Best of PlayGround-Chicago Playbill 2026
PlayGround-Chicago presents Season 3
in association with Theater Wit
BEST OF PLAYGROUND(CH) ’26
April 27th, 2026 7pm PT
Theater Wit & Vimeo Live 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.
Dibs
by Betsy Dudak
directed by Spencer Ryan Diedrick
YOLANDA…………..Cathy Reyes McNamara
AGNES……………..…..Dana Macel
Mukashi Mukashi
by Toby Inoue
directed by Kaeli Meno
HARUE…………………..Mia Park
SUE……………………….Charlotte Harris
QUINN……………………Lily Lourigan
A Whale Called Grief
by alfonzo solomon kahlil
directed by Kezia Waters
PASTOR………………….Jelani Julyus
SISTER…………………Andrea Conway-Diaz
Gnats!
by Shail Modi
directed by Leanna Oliveira
Old Neuteronomy/Mr. Nestoffolees………..Paul Tavianini
Dingo/Nimblenanks…………………Austin Rambo
Nizzabella…………………Diana Simonzadeh
Date Night
by James Hayakawa
directed by Brandi Champagne
DANIELLE……………..Ilsa Morales
Second City, First Draft
by Dana Hall
directed by JJ Gatesman
Sara………………Jordan Zelvin
Sara………………Braedyn Youngberg
Sara………………Dina Monk
Stage Manager – Charlie Levinson
Livestream Broadcaster – Todd Loden
This live stream is produced under a SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.
PlayGround is a member of Theatre Bay Area, A.R.T.-New York, League of Chicago Theatres, and Theatre Communications Group, and a Partner Organization of the National New Play Network (NNPN).
BIOGRAPHIES
PLAYWRIGHTS
BETSY DUDAK (Dibs), lives with her rescue dog, Barkley, who thinks he’s a cat. Since 2021, Betsy has had multiple plays performed in many cities in US as well as one in the UK. Her first full-length play was recently performed in Brooklyn, NY. Her published books included See Me Grieve: A Widow’s Journey, , and two, award-winning romance novels, What the Heck, Dec?! and Wanna Bet. Betsy has been taking playwriting classes at the University of Chicago’s Graham School, The Dramatist Guild and Chicago Dramatist. This is her second season with Playground Chicago. For more information on Betsy, please visit her website at www.betsydudak.net, or contact her at elizabethdudakauthor@gmail.com.
DANA HALL (Second City, First Draft) she/her, is a Chicago-based, award-winning playwright, actor, and licensed mental health therapist whose work explores trauma, resilience, and healing, often through the vehicle of humor. Her plays have received national and international recognition, including honors from the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, AACT NewPlayFest, and New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest. She is currently in residence with the Dramatists Guild Institute and her work is widely published across multiple theater platforms. Her comic monologue collection, Cue the Comedy, is available on Amazon.
JAMES HAYAKAWA (Date Night), he/him, is a multi-hyphenate artist based in Chicago. He is a graduate of Ball State University’s BFA Musical Theatre program and an alum of Shattered Globe Theatre’s Protégé program. Performance Credits include A Tale of Two Cities (Shattered Globe), HAGS (Foaming @ the Mouth Festival), Bards in Bars (Olde School Shakespeare Collective), Mycelium & others (Playground Chicago), and Skin and Bones (Ball State University). James was a competitor on Jeopardy! in 2024. He would like to thank Fiona for her endless support and his family for all their love and inspiration.
TOBY INOUE (Mukashi Mukashi), she/her, has loved being a part of PlayGround-Chicago community for three seasons. The short plays that she’s written for PlayGround-Chicago have gone on to other short play festivals, including 23 AND ME AND ME AND ME (Trinity Theatre Company New Works Festival, San Diego, CA, Apr 2025); SERENE HEALTHY WELLNESS SPA RETREAT RESORT (audio broadcast, Theatrical Shenanigans, UK, Dec 2025); and POWER PLAY (Troy Foundry Theatre’s Half Baked Festival, NY, Sep 2025). She’s also had readings of her full length plays KEEP IT LIGHT at Redtwist Theatre and SORA AND KELLER at Chicago Dramatists. Toby is a founding member of the Evanston Playwrights Group and a member of the Playwrights Circle @ Speranza Theatre Company. https://wabi-sa.com; @toby.inoue
SHAIL MODI (Gnats!), he/him, is a Chicago-based playwright and actor. His dream is to star in a Bollywood movie without knowing Hindi or how to sing or dance.
ALFONZO SOLOMON KAHLIL (A Whale Called Grief), they/he, 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. Awarded Best Actor by New York Film Awards for their portrayal of Peter in The Waiting Room and Dramatist of SCORPIO & THE NEW / NEW TESTAMENT, alfonzo’s art utilizes the spoken word as a medium to explore the realm 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. They were previously seen in Measure of a Man (Perceptions) The Island (Court u/s John), HOLD UP, and CHICAGO FIRE.
ACTORS
ANDREA CONWAY-DIAZ (A Whale Called Grief, “Sister”), she/her, is a Jeff Award winning actor (Best Production 7 Guitars) She was recently seen in the staged reading of The Lost Virgin Tour at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theater and Gut Punch at Bramble Arts Theater. She is in the upcoming independent film Angels in the Rye and the web series True Deceptions. She’s thrilled to be included in the Best of Playground,. This is fouth reading with Playground this season!
CHARLOTTE HARRIS (Mukashi Mukashi, “Sue”), she/her, is thrilled to be joining this cast again! Aside from her role as a company member of Playground Chicago, her other recent Chicago credits include: I Hate Hamlet (Saint Sebastian Players), Rapornzel (Pride Arts Center), A Penny for Your Intrusive Thoughts (The Second City); The Man Who Came to Dinner (Saint Sebastian Players). Charlotte would like thank Toby for her the chance to bring her wonderful words to life, and her supporters who said to keep going!
JELANI JULYUS (A Whale Called Grief, “Pastor”), he/him, believes in the power of story to transform society and possesses a unique ability to find the hope nestled at the heart of every story. Jelani is grateful for the opportunity to work with PlayGround Chicago. He dedicates his career as an actor to his children and hopes they learn that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Visit jelanijulyus.com to learn more about Jelani’s career and training.
LILY LOURIGAN (Mukashi Mukashi, “Quinn”), she/her, is beyond excited to participate in this beautiful play again! She is an emerging actor in the MKE/Chicago area. You can currently find her in Drunk Shakespeare’s production of Romeo & Juliet! Previous credits include Bramble Theatre, Young People’s Theatre of Chicago, and Acacia Theatre. She dedicates this performance to her mother, and everyone who left a life behind to build a new one. IG: @pandadinosaurs
DANA MACEL (Dibs, “Agnes”), she/her, Dana is an actor and voiceover artist based in Chicago. She is currently a part of Bramble Theatre Company’s Spring Reading Series (Throwback Island, May 19).
CATHY REYES MCNAMARA (Dibs, “Yolanda”), she/her, received her BA in Musical Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College and is a 2017 graduate of the ACADEMY at Black Box Acting. Recent credits include Spitfire Grill (Refuge Theater Project), Oliver! (St Sebastian Players), and Reefer Madness (Cult Camp Productions).
DINA MONK (Second City, First Draft, “Jess”), she/her, is delighted to return to PlayGround Chicago! Recent Chicago Theatre credits include Holiday (Goodman Theatre); Dear Rhoda (The Shakespeare Project of Chicago); Love Song (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company); Private Lives (Raven Theatre); The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story (Oak Park Festival Theatre); Gaslight (Oil Lamp Theater); The Subtle, Sublime Transformation of Benny V (A Short Leap Theatre Co.). Regional Theatre credits include 3 seasons of A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); As You Like It (Montana Shakes!); The Winter’s Tale and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival). TV credits: Chicago Fire (NBC). She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and studied with the British American Drama Academy: Midsummer in Oxford program. She is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent. Visit www.dinamonk.com for more info on her past work.
ILSA MORALES (Date Night, “Danielle”), she/her, is a Chicago-based actor, improviser, and content creator. A graduate of The Second City Conservatory, she has performed in several theaters throughout Chicago and creates original sketch and digital content across platforms.
MIA PARK (Mukashi Mukashi, “Harue”), she/her, is a multi-dimensional artist and health care provider based in Chicago. Boundless enthusiasm fuels Mia’s community engagement as a hospice nurse, actor,
taiji and yoga teacher, cultural producer, and professor. Mia is excited to produce the EVOLUTION Asian American Arts Festival, May 2-3 at Lookingglass Theatre. www.AAAC.art
AUSTIN RAMBO (Gnats!, “Dingo/Nimblenanks”), he/him, is a heightened physical theater actor with a rigorous background in clown and circus. Recently working with Lookingglass Theater company in Circus Quixote and Lyric Opera house Pagliacci.
DIANA SIMONZADEH (Gnats!, “Nizzabella”), she/her, is honored to participate in Season 4 Best Of PlayGround (Chicago) ’26, in Shail Modi’s, Gnats! She’s been a PlayGround company member for three seasons. A recent recipient of a Best Actress Award at 2026 Wolf Tree Film Festival, and a Best Actress Nomination at Flathead Lake International Cinemafest in Polson, Montana for award-winning indie short thriller, The Solution, Diana has been busy working on other upcoming projects including feature, Sharing Air by Deep Dive Productions, and The Great Balloon by RA Imaging. She is a proud recipient of an Equity Jeff Award. https://imdb.me/dianasimonzadeh
PAUL TAVIANINI (Gnats!; “Old Neuteronomy/Mr. Nestoffolees”), he/him. Regional: Becoming A Man, A.R.T.; Picasso At The Lapin Agile, Capital Rep (Einstein); Terra Nova, Capital Rep (Birdie Bowers); A Raisin in the Sun, Indiana Repertory (Karl Lindner); Stones in His Pockets, Hippodrome (Jake, et al.); Alabama Story, Actors Theatre of Indiana (Garth Williams); Bright Star, Phoenix Theatre (IN); And Then There Were None, Drury Lane Theatre; TV: “Chicago P.D.”, “Dark Matter”, “Kidnap & Rescue”; Film: “Rampage: The Hillside Strangler.” Education: M.F.A., Brandeis University.
BRAEDYN YOUNGBERG (The Last of Its Kind, “Earl”), he/him, is thrilled to be returning to PlayGround-Chicago and support their mission to develop local playwrights! Regional theatre credits include “Don Armado” (Loves Labors Lost), “Roderigo” (Othello), and “Antonio” (Twelfth Night) with Marin Shakespeare Company, “Orlando, et al” (As You Like It) with SF Shakes, “The Monster” (Young Frankenstein) with Spreckels PAC, and “Brad Majors” (The Rocky Horror Show) with Sixth Street Playhouse. Braedyn has trained locally with The Second City and iO Chicago, as well as regionally with Shakespeare & Company.
JORDAN ZELVIN (Second City, First Draft, “Kat”), she/they, is a Chicago teaching artist, comedian, puppeteer, and proud company member of PlayGround Chicago with a love of improv, collaboration, and storytelling. She has worked with The Alliance Theatre, Writers Theatre, NTYA, Oil Lamp Theater, Strawdog Theatre, Redtwist Theatre, The Second City, The Annoyance, iO Theater, and The Revival. Jordan is the Associate Artistic Director and Lead Teaching Artist for the K’ilu Company, co-founder of Chronic Collective Chi, and a comedian of Malarkey Comedy. She’s thrilled to be back with PlayGround Chicago and supporting free and accessible theatre.
DIRECTORS
BRANDII CHAMPAGNE (Date Night), they/them/any, is a director, producer, actor, and all-around theatre-maker! They’re one of the co-Artistic Directors of Theatre L’Acadie. Some of their recent theatre credits include Big Time Toppers (Director – Theatre L’Acadie), Polaroid Stories by Naomi lizuka (Guest Director – McNeese University), 6 Installments of In Bloom at Theatre L’Acadie (Producer), and two years of producing INC. alongside Pocket. Keep up with them on Instagram for what’s next: @brandii.champagne | Check out their portfolio and more of their work at: brandiichampagne.com
SPENCER RYAN DIEDRICK (Dibs), he/him, is a Chicago-based director and advocate for original/underappreciated voices. Recent directing credits include THEY BROKE UP (Avalanche), The Hatmaker’s Wife (Theatre EVOLVE), The Delivery (Inclusive Playwright Project / Trap Door), Black Cat Lost (Red Tape), Desire Desire Desire (Eclipse), and Fragmented (Our Perspective). Other credits include work at Steep, Griffin, American Blues, Shattered Globe, TimeLine, Raven, and Broken Nose. Regional: RENT, Once, Lewiston/Clarkson (GhostLight Theater), Mycelium, Tomato Tattoo (PlayGround-SF). He is a proud company member of Playground-Chicago, an Artistic Associate of The GhostLight, and eternally thankful for Kendall, Puma+Sophie, friends, and community.
KAELI MENO (Mukashi Mukashi), they/she, is a Queer and Chamorro director and playwright with an emphasis on new work. They assisted directed on MedeaMedeaMedea (Theatre Evolve) and Thanksgiving Play (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). They have also directed new work pieces with TranScript Productions, Make/Believe Festival at Ghostlight Ensemble, Playground Chicago, and the Valdez Theater Conference. Her writing has been supported or developed by (W)rites of Summer (Story Theatre), Sad Boy Hours, Jackalope Theater, and the Valdez Theater Conference. Through all of their endeavors, they seek to support the growing community of Chicago artists. Originally from Alaska, Kaeli received their Bachelor’s in Theater and History from the University of Alaska.
JJ GATESMAN (Second City, First Draft), he/him. Select Directing Credits: Hand to God (Elsinore Theater Ensemble) Spike Heels, Jack of Hearts (Milwaukee Entertainment Group) The Beauty of Psyche (Milwaukee Fringe Festival). Actor’s Gymnasium Pro Training Circus Track; he has worked as an actor (Oil Lamp Theater, Jackalope), fight director (Madison Opera), and a clown (Lyric Opera).
LEANNA OLIVEIRA (Gnats!), she/her, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from the University of Central Florida and her Master’s Degree in Directing at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. After teaching and directing for 8 years in South Florida, she moved to Chicago to pursue a career in theatre. Some of her recent directing credits include: The Siren Song of Stephen Jay Gould (Haven), She Kills Monsters YA Edition, Antigone, Medea, Peter & the Starcatcher, Much Ado About Nothing (Lake Worth Playhouse), A Christmas Story (Lake Worth Playhouse), Mycelium (PlayGround-Chicago), Raisin Girls (PlayGround-Chicago), Not Unusual (PlayGround-Chicago), Ellison Grants a Wish (PlayGround-Chicago).
KEZIA WATERS (A Whale Called Grief ), he/they, is a Storyteller/ Performance Artist located in Chicago, IL. Their work lives between the worlds of ethnography, folklore, ritual and the living archive. Through surrealism they try to find things that are Holy, Whole, and Holds. A humanist fairy. They have performed in the Biennale d’art Performative de Rouyn-Noranda of Canada, Dazibao Gallery in Montreal and Recto- Verso in Ouebec City and numerous galleries around Chicago. Kezia was a 2023 In-Session Fellow at ThreeWalls, studying the Performance and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston and also an Adjunct Professor of Acting & African American Theatre at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.
PRODUCTION & STAFF
JIM KLEINMANN (Director, The Last of Its Kind; Artistic Director & Co-Founder), 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.
DEVIN CHRISTOR (Executive Producer), he/him, is a director that focuses on plays that critique hegemonic masculinity. Since receiving his B.A in Drama from the University of North Texas he has traveled the country working for several professional theaters to observe established directors and study the ecology of regional theater in America. Credits include: 1919 (Steppenwolf), Julius Caesar & God of Carnage (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Into the Side of a Hill (Flint Repertory Theater “New Works Festival”), Freeze Out (Trinity Repertory Company “America Too” Festival), and Oba (Triangle Rainbow Productions “LGBTQ Short Play” Festival), The Gift of the Magi (American Players Theatre), A Raisin in the Sun (Beverly Arts Center).
CHARLIE LEVINSON (Stage Manager), they/she, is excited to be stage managing for PlayGround Chicago once again! Credits include: Hamlet 50/50 (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival); The Magic Flute, Emperor of Atlantis, Hansel and Gretel (Northwestern Opera); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Theo Ubique); Murder for Two, Oliver!, The Mousetrap, and Private Lives (The Winnipesaukee Playhouse), Three Musketeers, Antigone, The Ghost Tour: Staged Reading, Twelfth Night, and Where Did We Sit On The Bus? (Cleveland Play House); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Saint Joan, and Shakespeare in Love (Ohio Shakespeare Festival).
PLAYGROUND-CHICAGO is the third regional expansion of the celebrated Bay Area playwright incubator and theatre community hub, PlayGround(SF). PlayGround, California’s leading playwright incubator, provides unique development opportunities for the Bay Area’s, Los Angeles’, New York’s and now Chicago’s best new playwrights, including the monthly Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series, annual PlayGround Festival of New Works, full-length play commissions and support for the production of new plays by local playwrights through the New Play Production Fund. To date, PlayGround has supported over 250 early career playwrights, developing and staging more than 1,000 of their original short plays through the Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series and the PlayGround Festival. PlayGround has also commissioned 90 new full-length plays by 60 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and, through the innovative New Play Production Fund, has directly facilitated the premiere of 34 plays at theatres of every size, including three that have gone on to NYC and other major theater communities. Most recently, PlayGround renovated and relaunched the former Thick House Theater in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill as Potrero Stage, a state-of-the-art center for new plays, home to PlayGround’s expanding artistic programs and some of the Bay Area’s most distinguished new play developers and producers. Over the past twenty-seven years, PlayGround has served to identify some of the most important new local voices for the theatre. PlayGround’s alumni have gone on to win local, national, and international honors for their short and full-length work, including recognition at the Humana Festival, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Lark’s Playwrights’ Week, New York International Fringe Festival, and others. PlayGround received the 2009 Paine Knickerbocker Award for outstanding contributions to Bay Area theatre, 3 BATCC Awards for Best Original Script for PlayGround commissions, a 2014 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing (founder of the Tony Awards®), and a 2016 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.
COMING SOON: STREAMING & COMING SOON
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 January 1, 2025 & January 25, 2026.
GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS
Alameda County Arts Commission • Art Space Development Corporation • Berkeley Civic Arts • Berlanti Family Foundation • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Office of the Small Business Advocate • Fleishhacker Foundation • Grants For The Arts • KFF • Koret Foundation • LA County Arts Commission • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • National Endowment of the Arts • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • New York State Council on the Arts • News Corp • NIAC • Nvidia • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Ronald Whittier Family Foundation • Rye Financial Services • SF Shines • The Shubert Foundation • State Compensation Insurance Fund
SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)
Emilie & Gordon Brooks, Dan Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Keith Goldstein & Donna Warrington, Jim Kleinmann & Lara Gilman, Jackie Kubicka, Craig Moody, Darryl Wilburn
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)
Randy Adams, John Gilman, Regina Guggenheim, Kathryn Hecht, Nitin Nitin & Vasugi Kailasam, Jessica June Rowe, Christian Wilburn, Janine Wilburn, Anonymous
PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)
Jahnavi Alyssa, Linda Amayo-Hassan, Meriko Borogove, Anne Brady, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Sheila Collins, Jediah Craig, Elizabeth Dudak, Jessica Forbess, David Goldman, Greg Gorel, Gina & Steve Harris, Uma Incrocci, Jonathan Josephson, Linda Kremer, Tobi Marcus, Rebecca Martinez, Bram McGinnis, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Kendall Phillips, Evelyn J Pine & Doug Peckler, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Arthur Rock & Toni Rembe Rock, Kathryn Ryan, Miyoko Sakatani, Diane Sampson, Sanjit Sengupta, Kurt Taylor, William C. Thompson, Jeffrey Trescott, Hechale Productions
PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)
Tanvi Agrawal, Ben Cain, Lydia R. Diamond, Leon Goertzen, Philip Gotanda & Diane Takei, Toby Inoue, Paul & Pam Kleinmann, Margery Kreitman, Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb, Jenny Rand, Cindy & Chris Redburn, John Ruskin, Kitt Saginor, Mercedes Segesvary, Jerome Solberg
PATRON ($250-$499)
Linda Ayres-Frederick / Phoenix Arts Association Theatre, Ruth Brayton, Marilyn Cooper, Clint Fleener, Alex Loddengaard, Alan Maass, Tobi Marcus, Stephanie Prentice & David Haines, George Rose, Mark Sherstinsky, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Mary Lou Torre, Robin Wimsatt, Maury Zeff
ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)
Sharon Baldwin, Deepanshu Dutta, Krystyna Finlayson, Clint Fleener, Patience Haggin, Abbe Kalos, Karen Levesque, Pam Mackinnon, Linda Marks, Jack Needleman, Karen Reaume, Katja Rivera, Nancy Smith, Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, Christina Velasco, Matt W Wills, Susannah Wise
To contribute to PlayGround, visit https://playground-ch.org/contribute or contact PlayGround Director of Development Lana Richards at lana@playground-sf.org or by phone at (833) 992-6677.
PlayGround Company
PLAYGROUND-CHICAGO WRITERS POOL
Daniel Arzola, Siah Berlatsky, Andrea Berting, Jessie Bond, Anne Brady, Rachel Chin, Mikayla De Guzman, Kimberly Dixon-Mays, Betsy Dudak,Liz Haas, Dana Hall, James Hayakawa, Toby Inoue, Arti Ishak, Tanuja Devi Jagernauth, Jerluane Jenkins, Jessica Johnson, alfonzo kahlil, Juliet Kang Huneke, Alex Kingsley, Alan Maass, Sydney MacGilvray, Shail Modi, J.S. Puller, Shannon Pritchard, Jay Rehak, Matt Schutz, Katherine Swan.
PLAYGROUND-CHICAGO COMPANY
Manny Buckley, Valerie Butler-Newbern, Devin Christor, Andrea Conway-Diaz, Yvette Corrine, Lynda Cortez, Vivian Delgadillo, Spencer Diedrick, Eileen Dixon, Sheri Flanders, Skylar Frishman, Ashley Graham, Scott Gryder, Charlotte Harris, Carmia Imani, Hannah Lynn Kato, Benjamin Kelly, Charlie Levinson, Beau Malone, Kaeli Meno, Paige Mesina, Ilsa Morales, Alka Nayyar, Leanna Oliveira, Dakota Pariset, Kendall Phillips, Shariba Rivers, Diana Simonzadeh, Brooke-Erin Smith, Peter Stielstra, Tyler Struble, William C. Thompson, Kezia Waters, Karla Wren, Braedyn Youngberg, Jordan Zelvin.
PLAYGROUND STAFF
Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 
Devin Christor, Executive Producer
Leanna Oliveira, Associate Producer
Brooke-Erin Smith, Associate Producer
Karissa Murrell Myers, Casting Director
Donna Fondjo, 2025-26 Producing Fellow 
Jordan Don, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
Juliana Morgado Brito, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
Devin Cunningham, 2025-26 Producing Fellow
www.PlayGround-sf.org
3286 Adeline St #9
Berkeley, CA 94703-2485
info@playground-sf.org
(415) 992-6677