PlayGround-LA Company in the News August-2020

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

Sylvia Cervantes Blush is currently producing/directing a Zoom to Video play with 35 actors across 17 households ranging in age of 4-50+ . She’s getting into good trouble by working with the amazing Company of Angels on their first virtual play festival “What’s Going On” and is gearing up for an improv alumni reunion with the Cerritos College group G.I.P.S.

Jully Lee is part of the virtual short play festival WHAT’S GOING ON? at Company of Angels, directing HOW’S THE STORE by Mildred Lewis and performing in ORANGE JUICE: REST IN POWER, LATASHA HARLINS by Carene Rose Mekertichyan. She is also part of a workshop for a new full-length play THE BIG RED NAUGAHYDE BOOTH (OR, WOULD-BE ELKS) by Jennie Webb, and will participate in The NOMAD Project with Coeurage Theatre, performing in the audio play THE ROOSTER by Tom Jacobson (thanks to fellow PG’er Mark Jacobson for the offer)! She continues teaching virtual improv classes with COLD TOFU and will also perform with COLD TOFU as the opening act for the virtual Nisei Week Festival Online in mid-August. Jullylee.com

Mildred Lewis’s play HOWS THE STORE will be performed as part of Company of Angels’s What’s Going On, play festival, directed by Jully Lee.  

Victoria Goring was awarded a grant to shoot Civili$ed and is currently in week three of shooting.

Allie Costa contributed to Homestage, a digital archive that documents how artists are using their homes during the crisis. She also participated in the dance project Choreography Confined. Her play BOXES ARE MAGIC, which started at PlayGround-LA, was part of The 10-Minute (virtual) Play Festival. Her brand-new script CLEAN SLATE had its world premiere at the New Normal/New Writing Theatre Festival. A MOMENT OF SILENCE and an excerpt of PRIVATE CITIZEN were featured in the Speak Up Festival. Allie contributed multiple scenes to ALICE IN QUARANTINE, an innovative new family-friendly script inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  Allie’s screenplay 20 UESTIONS, which was inspired by a PlayGround prompt, is nominated for Favorite Comedic Screenplay! Vote here: https://hivechannel5.com/the-ten-show-season-2/favorite-screenplay-comedy/ Voting closes Friday, August 7th at 11 AM PST. Learn more about Allie’s work here.  

Tiffany Mualem was on set last week in her first on-location shoot back after quarantine. And the episode of Let’s Make a Deal recently aired where she won a trip to Cancun!

Gabi Mayorga just successfully produced a small zoom film festival for her family and close friends. She is currently working on another one at the end of August.

Emily Brauer Rogers will be on Orange County Theatre Guild’s Playwrights Panel on August 11 at 6 pm.

After completing his doctoral degree and defending his thesis, The Power of Artistic Activism, Dr. Julio Hanson created The Artistic Activist Collective so that underrepresented like-minded artists, educators, and entrepreneurs can come together and share experiences and support each other in reaching their personal and professional goals.  Julio continues to find his voice in writing screenplays and books.  He hopes to finish his personal reflection of the elements of artistic activism, as well as a children’s book based on his experiences as an assistant principal in an elementary school.  Julio continues to use his knowledge of 6 languages to connect globally with people all over the world.

Frieda de Lackner created a video in support of Black Lives Matter, featuring PlayGround company members Christina Wren, Krystal Mosley, Gary Poux, Rondrell McCormick, and Tahmus Rounds. You can see the video here.  

David Meyers‘ webseries BLOOMYWOODis about to be released. Follow @BloomywoodTheSeries on Instagram and Facebook, or click here.  

Uma Incrocci‘s short play A CHRISTMAS PICKLE — which was written for Playground’s “holiday miracle” prompt in 2018 — was selected as one of the Top 30 Plays in the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival.

Amanda L. Andrei joined the Echo Theatre’s Young Playwrights group. She also joined Aguas Arts Ink as Producer of Arts & Education Initiatives. Have an idea for a virtual theatre project that aligns with the AAI mission? Get in touch here.  

Michael P. Adams‘s play HAPPY MERRY has been selected for A Light in Dark Places’ festival showcasing suicide awareness this fall. His monologue “Coping” will be part of Raze the Space’s annual festival, also in the fall.