20th Annual Playground Play Festival to Run 6/2-7/10

It's back again and celebrating its 20th Anniversary! According to anniversary gurus, it's the Platinum Anniversary, meaning the PlayGround Festival "has stood the test of time, just like the rare and precious metal."

As it "Goes Platinum," the 20th Annual PlayGround Festival of New Works features more than 44 performances and readings of the best new plays by Bay Area playwrights. The six-week event runs June 2-July 10 at Thick House, 1695 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107.

The PlayGround Festival of New Works is the Bay Area's leading showcase of new plays by local writers. In addition to the short plays featured in the Best of PlayGround (June 2-19) and staged readings throughout the event, the Festival will present two full-length, fully-staged plays by two of its up-and-coming writers.

Artistic Director Jim Kleinmann today announced the World Premiere of the two new plays for the 2016 Festival.

Abominable, or the Misappropriation of Beverly Onion by Forces Beyond Her Control by Katie May (June 6-July 9) Press Night June 8

In Katie May's Abominable, Luck and Fate make a wager to finally prove who is the more powerful force in the universe. The life of Beverly Onion, the world's loneliest mortician's assistant, becomes the medium for their contest. From speed dating, to a penthouse apartment, to trekking across Nepal, Beverly is sent on a journey to discover her destiny (and an unlikely soulmate) in a play that explores the power of loneliness and the inevitability of fate (with plenty of references to Star Wars along the way).

Abominable is directed by Symmetry Theatre Company Artistic Director Chloe Bronzan and features Lisa Morse, Steven Westdahl., Amy Resnick, Nican Robinson, Chad Deverman, and Gwen Loeb.

Abominable is a Lark Playwrights' Week Selection and O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Semi-Finalist. May is the author of Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Abominable was commissioned and originally developed by PlayGround and is a co-production with Symmetry Theatre Company.

Value Over Replacement by Ruben Grijalva (June 13-July 10). Press Night June 15

Ruben Grijalva's Value Over Replacement is an insightful look at America's favorite pastime and the choices players face to stay in the game. At five-foot-seven, one-hundred-sixty pounds, light-hitting shortstop turned drive-time sports radio host, Edward "Chip" Fuller is hardly the poster-boy for baseball's steroid era. But when he learns his name will appear on a list of players linked to performance enhancing drugs, Chip is forced to explain his choice to colleagues, his listeners, and his family. In doing so, he must choose between a bland public apology and a much more difficult confession: that if he had

it to do over again, he wouldn't change a thing.

Grijalva's Value Over Replacement is a 2015 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist and 2015 Bay Area Playwrights Festival Semi-Finalist. It was commissioned and originally developed by PlayGround. PlayGround Artistic Director Jim Kleinmann is directing. The cast features Jomar Tagatac, Melissa Ortiz, Alex Shafer, Stephanie Prentice, Martha Brigham and Christian Haines.

And in addition, the popular Best of PlayGround, June 2-19

6 short plays staged by 6 different directors. All chosen from PlayGround's 2015 Monday Night Series that included over 180 different plays. Press Night June 3

The Best of PlayGround 20 selected plays/playwrights are:

The River God by Madeleine Butler, directed by Jeffrey Lo

I'm Really Sorry About This by Patricia Cotter, directed by Tracy Ward

Ophy's Apothecary by Karen Macklin, directed by Reena Dutt

Digging Ditches in Fresno by Isaac Ontiveros, directed by Steven Anthony Jones

Boys Beware by Kirk Shimano, directed by Katja Rivera

The Lunatics by Josh Williams, directed by Jim Kleinmann