PlayGround-Chicago presents Season 2

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

Topic: “The Legacy of the Land We Inhabit“

December 04, 2023 7pm CT

Live at Theater Wit + Simulcast & On-Demand

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:

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!

A Tamal Invocation
by Maria Arreola
Directed by Devin Christor
Nadia………………………..Ilsa Morales
Gigi………..Sophie Hernando Kofman

The Fighting Onions
by J.S. Puller
Directed by Kendall Phillips
Ms. Halstead…………….Annie Varberg
Madison………………………Rachel Wade
Dan……………………………..Beau Malone

Abiitan
by Adelina Marinello
Directed by Kezia Waters
Aji……………………Vivian Delgadillo
‘Iing…………………………Emily Zhang
Zheshi…………………….Lynda Cortez
Omash……………………Juliana Liscio

Knotty Acknowledgements
by Toby Inoue
Directed by Brian Balcom
Marcia…………………….Charlotte Harris
Mary…………………………..Annie Varberg
Margo……………………….Skylar Frishman
Karen……………………..Diana Simonzadeh

The Tall One
by Zach Barr
Directed by Joel Willison
Shaina.……………………..Emily Brown
Kendall…………………….MiKayla Boyd

Mycelium
by Juliet Kang Huneke
Directed by Leanna Oliveira
Reishi………………………..Maya Schnake
Lingzhi…………………..James Hayakawa
Viv…..……………………………Emily Zhang

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-sf.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=16 (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

MARIA I. ARREOLA (A Tamal Invocation), she/her, is a Chicana playwright from Blue Island, IL. She writes plays that make her laugh and she hopes will make others laugh as well. Maria is a 2021 Sewanee Writers’ Conference Scholar, a 24 Hour Plays alum, and the former Peter F. Sloss Artistic Fellow at Berkeley Rep. Outside of theater, she has her own podcast all about crushes called Crush(ed).

ZACH BARR (The Tall One), they/them, is a multidisciplinary theatre artist based in Chicago. They are currently a member of the Three Brothers Theatre Playwrights Residency. Zach’s play NEW OLEANNA received a reading at Red Theater in September 2023, and their adaptation of WINNIE-THE-POOH received a staged reading at the Den Theatre in July 2022. Additionally, Zach is the creator of the video essay series AND NOW THEY SING, discussing the history of the performing arts (youtube.com/@andnowtheysing). They are aro/ace.

JULIET KANG HUNEKE (Mycelium), 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 (Knotty Acknowledgements), she/her, is drawn to the complicated gray areas between heroes and villains in the plays she writes. After the pandemic derailed her first full-length play production (“Bring Him Home” at Hedgerow Theatre), a few of her shorter pieces have been produced (“Best Funday Friend” at North Park Playwright Festival; “The Audition” at Media Arts Council program of radio plays) and her play “Keep It Light” was a part of Speranza Theatre Company’s Women’s Play Reading Series. In addition to being a member of PlayGround-Chicago, she is also a member of the Womens+ Playwrights Circle at Speranza Theatre Company.

ADELINA MARINELLO (Abiitan), she/her, is an emerging playwright and performer currently based in Chicago. Recent projects include SPILL YOUR GUTS! (Nothing Without a Company’s 2023 24-hour Play Festival); My Body Has a Mind of Its Own (Fletcher URG Prize 2023 Semi Finalist); The Good Girls (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre First Contact Play Reading Series; Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival at Northwestern University), and Pixie Pussy (staged reading at Williamstown Theatre Festival).

J.S. PULLER (The Fighting Onions), she/her, is a playwright and author from the Windy City, Chicago. She has a master’s degree in elementary education and a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University. 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. When not writing, she can usually be found in the theatre. Sometimes haunting it.

ACTORS

MIKAYLA BOYD (The Tall One, “Kendall”), she/her, is a Chicago-based dancer, actor, writer. She is a junior at the Latin School of Chicago and a Flag Girl on the South Shore Drill Team. Her previous performances include: Voice of Good Hope (City Lit Theatre), American Blues #ENOUGH Showcase 2021, Metamorphoses (Latin School of Chicago), Emma’s Child (City Lit Theatre), Spike Heels (Latin School of Chicago), American Blues #ENOUGH Showcase 2022, American Blues Youth Playwright Showcase ‘21/‘22, On Fred Gray Ave (City Lit Theatre) as well as stage managing the Winter Dance Company Recital and Adv. Acting Company Production of Lawrence and Holloman at her school. She enjoys the arts, studying medicine/indigenous cultures, and plans to attend university in following years.

EMILY BROWN (The Tall One, “Shaina”), she/her, has appeared in feature films and theater. She currently appears as Dottie, The Waitress, in Clear Spring Health commercials.

LYNDA CORTEZ (Abiitan, “Zheshi”), they/them, is excited and thankful to make their debut with PlayGround-Chicago! They are an actor and jazz/indie singer originally from New Orleans. Recent credits include “Garden of Decay” at Navy Pier, “Books on the Chopping Block” with City Lit Theater Company, and being a Healthcare Clown with Vaudeville Chicago. You can also currently catch them understudying for Reese/Mary/Ensemble in Wise Guys at The Factory Theater! Seeking representation.

VIVIAN DELGADILLO (Abiitan, “Aji”) she/her, is an actor, musician and dancer based in Chicago. Having performed as a musician at venues like California Clipper & Golden Dagger, 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 (Knotty Acknowledgements, “Margo”), she/her, is an actor of about fifteen years. This is their third time working with Playground and they are delighted! Currently they are also a performer for the Polar Express, the Walnut Room, Princess Parties by MC, and more!

CHARLOTTE HARRIS (Knotty Acknowledgements, “Marcia”), she/her, is a local Chicago actor who hails from Houston, TX. Charlotte enjoys kayaking and football when not acting. She would like to thank her best friend Jordan: for always being the Chandler to my Joey.

JAMES HAYAKAWA (Mycelium, “Lingzhi”), he/him, is thrilled to make his Chicago debut with Playground. James is a recent graduate of Ball State University, with a BFA in Musical Theatre. While at Ball State, he appeared in Skin and Bones (Granger, World Premiere), Pirates of Penznace (Pirate King), and Crazy for You (Custus). A big thank you to Playground Chicago for this fantastic opportunity!

SOPHIE HERNANDO KOFMAN (A Tamal Invocation, “Gigi”), she/her, is a Latinx storyteller, world-crafter, and creative thinker who loves nothing more than to build stories that invite wonder and stir emotions. Her recent Chicago credits include “Grimm” with Theatre Above the Law the past three years, “SpongeBob the Musical” and “The Cripple of Inishmaan” with Surging Films & Theatrics, “El Grande de Coca Cola” with Waterfront Summer Stages, and two audio plays with Eclectic Full Contact Theatre. Sophie is also an Associate Artist with Local Theater Company in Boulder, Colorado. When not acting, you can often find her crafting, or playing D&D. Instagram: @queen_tofii

JULIANA LISCIO (Abiitan, “Omash”), she/her, is happy to work with Playground Chicago in both the actor and writer pools! Upcoming: The Delivery (Inclusive Playwright Project/Trapdoor Theatre). Past Credits: A View From The Bridge (u/s, Shattered Globe); Space Station Safety (The National Theatre for Children); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (u/s, Oak Park Festival Theatre); Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Brighton Beach Memoirs (Citadel Theatre), and Dracula (Surging Films and Theatrics). Juliana holds a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago, and received classical training at the London Dramatic Academy. She is a playwright with Shattered Globe’s Inclusive Playwright Project, and is represented by Shirley Hamilton. IG: julianaliscio

BEAU MALONE (The Fighting Onions, “Dan”), he/they, is a Chicago-based theatremaker hailing from different places.

ILSA MORALES (A Tamal Invocation, “Nadia”), she/her, is an actor and comedian based in Chicago. She is a graduate of the Conservatory Program at The Second City and a performer for Portal Prov! at the Otherworld Theater. When she isn’t performing, you can find her laughing with her co-host on their podcast and YouTube channel, Relatable Nerds.

MAYA SCHNAKE (Mycelium, “Reishi”), she/her, is excited to be back at Theater Wit! She has previously been seen as Melanie u/s in Radial Gradient (Shatterd Globe Theatre), Twyla/Roberta in Recitatif (The House Theatre of Chicago) and Belle in A Nantucket Christmas Carol (White Heron Theatre Company), as well as Margot in the upcoming film Year One. She received her Bachelors degree from Northwestern University. Thanks to her family and friends for all their support!

DIANA SIMONZADEH (Knotty Acknowledgements, “Karen”), she/her, is thrilled to make her second appearance with Monday Night Playground as Karen in Toby Inoue’s, Knotty Acknowledgements! The season opener’s, The Origin Of Zeke Wolf by Dana Hall was her first. Regional Theatre: The Corpse Washer at Actors Theatre Louisville’s Humana Festival; Perfect Mendacity at Asolo Rep. Film (Indie): Oops! I’ve Been Driven Mundane; The Cancer Card; The Reunion; The Glass House; The Origins of Wit and Humor; Remote Viewing; WaterWalk; Qwerty; The Widow; All We Had; Television: Chicago Fire; Matadors. Other Theatre: Night Over Erzinga and Scorched at Silk Road Rising; Homebody/Kabul at Steppenwolf Theatre; Return to Haifa at Next Theatre; LeBourgeois Avant-Garde and King Richard 111 (The Big Dick) at Sliced Bread Productions; Bye Bye Birdie at Drury Lane Theatre; West Side Story and Oklahoma! at Pheasant Run Theatre. She is a recipient of an Equity Jeff Award.

ANNIE VARBERG (The Fighting Onions, “Mrs. Halstead”; Knotty Acknowledgements, “Mary”), she/her, is thrilled to join PlayGround-Chicago for its second Monday Night PlayGround season. She is an actor and content producer in Chicago. Find more of her work at www.annievarberg.com.

RACHEL WADE (The Fighting Onions, “Madison”) she/her, is an actor, writer, and comedian from Des Moines, IA. She studied theatre at The University of Iowa and made the move to Chicago shortly after in 2022. Since moving she has enjoyed taking classes, meeting new artists, teaching early education theatre, working on short films, and Chicago hot dogs. She is currently a member of the Conservatory Program at The Second City and performs with her improv group Communal Beverage. Rachel’s interests lie in new work, stories about complicated people, exploring relationship dynamics through comedy, and creating with friends. Enjoy the show!

EMILY ZHANG (Abiitan, “‘Iing”; Mycelium, “Viv”), she/her, is a Chicago based actor and is excited to be doing this reading with PlayGround! Recently, she was seen in The Red Fortune Cookie with Bramble Theatre, The Mall The Mall The Mall at Greenhouse Theater Center, Woo Girls at the Factory Theatre, and understudied in Among the Dead at Jackalope Theatre. Other credits include When the Sun Melts Away with Token Theatre and Flush with Campfire Repertory. She has a B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University and is represented by Gray Talent Group.