PlayGround-Chicago presents Season 3
in association with Theater Wit

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

“Dreams & Nightmares”
December 2, 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 2024-25 Monday Night PlayGround Members, whose direct support helps to underwrite artists fees for the Monday Night series across all four regions:

Dr. & Mrs. Sam & Naomi Abramovitz, Sharon Baldwin, Tim Bishop, Ms. Linda B Breaux-Smith, Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, John Brown, Summer Broyhill, Madeleine Butler, Ben Cain, Joan Cleveland, Ms. Sheila Collins, Ms. Marilyn Berg Cooper, Logan Varas De Valdes, Krystyna Finlayson, Krystyna Finlayson, Ms. Elizabeth Groenewegen, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Brandy Jones, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Le Blanc, Alice Lehmann, Ms. Kristy Lin Billuni, Linda G Marks, Dr. Sheila McCormick, Dan Morley, Molly Noble & Bob Guilbault, Ms. Annette Oliveira, Mr. George Rose, Jessica June Rowe, Michelle Ruscetta, John J. Ruskin, Miyoko Sakatani, Mark Sherstinsky, Nancy W. Smith, Stan Stone, Cathy M Stonie, Vicki Victoria, Dr. Eidell Wasserman, and Ms. Cindy Womack. Thank you!

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

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!

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, League of Chicago Theatres, A.R.T./New York and Theatre Communications Group.

Biographies

PLAYWRIGHTS

BETSY DUDAK (Sandman’s Agreement), she/her, is a Chicago area playwright/writer. Reading and productions of her short plays include GOODBYE, MY GIRLS (performed in Scottsdale, AZ, Brentwood, CA, Austin, TX & Chicago, IL throughout 2024): SAME (Lindenhurst, NY, Dec, 2024); CHRISTMAS DISBELIEF (United Kingdom, Dec, 2024); and GLORIA AND HER DRAGONS (Los Angeles, CA, July, 2022); Betsy’s published books are WHAT THE HECK, DEC?!, WANNA BET, and under E.A. Tobolski, SEE ME GRIEVE: A WIDOW’S JOURNEY. She attended University of Chicago’s Graham School of Writing and is a member of the Dramatist Guild. Betsy is beyond thrilled to be a newbie to Playground-Chicago Writers Pool.

TANJUJA DEVI JAGERNAUTH (Customer Service at the Nightmare Factory), she/her, is an Indo-Caribbean playwright and dramaturg who believes in the necessity of creation during times of destruction. In 2016, she shifted career paths from Traditional East Asian Medicine to theatre in hopes of practicing four frameworks for collective liberation and wellness through theatre: self/community care, harm reduction, trauma awareness, and body positivity. Inspired by healing justice and PIC abolition, Tanuja employs comedy, magical realism, the fantastic and the absurd to raise questions around how we heal and fight back against internal and external oppressions and build a prison- and police-free world.

JERULANE “JAE” JENKINS (Talk Show Terror), she/her, is a local Chicago artist and theatre maker. When she’s not writing she’s busy being the executive director of Perception’s theatre, where the focus is bringing art to Black and brown people on the south side of Chicago.

alfonzo solomon kahlil (the Factory), 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. 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 Measure of a Man (Perceptions) The Island (Court u/s John), HOLD UP, CANNABITCHES, and CHICAGO FIRE.

MARNIE MONOGUE (Conversations with Your Sleep Paralysis Demon), she/her, s a Chicago playwright originally from rural Wisconsin. She graduated from Grinnell College in 2021 with a BA in English. Her writing and art have appeared in Beaver Magazine and Hidden Peak Review and her plays have been developed by Make/Shift Theatre and performed at West Texas A&M University. As a member of the PlayGround-Chicago Writers Pool for the 2023-24 season, she marked her Chicago debut with a staged reading of her ten-minute play “And Now I Know How Joan of Arc Felt” at Theatre Wit in April 2024. She loves peanut butter M&Ms.

KATHERINE SWAN (Are You Scared of the Dark), she/her, is a playwright who lives in Chicago. Her plays include Some Other Woman Like Me, a finalist for the Henley Rose, and Act V, which was developed at A Red Orchid Theatre’s Incubator Series. Her work has been performed in London, Los Angeles, and New York, and her play Pony was a winner of the Carlow Little Theatre’s 2021-22 International One Act Play Competition in Carlow, Ireland. Her play Bench is included in the Smith & Kraus anthology Best Ten-Minute Plays, 2023. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Chicago based performance collective The Feast.

ACTORS

VALERIE BUTLER-NEWBERN (Are You Scared of the Dark, “Mom”), she/her, is happily returning to Playground-Chicago as Mom in Are You Scared Of The Dark by Katherine Swan. Her Playground-Chicago credits include Ida Lewis in the Sea and its Keeper by Zach Barr, Boomer in Stay Humble by Ian Michael Minh, the Storyteller in How The Owl Gained Her Wisdom by Zach Barr and Natalie in Tomato Tattoo by Rammal Chan. Her Indie film credits include Just a Cup of Coffee, In the Jungle, Mirror, Identity and Bosom. Her commercial credits include ComEd, Illuminus The Cesta, Lume , Senior Lifestyle and Cano Health. She’s a native Chicagoan who loves having fun.

YVETTE CORRINE (Are You Scared of the Dark, “Alice”), she/her, is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and community organizer based on the westside of Chicago. She holds a degree in education from UIC and graduated from the ACADEMY at Black Box Acting Studio in 2022. Yvette brings a wealth of experience to her roles as an artist and educator. Her work spans various artistic expressions and she is passionate about using the arts as a tool for social change. Yvette is also involved in community organizing and youth development. She is currently co-founding a collective dedicated to building sisterhood and sustainable communities. In her recent projects she has worked with Beverly Arts Center, Platform Productions and Pegasus Theatre. Yvette’s diverse skills and experiences drive her dedication to fostering meaningful connections by creating revolutionary art together and bringing marginalized stories into the center.

SHERI FLANDERS (Talk Show Terror, “Ro’chelle Robins”), she/her, is a Chicago based writer, comedian, and actor whose work has been featured in many publications including McSweeney’s, The Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Reader. She has performed at the Black Women in Comedy Laff Festival in New York City and in many reputable and disreputable establishments in Chicago.

SKYLAR FRISHMAN (Conversations with Your Sleep Paralysis Demon, “Jessica”; Customer Service at the Nightmare Factory, “Manager”), they/she, is excited to be back as a playground company member for this season! They have just returned from a fall performing educational theater in Las Vegas and Reno with Bright Star Touring Theatre. When they aren’t at Playground, you can find them as a Fairy at the Walnut Room or a Party Princess this holiday season!

JULIANA LISCIO (the Factory, “Night Hopper 1”), she/her, is thrilled to return to Playground Chicago for her second year! Recent acting credits include Six Stories Up (Tellin’ Tales), The Diary of Anne Frank (Young People’s Theatre of Chicago), A View From the Bridge (Shattered Globe Theatre, u/s, Jeff Award Best Production), Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Brighton Beach Memoirs (Citadel Theatre), and Dracula (Surging Films & Theatrics). Juliana is a playwright with Shattered Globe’s Inclusive Playwright Project and is represented by Shirley Hamilton.

LA’TIA OWENS (Talk Show Terror, “Producer/Cue-Card Holder”), she/her, is a multifaceted artist born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. Inspired by her older brother, she discovered her passion for theatre at a young age and acting has since become a central part of her life. With a rich background in various plays, musicals, and films, La’Tia embraces opportunities that allow her to grow and hone in on her craft.

MAYA SCHNAKE (Talk Show Terror, “Imani Sinclaire Johnson”), she/her, is a Chicago based actress and is delighted to return to PlayGround Chicago! Previous stage credits include Love’s Labor’s Lost (independently produced), M is for Medusa (Definition Theatre), Radial Gradient (Shattered Globe Theatre), A Nantucket Christmas Carol (White Heron Theatre Company), and Recitatif (The House Theatre of Chicago). Select film credits are Margot in Year One and Ava in the short film A Sweetness of Lapse (Milwaukee Film Festival Jury Award winner). She studied theatre at Northwestern University and has trained with the International Theater and Dance Project in Greece and the Actor’s Gymnasium in Evanston, IL. mayaschnake.com

JUSTINE SERINO (Sandman’s Agreement, “Vanessa”), she/her, is very happy to be here. Some of her credits around town include work with Rivendell, The Gift Theatre, Artemisia Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Dandelion Theatre, Babes with Blades, The Side Project, Stage Left and The Artistic Home.

DIANA SIMONZADEH (Customer Service at the Nightmare Factory, “Director”), she/her, is thrilled to participate in PlayGround-Chicago’s Monday Night Reading! Theatre credits include: The Corpse Washer at Actors Theatre Louisville’s 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays; Perfect Mendacity at Asolo Rep; Night Over Erzinga and Scorched at Silk Road Rising; Homebody/Kabul at Steppenwolf Theatre; and Return To Haifa at Next Theater. Film work includes: Necro 101; The Glass House; Qwerty; The Cancer Card; Oops! I’ve Been Driven Mundane; The Reunion; The Origins of Wit and Humor; and Remote Viewing. She is a recipient of an Equity Jeff Award.

WILLIAM C. THOMPSON (Sandman’s Agreement, “Mark”), he/him, has worked on stage, film, radio, television, & street theatre since he was sixteen. Since moving to Chicago he has appeared in Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Netflix’s Easy, numerous Indie films, & the Senior Radio Players. He is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association, is represented by The Rock Talent Agency, and is delighted to be a part of PlayGround-Chicago.

RACHEL WADE (Conversations with Your Sleep Paralysis Demon, “Agrog”), she/her, is an actor, writer, and comedian from Des Moines, IA. She studied theater at The University of Iowa and made the move to Chicago shortly after. She is a graduate of Second City’s Conservatory and now performs with her sketch group Communal Beverage. Rachel’s interests lie in new work, comedy, and stories about complicated people. During the day she is a preschool teacher and dog mom to Mabel. She loves writing on whiteboards and devastating movies. Thank you for being here!

BRAEDYN YOUNGBERG (Customer Service at the Nightmare Factory, “Mr. Mann”), he/him, is thrilled to be joining PlayGround-Chicago in 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.

EMILY ZHANG (the Factory, “Night Hopper 2”), she/her, is an actor based in Chicago. She recently graduated from Northwestern University with a double major in Theatre and Psychology and is represented by Gray Talent Group. Recent roles include Julie in WOO GIRLS at The Factory Theater and Bechdel Fest 9 at Broken Nose Theatre.