PlayGround-NY presents Season 4

MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND

Topic: “THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT”
October 28th, 2024 7pm ET
Live at The Producers Club + Simulcast & On Demand

ACKNOWLEDGING THE LEGACY OF THE LAND WE INHABIT

PlayGround-NY acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Munsee Lanape, the original inhabitants of the territory colonially known as the five burroughs of New York City. As the past and present Indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Munsee Lanape 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 Munsee Lanape 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 Munsee Lanape Communities and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. We honor the storytellers of the Lanape and are grateful for our ability to share and uplift Indigenous stories and those of other historically marginalized communities.

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’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, Ms. Elizabeth Groenewegen, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Brandy T Jones, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Le Blanc, Alice Lehmann, Ms. Kristy Lin Billuni, Linda G Marks, Dr. Sheila McCormick, Dan Morley, 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, Kim Tram, 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!

Falling Forward
by Todd Cerveris
Directed by Amelia Xanthe Boscov
The Professor………………Alex Moggridge

President One Day
by Howard Ho
Directed by Jim Kleinmann
William……………..Alex Shafer

Take the Shot
by Bram Hartman
Directed by Abigail Rosen
Man…………….Paris Ruiz

Marcus & Martin
by Camron Wright
Directed by Charlique C. Rolle
Marcus Johnson……….George Harris

I Believe in Limbo
by Kamila Boga
Directed by Kayla Amani
Audra………………Monica Ho

Personal Justice Delayed
by Saiya Floyd
Directed by Jully Lee
Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga…………Yuki Kawahisa

Stage Manager – Sarah Gasser

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.

BIOGRAPHIES

PLAYWRIGHTS

KAMILA BOGA (I Believe in Limbo), she/her, is a director, playwright, and actor from Los Angeles. Fueled by the belief that creatives are second responders, she develops and directs expressive, ensemble-driven work that turns tension into art. Her plays have been developed by The Road Theatre Company, Boise Contemporary Theater, Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective, Horizon Theatre Company, and Dartmouth College. Kamila is thrilled to make her Playground-NY debut and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate on new work.

TODD CERVERIS (Falling Forward) he/him, is an actor and playwright. His recent play PROVENANCE was the Vermont state winner in Portland Stage’s Clauder Competition. His solo play LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU won best storytelling at the United Solo Festival in New York. His screenplay FOUR DAYS FROM BETHANY took second place at the Big Bear Lake International Screenplay Festival. And his collaboration with Caridad Svich and Nick Philippou, THE BOOTH VARIATIONS, was called “a far reaching historical fantasia” by Ben Brantley, NY Times.

SAIYA FLOYD (Personal Justice Delayed), she/her, is a Japanese-American writer based in Brooklyn. She studied screenwriting at Boston University. Her short play Five Star First Date was part of Pan Asian Repertory Theatre’s NuWorks festival, and she co-wrote the short film Sorry Dumpling, which was featured at the LA Shorts Fest. Saiya’s scripts have been recognized in the top 50 of the Launch Pad, and she has been a winner of WeScreenplay Diverse Voices, and a finalist at the Austin Film Festival.

BRAM HARTMAN (Take the Shot), he/him, is a New York City-based writer. He recently performed his one act one person play, The Big Boy City, at the Chain Theatre in NYC in August. He was selected as a Lambda Literary Fellow for 2024. Bram’s work has been produced in California, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania. He’s also been produced twice, “Belly Shots Off Two Randos” and “I Want to See the Sun Again” with PlayGround-NY. Bram studied playwriting at The Acting Studio. He lives in Hell’s Kitchen with his husband and cat. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.

HOWARD HO (President One Day), he/him, s a playwright/composer. His play RESET was produced by Moving Arts and was an O’Neill Finalist. Other works include BEETHOVEN’S THIRD (Samuel French OOB Winner), VARIOUS EMPORIA (O’Neill Finalist), WHERE I’M FROM (Samuel French OOB Finalist), END OF THE LINE (Samuel French OOB Finalist), and PARITY (Pan Asian Rep’s NuWorks). He has over 120,000 subscribers on Youtube (youtube.com/HowardHoMusic) and is recognized by Lin-Manuel Miranda for his musical analyses. He has sound designed 50+ productions, earning Ovation Award and SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle nominations. He holds degrees from UCLA and USC. Instagram: @howardwho

CAMRON WRIGHT (Marcus & Martin) she/her, is a 2023 graduate from Howard University who majored in English and minored in playwriting. She is originally from Daytona Beach, Florida and has always loved storytelling in all forms. She has interned in the Archives Department of the John F. Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, the press team of American Ballet Theatre and recently for the Ojai Playwriting Conference in California. Her goal is to become a full time creative and pursue her passion for writing.

ACTORS

YUKI KAWAHISA (Personal Justice Delayed, “Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga”), she/they, a native of Japan,  a proud immigrant with an artist green card, is an actor, theatre creator (occasional director, choreographer, playwright) and performing artist based in New York. She has been working internationally, performing/collaborating/devising across disciplines with various artists, companies and her own. Hailed by The New York Times as “dynamite”, “simple and brutal as a knife to the throat”, “The chameleonic Yuki Kawahisa (TimeOut New York, Helen Shaw)” enjoys meeting new people and learning new things, tackling new challenges and continuing her creative practice and journey. www.yukikawahisa.com

MONICA HO (I Believe in Limbo, “Audra”), she/her, is delighted to join the NY company of PlayGround! She is a graduate of the American Conservatory Theater MFA program, class of 2020. Broadway nat’l tour credits: A Christmas Carol (BroadwaySF). Off-Broadway: In Corpo (The Assembly/Dutch Kills Theatre). Regional credits include The Great Leap (San Jose Stage); The Song of Summer (SF Playhouse); Top Girls (American Conservatory Theater); and The Good Person of Szechuan (California Shakespeare Theater). She is immensely thankful to her friends and community for their support. @1monicaho

ALEX MOGGRIDGE (Falling Forward, “The Professor”), he/him, is delighted to return to PlayGround. THEATER Broadway: Betrayal, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz; Regional: Metamorphoses, Treasure Island, Three Sisters, Chinglish (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); Eat Your Heart Out, I Will Be Gone, (Actors Theatre of Louisville/Humana Festival); Clybourne Park, It’s a Wonderful Life, Baskerville(Long Wharf Theatre); Three Sisters(Yale Repertory Theatre); Christmas Carol, Beard of Avon (American Conservatory Theater) and others. PLAYWRITING The Boatman (Flint Repertory Theatre), Simon Dawes Becomes a Planet (Access Theatre, New York) FILM/TELEVISION Batman Begins; “The Defenders,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Person of Interest,” “Trauma”.

GEORGE HARRIS (Marcus & Martin, “Marcus Johnson”), he/him, has performed in Regional Theatre productions and TV since graduating from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy of New York. Regional: Hairspray, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Dreamgirls, Pippin; TV: “She’s Gotta Have It” (Netflix), “Project Runway” (Lifetime Network). A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Philippians 4:13 IG: @Georgehenryharris If you’re reading this, I love you.

PARIS RUIZ (Take the Shot, “Man”), he/him, is a New York – based artist who recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch Drama Department. He enjoys playing complex and unique characters on stage and film, bringing a nuanced and realistic approach to his work. When he isn’t acting, he works as an independent filmmaker. He is currently in pre-production for a narrative drama titled “Silhouette,” which will be shot this winter. In this role, he will be the Director of Photography. He thanks you for coming and hopes you enjoy the performance!

ALEX SHAFER (President One Day, “William”), he/him, moved to New York from the SF/Bay Area in 2018. He is happy to be working with PlayGround again, here in NYC. Theatre highlights in NY include Yehudi in Catapult! at Theatre for a New City, Harry Druggist in The Cradle Will Rock at Theatre 2020, in the SF/Bay Area, Colonel McKean in 1776 at ACT, Dan/Jack in Value Over Replacement with Playground, Michael Flaherty in Playboy of the Western World at Cinnabar, Gaev in The Cherry Orchard at Hapgood. TV/Film highlights include Jacob Ackerman in Law and Order, and Sy in Gone Without a Past.

DIRECTORS

KAYLA AMANI (I Believe in Limbo), she/they, is a director, storyteller and collaborator born and raised in NYC. They are a proud graduate of Syracuse University. Recently, they have assisted directors such as Lileana Blain-Cruz and Sarah Hughes at Second Stage and Lincoln Center Theater as well as directed at PlayGround-NY. Kayla is thrilled to be back working with PlayGround for this round!

AMELIA XANTHE BOSCOV (Falling Forward), she/her, s a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and producer. Originally from Philadelphia, her work focuses on women and the LGBTQ community through an uplifting and often surreal lens. Amelia’s work screened at international film festivals, won the Pond5 Filmmaker First Award, NYU’s King Screenwriting Award, and Philadelphia Young Playwrights Award, among other awards.

JIM KLEINMANN (President One Day, 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.

JULLY LEE (Personal Justice Delayed), she/her, is an Ovation-nominated actor and long-time member of COLD TOFU IMPROV, the nation’s first and longest-running Asian American comedy troupe. Jully made her Broadway debut in KPOP, and most recently performed in an industry presentation of THE GRISWOLDS’ BROADWAY VACATION. Up next, she will be in a workshop of EMPTY RIDE by Keiko Green at The Globe in San Diego. TV credits include: “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Young Sheldon,” “S.W.A.T.,” “This Is Us,” “Jane the Virgin,” “Henry Danger,” “The Kominsky Method.” jullylee.com

CHARLIQUE C. ROLLE (Marcus & Martin), she/her, s a community and cultural design specialist, visionary multi-disciplinary creator, producer, and storyteller who seamlessly navigates the intersections of faith, arts, justice, and community development, amplifying Black and marginalized voices. As the former Executive Director of Congo Square Theatre and President of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago, her impact resonates in innovative narratives. Recognized in Newcity’s Players (2022, 2024), Charlique is a catalyst for change, driving transformative works that catalyze collective liberation and transformation. A Bahamas native, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Missouri Valley College, holds an MA in Ministry Leadership from Moody Theological Seminary and an MBA from Concordia University Chicago. Charlique’s commitment extends beyond artistic expression; she leverages the arts for societal change, forging partnerships committed to creative freedom, sustainability, and longevity. She is not just a storyteller but a changemaker, utilizing diverse artistic modalities to deepen stories and propel them into action, actively elevating Black voices in the cultural landscape with unwavering dedication.

ABIGAIL ROSEN (Take the Shot, Executive Producer), she/her, is a New York-based director, dramaturg, and producer. Abigail has experience with new play workshops on Broadway, off-Broadway, and local levels. Follow her career and pop culture blog on Instagram @abimayrose, and on her website at abigailrosen.me.

PRODUCTION

SARAH GASSER (Stage Manager) joined PlayGround in 2017 and has staged managed for the Monday Night PlayGround series and PlayGround Festival. In the Bay Area, she has stage managed for Brava and Bay Area Children’s Theatre, among others.

PLAYGROUND-NY is the second 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’ and now New York’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 350 early career playwrights, developing and staging more than 1,500 of their original short plays through the Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series and the PlayGround Festival. PlayGround has also commissioned 100 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 36 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 Steinberg Awards, Glickman Awards (including 6 of the past 10), 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

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 October 1, 2023 & October 28, 2024.

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, & FOUNDATION DONORS

Alameda County Arts Commission • Amazon • American Rescue Plan Act & CARES Act • Art Space Development Corporation • Avenue Greenlight • Berkeley Civic Arts • The Bernard Osher Foundation • Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • California Arts Council • California Humanities • California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program • Creative Capacity Fund • Disney • Grants For The Arts • KFF • Koret Foundation • LA County Arts Commission • Lenore & Howard Klein Foundation • The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund • Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation • NIAC • Nvidia • NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund • Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation • Planet Earth Arts • Rock Paper Scissors Landscape Inc. • Rye Financial Services • San Francisco Arts Commission • The Shubert Foundation • The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

SEASON SPONSORS ($5000+)

Dan Cohn & Lynn Brinton, Paul Haahr, Lara Gilman & Jim Kleinmann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ($2500+)

Emilie T. & Gordon C. Brooks, John H. Gilman, Sam Latham, Anonymous

PRODUCERS CIRCLE ($1000-$2499)

Randy Adams, Meriko Borogove, David Goldman, Keith Goldstein & Donna N. Warrington, Just Play Productions, Linda Kremer, Ronald Whittier Family Foundation, Daniele Nathanson , Nitin, Molly Noble and Bob Guilbault, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, John J. Ruskin, Tom Swift, Malachy Walsh and Heather Robison, Janine Wilburn, Anonymous

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($500-$999)

Linda Ayres-Frederick, Phoenix Theatre SF, Hillary DeMartino, Paulette Donsavage, Regina S. Guggenheim, Ms. Kathryn A Hecht, Diane Leonard, Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb, Dr. Gary W. London, Diane Sampson, Marian Scheuer Sofaer & Abraham D. Sofaer, Jeffrey Trescott, Anonymous

PATRON ($250-$499)

Nina Ball & Jon Tracy, Chris and Cindy Redburn, Jon & Susan Sweedler, Christian Wilburn, Maury Zeff, Anonymous (3)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($125-$249)

Sam & Naomi Abramovitz, Mary E. Baird, Ms. Portia F. Bock, Cass Brayton, Sheila Collins, Joyce Dieda, Clint Fleener, Michael Fried, Mrs. Judith Lynn Garcia, Anonymous, Gina Harris, Ms. Sharlene Hartman, Mr. Stanley William Hathaway, Gail Hillebrand & Hugh Barroll, Tanuja Devi Jagernauth, Ms. Mildred Inez Lewis, Anonymous, Paris McCarthy, Kimberly Ridgeway, Ms. Jessica Rofé, Margo Rofé, Carolina Rojas Moretti, Katie Ryan, Louel Senores, Alex M. Shafer, Christine Sheppard, Stan Stone, Lisa Gaye Thompson, Scott Lebus & Susannah Wise

To contribute to PlayGround, visit https://playground-ny.org/contribute or contact PlayGround Associate Director of Development Lana Richards at lana@playground-sf.org or by phone at (415) 992-6677.

DONATE

PlayGround-NY Writers Pool 2024-25

Claire Abramovitz, Kamila Boga, Tré Calhoun, Todd Cerveris, Maisa Chiang, Chelyn Cousar, Eleanor Evans-Wickberg, Madi Fabber, Aaron Fentress, Saiya Floyd, Bailey Garcia, Dana Leslie Goldstein, Melinda Gros, Patience Haggin, Michael Hagins, Nay Harris, Bram Hartman, Miz Hashimoto, Stanley Hathaway, Ashley Hazzard, Howard Ho, Wade Hollomon, Sio Hornbuckle, LeKee Horton, Uma Incrocci, Nathaniel Johnson, Sohyun Kim, Jenny King, Janelle Lawrence, Danielle Moore, Lyra Nalan, Vicky Pham, Jacob Markx Rice, Katie Ryan, Réal Vargas Alanis, Camron Wright.

PlayGround-NY Company

Kayla Amani, Jen Anaya, Sergio Mauritz Ang, Rebecca Aparicio, Julia Brothers, Nathaniel Claridad, Sheila Collins, Gracie Connell, Julia Crowley, Sarah Guilbault, Neal Gupta, Noor Hamdi, SouJee Han, Amy Hart Nguyen, Monica Ho, Mary Hodges, Tyler Kent, Nikhaar Kishnani, Kalina Ko, Nico Krell, Austin Ku, Jully Lee, MeeWha Lee, Timothy Lee, AJ Lily, Ana Margineanu, Alex Moggridge, Ed Moreno, Norm Munoz, Wiley Naman Strasser, Graceson Nunez, Attilio Rigotti, Charlique C. Rolle, Abigail Rosen, Betsy Rosen, Paris Ruiz, Alex Shafer, Nick  Sholley, Olivia Songer, Illana Stein, Kimberly Van Vo, Rebbekah Vega-Romero, Rebecca White, Laith Zuaiter.

PlayGround-NY Staff

Jim Kleinmann, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 
Abigail Rosen, Executive Producer 
Nathaniel Claridad, Associate Producer 
Kalina Ko, Associate Producer 
Bailey Jordan Garcia, Casting Associate 
Sarah Gasser, Resident Stage Manager 
Katie Brown, 2024-25 Producing Fellow 
Leon Jones, 2024-25 Producing Fellow 

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
https://www.facebook.com/playground.newyork
https://twitter.com/playground_ny
https://www.instagram.com/playgroundnytheatre/theatre
www.playground-ny.org

c/o PlayGround
3286 Adeline St #8
Berkeley, CA 94703-2485