PlayGround Reveals 2025-2026 National Cohort Of Producing Fellows

PlayGround has revealed the 2025-26 Producing Fellows, a vibrant and diverse class of four next-gen theatre leaders drawn from across the country and who will work with PlayGround’s artistic staff and national producing teams over the next year in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Fellows gain hands-on experience in the fields of literary management, casting, fundraising, grant writing, theatre management, human resources, contracts, marketing, and communications, with all fellows getting the opportunity to work in each department.

Juliana Morgado Brito (NY), she/her, is a NYC-based director/producer/designer, recently graduated from Brown University; Devin A. Cunningham (SF) a multi-hyphenate theatrical storyteller from Oakland, CA and currently serves as the Co-Associate Artistic Director at the African-American Shakespeare Company; Jordan Maria Don (LA), she/her, an actor, director and producer who splits her time between Los Angeles and the Bay Area; and Donnalesly Fondjo (Chicago), she/her, is an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and educator, recently graduated from Ithaca College (BFA Acting, minor in African Diaspora Studies). This cohort of up-and-coming producer-artists was curated to reflect the diverse artistic community that PlayGround serves, with a focus on parity and diversity of gender-identity and ethnicity. Together these four fellows will work part-time with PlayGround under the leadership of Jim Kleinmann (Artistic Director), Lana Richards (Director of Development), Jonathan Josephson (Director of Marketing and Communications), and the full artistic staff to learn and develop their skill set in the process of theatre production, from inception to execution. As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to equity, PlayGround has established a base compensation level of $20 per hour and is continually looking at how to increase support for artists and artist-administrators.

The Producing Fellowship program was launched during the 2019-20 season, just two weeks before California shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PlayGround maintained its commitment to the new staff members, shifting the entire program online and extending the initial term through July 2021 to help the Fellows weather the challenging economic climate. The inaugural Fellowship class included: Donny Goglio, Edna Mira Raia, Lana Richards, and Chris Steele. Other fellows have included: Zoe Chien, Emily Zhou, Xinyuan Pu, Christy Spence, River Bermudez Sanders, Julie Lippert-Pasco, Carmia Imani, Darius Adamson Jr., Bacilio Mendez II, Savannah Greene, Justin P. Lopez, Emlyn Doolittle, and Caroline Portante.

The 2025-26 Producing Fellows Juliana Morgado Brito (New York), she/her, is a NYC-based director/producer/designer, originally from Teresópolis, Brazil. Juliana is a recent graduate from Brown University, and she’s currently pursuing an MFA in Performing Arts Management at Brooklyn College. Her performance background, combined with hands-on experience in production management, visual storytelling, and language, informs her creative interests and pursuits as a theater artist. She explores theater as a universal language, and her work reflects her fascination with the act of retelling and rediscovering identity. Her recent credits include The Ghost of Bob Dylan (Soho Playhouse Lighthouse Series 2025), The Moors (Uptown One Theatre Co.), The Children’s Hour (True North Theatre Co.), A Christmas Carol, Birthday Candles, Newsies (Penobscot Theatre Company), Centuries (Ancram Center for the Arts), Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, The Rocky Horror Show, Cheesy Love Songs, Psychopsychotic, [sic], Ghostly Little Play, Stupid F*cking Bird, Company, Hair, Pippin, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Brown University). @julesmorgado julianamorgadobrito.com

Jordan Maria Don

 (Los Angeles), she/her, is an actor, director and producer who splits her time between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Some of her favorite acting credits include Clara Couture in Edit Annie at Crowded Fire, Angel in Translating Selena with Campo Santo and Lucia in Fade at Capital Stage. Jordan is a co-founder of the Bay Area based theater collective, Latinx Mafia and the LA based actors collective, Double Take. She holds a B.A. in Theater and Sociology from UC Berkeley and has trained with ACT, Kimball NYC Studio and L.A. Acting Studio. With a particular interest in new works, she is drawn to collaborative and ensemble centered processes grounded in ritual, ceremony and community. She is currently working on her first full length play and producing her first short film. Jordan is a proud Xicana born and raised in Los Angeles. All her work is dedicated to her first inspiration to pursue theatre, her first inspiration to live fully, loudly and clumsily: her late brother, Christopher Paul Don. @jaayyddee www.jordanmariadon.com 

Devin A. Cunningham 

(San Francisco) a multi-hyphenate theatrical storyteller from Oakland, CA. Selected acting credits include: The Magnolia Ballet (Shotgun Players); Fat Ham (SF Playhouse); and A Whynot Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theater). Cunningham currently serves as the Co-Associate Artistic Director at the African-American Shakespeare Company where he directed and produced From One to Another: Homage to the Legacy of Maya Angelou. Devin studied at PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre. Through the performing arts, Cunningham strives to create theatrical experiences that uplift Black narratives that reflect the African Diasporic experience. Cunningham crafts theatre and narratives that enriches community while forging spirit.

Donnalesly Fondjo 

(Chicago), she/her, is a Cameroonian-American actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and educator, raised in the suburbs of Chicago. A recent graduate of Ithaca College with a BFA in Acting and a minor in African Diaspora Studies, she is passionate about using theatre to bring joy, hope, security, and education to others. She believes storytelling is a powerful tool for transformation, especially for those who feel underrepresented, and is committed to creating work that uplifts and inspires. She is currently developing new works that explore West African narratives and the immigrant experience. She also has a strong inclination to work with and inspire children, both through performance and arts education. Recent performance credits include Dynamite in Hairspray, Norma in Carrie the Musical, and Mersister/Princess/Dance Captain in The Little Mermaid (Festival 56, IL), as well as Rose in Fever/Dream (Hangar Theatre, NY) and Lucrece in The Liar (Kitchen Theatre, NY). Her most recent choreographic credit is The Prom at Ithaca High School. @donnaleslyy, donnafondjo.com