there, both of their careers skyrocketed. Since that time, Steve Yockey has had fifteen full-length plays and two collections of shorts produced across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Titles like Octopus, Bellwether, Very Still & Hard to See, Blackberry Winter, and Sleeping Giant have all found enthusiastic audiences.

But Yockey’s career extends far beyond the stage. After moving to LA, he landed in his first writers’ room on Supernatural. He went on to write for MTV’s Awkward and Scream. Soon after, Yockey made the leap to showrunner with HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant, which earned nine Emmy nominations in its first season alone—including two for Yockey himself. Most recently, he brought the beloved Vertigo/DC comic Dead Boy Detectives to life on Netflix, a series already hailed as a must-watch blend of fantasy and dark comedy.

Through it all, Yockey has stayed grounded in what inspires him most: storytelling that surprises, unsettles, and connects people.

PlayGround’s Gala is about more than just fundraising for a good cause. It’s about celebrating and sustaining the work of theatre artists right here in Los Angeles, many of whom start out just like Yockey did. Each ticket purchased helps fund new play development, staged readings, and productions that give voice to bold and diverse writers. 

Do you have questions for Yockey and other artists like him? Now’s your chance to get them answered! It’s not every day you get to pull up a chair with the very people who inspire the stories you love.

Your ticket to this unforgettable evening is $300. That price that includes dinner and drinks at Rossoblu, one of downtown LA’s most acclaimed Italian restaurants and an evening of conversation and connection with Steve Yockey and PlayGround-LA artists. Seats are limited, and with Steve Yockey as this year’s honoree, they’re expected to go fast! Other featured honorees in their respective cities include: Mia Chung (New York), Philip Kan Gotanda (San Francisco), and Lydia R. Diamond (Chicago). For more information and tickets, click here.