Company in the News Jan-2025
See what PlayGround-NY Writers and Company are up to this January!
Rebbekah Vega-Romero is making her off-Broadway debut in the leading role of Magnolia in Target Margin Theater’s co-production with NYU Skirball, of a daring reimagining of the seminal musical Show Boat, now re-envisioned as Show/Boat: A River. This bold adaptation reframes the 1927 classic for today’s audience, exploring America’s transformation from 1880s Jim Crow to the challenges of today – journeying from steamboats to airplanes, vaudeville to radio, and the Spanish-moss South to the bustling city of Chicago amid the Great Migration. Show Boat is both a powerful narrative and a historical reflection, revealing a legacy marked by violent racism while striving for a more just America. Director David Herskovits, known for his provocative interpretations, brings a fresh perspective to this quintessentially American masterpiece. Building on Target Margin’s renowned tradition of re-envisioning classic works, this new staging promises the company’s trademark extravagant theatricality, intricate design layers, and a vibrant celebration of language, song, and spirit. Show/Boat: A River challenges us to confront our past and envision a reimagined America for 2025, bridging the gap between history and the present with striking relevance. The production runs Jan. 9-26th at the NYU Skirball Theatre.
Kathryn Ryan Developed as part of PlayGround-NY’s 2022-2023 season, Kathryn Ryan’s play, SUPERGIRLS, is a winner of the 2025 Theatre Oxford 10-Minute Play Competition. It will be presented during the 2025 Festival in Oxford, Mississippi, February 14-15 2025. Closer to home, her play ‘SEVEN-POINT-FIVE, ON AVERAGE (developed as part of PlayGround-NY’s 2021-2022 season) will be featured in a pop-up event in support of Playwrights For Pets, happening at the Brooklyn Firefly on February 11 2025.
Bailey Jordan Garcia Horse puppets! Sillybandz! Bart Simpson! Fresh Binder Productions, co-founded by BAILEY JORDAN GARCIA, presents “FALLING… FALling… fallen.: A Night of Short Plays Written by TGNC Playwrights. Featuring 6 talented playwrights, including PlayGround-NY’s own NAY HARRIS. Directed by PlayGround-NY’s EM HAUSMANN. January 7th, 2025 at 7:15pm The Center at West Park. For tickets and more info go HERE!
Dana Leslie Goldstein’s short play FRIENDLY SKIES, first written for PlayGround-NY and included in Best of PlayGround, will be presented by PRT Theatre at the Imagine Performing Arts Center in Orlando, FL. Dana’s short play UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY will be seen in Sarasota, FL, performed by Naples Players Theatre.
Danielle E. Moore’s new cabaret, Icons Only, will have a developmental premiere at The Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theater in Long Beach, CA, on February 7, 8, and 9. She is currently serving as a panelist for Sound Balance, Green Light Group’s first-ever musical theater commission supporting women and nonbinary writers and composers. Sound Balance is open to women and nonbinary integrated musical theater writers (meaning those individuals who write book, music and lyrics solo) or writing teams (consisting of composer, lyricist, book writer, or some combination of the above). Submissions will be open until 11:59 PM ET on January 15, 2025, or when 250 submissions are received.
Austin Ku (2024 PG Director) will be directing a reading of new play “Parity” by Howard Ho (2024 PG Writer) at MoCA (Museum of Chinese in America) on Jan 11 @ 3 pm! Cast includes Alex Moggridge (2024 PG Actor). More information can be found HERE.
Julia Brothers In January, according to her overall action-to-do -list for the rest of her life, Julia will be at the gym for 5 hours every day, then writing for 5 hours every day, then auditioning for 3 hours every day, then seeing shows for 3 hours every evening (except Monday, when she will go food shopping and cook for the entire week – organic, healthy food with zero calories that is also insanely delicious) and then sleeping for exactly 8 hours every night. And that will last exactly…
Tyler Kent Later this month, Tyler will be opening a brand new bar and lounge, in the heart of the theater district. Backstage is a new pre and post-theater lounge for locals. Come by with your collaborators and friends. Can’t wait to raise a glass with you! Location.