PlayGround-Chicago presents Season 2

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

Topic: “Flashback: 1994”
March 4, 2024 7pm CT
Theater Wit & Simulcast

Acknowledging the Legacy of the Land We Inhabit

PlayGround-Chicago acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the people of the Council of Three Fires, including the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa, the original inhabitants of the Chicago metropolitan area. As the past and present Indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Council of Three Fires 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 Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa 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 Council of Three Fires Communities and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. We honor the storytellers of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa and are grateful for our ability to share and uplift Indigenous stories and those of other historically marginalized communities. In working with artists and audiences from all over the country, PlayGround-Chicago asks that each member of the PlayGround-Chicago community representing a different geographical space respectfully acknowledge the legacy of the land they inhabit.

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-Chicago’s Anti-Racist Policy

PlayGround 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 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’s Anti-Racist Policy applies to: all members of the PlayGround 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: Sam & Naomi Abramovitz, Tanvi Agrawal, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Sharon Baldwin, Jaisey Bates, Tim Bishop, Ms. Linda B Breaux-Smith, Emilie Brooks, Robyn Brooks, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Ben Cain, Julie Campbell, Sidney Glass & Eleanor Clement Glass, Joan Cleveland, Ms. Marilyn Berg Cooper, Sandra Cruze, Dodds Delzell, Hillary DeMartino, Sharon Ebehardt, Ann Ehrmann, Ms. Cherielyn Ferguson, Krystyna Finlayson, Sheri Flanders, Conde Freeman, Michael Fried, Dr. Jan Gilman, Lara Gilman, Michael Tonjum & Jan Gilman, Hollis Greenwood, Ruben Grijalva, Regina Guggenheim, Dana Hall, Rachel Harner, Sharlene Hartman, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Lucy Hsu, Brandy T Jones, Ms. Anne M. Krause, Emily Kuroda, Douglas Le Blanc, Ms. Kristy Lin Billuni, Mr. John Lindner, Jonathan Luskin & Leslie Katz, Rhea MacCallum, George Maguire, Brian Markley, Linda Marks, Dr. Sheila McCormick, Bacilio Mendez II, Ms. Cynthia L Morishige, Dan Morley, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Annette Oliveira, Maryl Olivera, Ms. Vicki Oswald, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Mrs. Elizabeth Poston, Madeline Puccioni, Mr. George Rose, Jessica June Rowe, Michelle Ruscetta, John J. Ruskin, Kathryn Ryan, Miyoko Sakatani, Louel Senores, Mark Sherstinsky, Nancy W. Smith, Stan Stone, Cathie Stonie, Mr. Richard Dana Swart, Mary Lou Torre, Kim Tram, Jeffrey Trescott, Michael E Tuton, Dr. Eidell Wasserman, Michael Waterson, Bex White, Christian Wilburn, Janine Wilburn, and Maury Zeff. Thank you!

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

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!

Timing is Everything
by Rachel DuBose
Directed by Carissa Lee
Nia……………….Esther O’Brien
Shawna…………..Ashli Funches
Waiter…………….Peter Stielstra

Raisin Girl
by Emma Rund
Directed by Leanna Oliveira
Dawn………………..Juliana Liscio
Lisa…………………..Ilsa Morales

1994: Stealing the Scream
by J.S. Puller
Directed by Braedyn Youngberg
Pal.……………….Peter Stielstra
Carmen…………..Diana Simonzadeh

Gibber
by Toby Inoue
Directed by Eileen Dixon
Rosa……………Charlotte Harris
Tim….……………….Nnamdi Nwankwo

1994: clinton files
by alfonzo solomon kahlil
Directed by India Burton
Prisoner #1………….Shariba Rivers
Prisoner #2………….Yvette Corrine

Dreaming
by Juliet Kang Huneke
Directed by Kendall Phillips
Assistant Directed by Nora Geffen
Jess..…………….Vivian Delgadillo
Ashley……………Skylar Frishman

Stage Manager: Michelle Levinson

This live stream is produced under a SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.

PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area, League of Chicago Theatres, and Theatre Communications Group.

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’s award-winning incubator programs.

Cast your vote for your favorite play(s) by making a People’s Choice donation via Zelle (info@playground-ch.org), Venmo (our account ID is @playgroundsf and if they ask for the last four digits of my phone, it’s 8541) or on our website at https://tickets.playground-sf.org/TheatreManager/1/online?donationquick=180 (you can also visit the Monday Night PlayGround page for the People’s Choice donation button). Add a note/memo with your gift 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 continue doing what we do!

Biographies

PLAYWRIGHTS

RACHEL DUBOSE (Timing is Everything), she/her, is a Chicago based playwright , educator, wife + mother. Her work explores magical realism through the Black lens. Most recently she has worked with Broken Nose Theatre, Definition Theatre and Second Site. She holds a MFA from Northwestern University Writing for the Screen + Stage and a BA in Drama from Spelman College.

JULIET KANG HUNEKE (Dreaming), she/her, is a playwright and performer who is passionate about theatre that is larger than life. Juliet graduated from Northwestern University in 2022. Most recently, she was awarded the ReImagine: New Plays in TYA grant to develop her new play for young audiences, HANNAH AND HALMONI SAVE THE WORLD!. Other writing credits include: MECHANICALS (production, Impostors Theater Co Footholds Vol. 4), CENTERVILLE NEW JERSEY HAS A PROBLEM WITH TROUT (production, Vertigo Productions), HOME FOR THE SUMMER (workshop, American Music Theatre Project), and THE WILD (workshop, Jewish Theatre Ensemble). When she’s not acting or writing, Juliet teaches silly theatre classes at Chicago Children’s Theatre.

TOBY INOUE (Gibber), (she/her) is drawn to the complicated gray areas between heroes and villains in her plays. Recent productions of her short plays include FRESH STARTS (One Night Stand’s “Date Night” at Vintage Theatre); BEST FUNDAY FRIEND (North Park Playwright’s 2023 festival); and THE AUDITION (Media Arts Council program of radio plays). Her full-length play KEEP IT LIGHT received a reading in Speranza Theatre Company’s Women’s Play Reading Series in May 2023. In addition to being a member of PlayGround-Chicago, she is also a member of the Womens+ Playwrights Circle at Speranza Theatre Company.

alfonzo solomon kahlil (1994: clinton files), he/they, is a poet, playwright, and performance artist, raised on the W(b)estside of Chicago, who believes whatever doesn’t kill you, makes for great art. Dramatist of SCORPIO & THE NEW / NEW TESTAMENT, alfonzo’s art utilizes the polyphony of spoken word and performance as a medium to explore the realm of the profane, the profound, the sacred, and the taboo of the interpersonal. alfonzo holds a BFA in theatre from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is represented by Stewart Talent. alfonzo was previously seen in The Island (Court u/s John), Allegiance (Goodman), The Dream Engine (Kirby), Track 13 (Young Fugitives), The Seekers (Bushwick), Lectures (Cloud), EFFICIENCY (Dixon), HOLD UP, CANNABITCHES, and CHICAGO FIRE.

J.S. PULLER (1994: Stealing the Scream), she/her, is a playwright and author from the Windy City, Chicago. She is an award-winning member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and has written about the social-emotional benefits of arts education with the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. She is the author of two novels, CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE and THE LOST THINGS CLUB, both published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She also has several published plays, including: WOMEN WHO WEAVE (Playscripts, Inc.), PERSEUS AND MEDUSA – IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME! (Lazybee Scripts), and THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD (Stage Rights).

EMMA S. RUND (Raisin Girl), she/her, is a Chicago-based playwright passionate about the power of live theatre to share truth. As Tim O’Brien so beautifully wrote in The Things They Carried, “I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.” Theatre has a unique power to elicit empathy that Emma tries to harness in her stories. She’s had the pleasure of workshopping her plays with Women’s Theatre Alliance, Wayward Sisters, and the Rogue Theatre Festival. You can find Emma’s work on NPX and in an anthology titled, American Theatre of the Twenty-First Century.

ACTORS

YVETTE CORRINE (1994: Clinton Files, “Prisoner #2”), she/her, is a performer, writer and educator. She holds a BA in education and graduated from the ACADEMY at Black Box Acting Studio in 2022. Some recent credits include Beneatha in A Raisin the Sun at Beverly Arts Center and “The Writer” in Gut, a new work co-produced by Avalanche and Platform Theater Company. In addition to performing, she is a passionate education, housing, and environmental justice advocate. She works with Chicago’s youth as a teaching artist cultivating community gardens on the south and west side. Yvette is thrilled to be doing her first production with Playground Chicago. ig: its_ms_yvette

VIVIAN DELGADILLO (Dreaming, “Jess”), she/they, is a performing artist with an interest in social issues based in Chicago. As someone who loves to sing, dance and act, she is finding her way back into the theater scene. She loves all aspects of collaborative and imaginative play & is down to clown.

SKYLAR FRISHMAN (Dreaming, “Ashley”), they/she, is super excited to be back with Playground Chicago! They have done a handful of other Playground events, as well as working with other Chicago theaters such as Corn Productions, Explore Assemblies, and Chicago Kid’s Company.

ASHLI FUNCHES (Timing is Everything, “Shawna”),

CHARLOTTE HARRIS (Gibber, “Rosa”), she/her, is a chicago actor, and resident company member of Playground-Chicago. Some of her most recent work (aside from Playground) was at The Second City, performing in a sketch show called “Penny For Your Intrusive Thoughts”. As a musical theatre native, Charlotte is so excited to be a part of this round of Playground performances, and would like to thank Playground for choosing her in this process! She would also like to thank her supportive friends and family who have helped her get here, along with her fabulous vocal and acting coaches! You can find Charlotte at @charrischarlie on all social platforms

JULIANA LISCIO (Raisin Girl, “Dawn”), she/her, is a playwright and actor. Current: The Diary of Anne Frank (The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago). Recent: A View From the Bridge (Shattered Globe Theatre, u/s); Space Station Safety (The National Theatre for Children); Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Brighton Beach Memoirs (Citadel Theatre). Juliana is a writer with the Inclusive Playwright Project, and has had her work read as a part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut series, among other readings. Juliana trained at Loyola University Chicago and the Fordham London Dramatic Academy, and is represented by Shirley Hamilton.

ILSA MORALES (Raisin Girl, “Lisa”), she/her, is proud to return to the PlayGround Theater for her third Monday Night Playground performance! Ilsa is a graduate of the Second City conservatory program and an improv performer for the show Portal-Prov! at the Otherworld Theater. She is represented by Chicago Talent Network, and when she isn’t acting in the “bystander intervention” videos shown by the HR department at your job, you can find her laughing about nerdy pop-culture topics on her popular podcast and YouTube channel, Relatable Nerds.

NNAMDI NWANKWO (Gibber, “Tim”), he/him, is thrilled to be a part of PlayGround-Chicago for the second time. Recent credits include a reading of Chicago playwright, Christian Alexander’s “Vulnerable”, “Into the Woods” at Paramount Theatre, man in orange in the world premiere of “For Colored Boyz” at Fulton Theatre, Agwé in “Once on this Island” at Town Hall Arts Center, and Merrick in the world premiere of “Elephant” at Benchmark Theatre as well as workshopping “Intelligence”, a new opera by American Composer/Librettist duo, Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. @nnamdiknwankwo on Instagram, X, and Tiktok.

ESTHER O’BRIEN (The Fair Foul, “Pam”), she/they, is so excited to be making their debut here in Chicago after spending much time in Milwaukee pursuing her theatre career. After 10 years performing on various stages, they’re excited to be welcomed with Chicago’s open arms.

SHARIBA RIVERS (1994: clinton files, “Prisoner #1″), she/her, is happy to join PlayGround Chicago again. Recent credits: Notes from the Field (TimeLine Theatre), The Nacirema Society (Goodman Theatre), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina), and Trouble in Mind (Timeline Theatre)). She was recently featured in “The People Issue” of The Chicago Reader and was listed in Newcity Stage as one of its “Players 2023” for theatre. TV credits include Chicago Med, The Chi, Chicago Fire, Empire, and Chicago PD. Film credits include Smoking Gun!, Okie, and Start Without Me. Shariba is a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA and is represented by Gray Talent Group. www.sharibatheactor.com

DIANA SIMONZADEH (1994: Stealing the Scream, “Carmen”), she/her, is thrilled to make her fourth appearance with Monday Night PlayGround! She’s currently in production for a non-union feature, Necro 101 as Dr. Mabel Mrytlewood Sinclair, professor of Necromancy! Theater credits include: The Corpse Washer at Actor Theatre’s Louisville’s 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays; Perfect Mendacity at Asolo Repertory; Night Over Erzinga and Scorched at Silk Road Cultural Center; Homebody/Kabul at Steppenwolf Theatre; Return To Haifa at Next Theater; Bye Bye Birdie at Drury Lane; and West Side Story and Oklahoma! at Pheasant Run Resort theater. Diana is a proud recipient of an Actors Equity Jeff Award.

PETER STIELSTRA (Romeo Doesn’t Know, “Romeo”), he/him, is a Chicago based actor and singer. He is glad to be returning to the Playground. Recent credits include HERSHEL AND THE HANUKKAH GOBLINS (Max/Guitarist) with Strawdog, THE THREEPENNY OPERA (Ensemble, u/s Macheath) with Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, and GIRLFRIEND (Mike) with PrideArts. Before moving to Chicago from San Francisco, some of his favorite credits include: AS YOU LIKE IT (Orlando u/s and ensemble) with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS (Barrabas) at UC Berkeley.