KAIJU to Make World Premiere at Road Theatre in North Hollywood
Dan Caffrey's play, directed by Ken Sawyer, is a co-production between Road Theatre and BroadStage.
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The Road Theatre Company and BroadStage have announced their first collaboration, the world premiere of KAIJU, written by Dan Caffrey and directed by Ken Sawyer. As co-producers, The Road Theatre is excited to be included in BroadStage's 2026–2027 slate of productions. KAIJU begins previews on Tuesday, September 22, opens Friday, September 25 at 8 p.m., and runs through Sunday, November 1 at 2 p.m. at The Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.
Two gigantic, mythical monsters have just destroyed the city. Amid the chaos and destruction, a debate ensues. A funny and audacious takedown of the sometimes pretentious nature of art and culture, KAIJU also presents a pointed examination of power and artistic responsibility in today's world.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
Dan Caffrey (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and pop culture critic. His play KAIJU was developed through The Road's Summer Playwrights Festival, The Workshop Theater, and ScriptWorks Austin. Other works include The Amphibians, The Tusk Hunters, and Matawan. His audio drama Mortality Rate was commissioned by 20th Century Studios as a tie-in to the 2023 Stephen King film The Boogeyman.
His work has been developed through Tofte Lake Center, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, The Orchard Project, Kitchen Dog Theater New Works Festival, UCF Pegasus PlayLab, and numerous other residencies. Caffrey has been a Princess Grace Finalist, O'Neill Finalist, Next Forever Finalist, Jerome Fellowship semifinalist, and has received support from the Puffin Foundation, NYSCA, and the Brooklyn Arts Council. His nonfiction book, Radiohead FAQ, is published by Bloomsbury. He also co-hosts The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast and Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast. He earned an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA from Florida State University.
Ken Sawyer (Director) is an award-winning Los Angeles-based director whose work spans musicals, plays, experimental theatre, concerts, and special events. He most recently directed Lifeline at The Road Theatre Company, where he is a founding member and former artistic board member.
Other productions at The Road include the award-winning The Woman in Black, which enjoyed a sold-out three-month run before transferring to the Coronet Theatre. His collaborations with the Los Angeles LGBT Center include The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, and Hit the Wall. Additional projects include One Red Flower, Lovelace: The Rock Opera, Snapshots, and the development of Million Dollar Quartet. Sawyer has also guest directed at Carnegie Mellon University, USC, and California State University, Northridge. He is an adjunct professor at USC and a graduate of The Juilliard School.
The cast features Cherish Monique Duke as Apex/Amelia, Leandro Cano as Goliath/Manual, Gloria Ines as Lee, Jon Snow as Roy, Billy Baker as Kyle, Noa Lev-Ari as Sondra, Ann Hearn as Maggie, and Sapna Kumar as Rani.
The design team includes scenic designer Lacey Anzelc, lighting designer Derrick McDaniel, projection designer Nicholas Santiago, sound designer Ryan McRee, Costume Designer Mary Jane Miller, creature suit costume designers Shealyn Biron and Lee Diemer, creature suit costume consultant Cerise Preston, and properties designer Danna Hyams. Maurie Gonzalez serves as production stage manager. The production is produced by Danna Hyams and Taylor Gilbert.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WORLD PREMIERE PLAY INITIATIVE (SCWPPI)
In 2025, Victoria Morris introduced playwright Tom Jacobson to BroadStage Associate Artistic Director Eric Bloom and Managing Director Matthew Rimmer to discuss a new collaboration between a major presenting organization and an intimate Southern California theatre.
BroadStage invited local 99-seat theatres to submit scripts they planned to premiere during the 2026 season. Eight scripts from five theatres were submitted, and BroadStage selected KAIJU, which was already scheduled for its world premiere at The Road Theatre Company.
Through this partnership, BroadStage and The Road Theatre Company will jointly support the production with expanded marketing resources while BroadStage also leverages its relationships with theatres across the country to encourage future productions of the play, increasing national visibility for new works developed in Los Angeles' intimate theatre community.
Victoria Morris and Tom Jacobson hope the collaboration serves as the beginning of a lasting model that expands opportunities for new work throughout Southern California.
"We are thrilled to partner with The Road Theatre Company on KAIJU," said BroadStage Artistic and Executive Director Rob Bailis. "This collaboration is about reaching for something out of the ordinary, both artistically and in the way we build community. Together, we are bringing resources to a new creative pipeline and blurring traditional boundaries in the process. And of course, it was hard to resist KAIJU as the place to start."
SCHEDULE AND PRICING
KAIJU previews September 22–24 at 8 p.m., opens Friday, September 25 at 8 p.m. (press opening), and runs through Sunday, November 1 at 2 p.m. at The Road Theatre in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Captioned performances for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences will be offered on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 17.
Tickets are $39 for general admission, $25 for seniors, and $17 for students.
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