BINGE FREE FESTIVAL Returns To Santa Monica Playhouse For 10th Anniversary Season

Santa Monica Playhouse will reopen its newly refurbished Main Stage this fall with the return of the Binge Free Festival (BFF), celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season from October 14 through November 16, 2025. The city’s only fringe festival, BFF offers five weeks of completely free performances, workshops, and special events featuring Santa Monica and Los Angeles–based artists, along with select performers from further afield.

Following flood damage repairs to the Main Stage, the Playhouse will welcome audiences back with a lineup that spans solo theatre, family-friendly performances, workshops, comedy, and original musicals. Among the highlights are Marilyn Anderson’s perennial favorite How to Live Like a Millionaire, When You’re a Million Short on opening night; Rheagan Wallace’s acclaimed solo show Stage Mamma; storytelling from Carmen Scott in Dream Role; workshops like Secrets & Safety: A Creative Sharing Guide for Writer-Performers; family theatre titles such as Jane and the Magic Album and Absolutely Halloween; and original musicals including Trust Me, I’m From Essex, Exes: The Musical, and Cruel Landlord. The festival will also showcase timely and daring new work such as Rejyna Douglass-Whitman’s Trans Mom vs Family Court: Justice Sees No Gender, Dee Freeman’s Poison Gun, and Tanya Thomas’s Naturally Tan.

All events are free, but reservations are required. Santa Monica Playhouse is located at 1211 Fourth Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (just south of Wilshire, with a municipal parking facility across the street). Reservations can be made at SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com.

The Binge Free Festival is supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the We Are Santa Monica Fund, and Playhouse PALS.

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Tues, Oct 14 – OPENING NIGHT

How to Live Like a Millionaire, When You’re a Million Short
Written & performed by Marilyn Anderson. A humorous, practical guide to saving thousands on entertainment, travel, fashion, and more. Post-show wine and refreshments with the artist.

Wed, Oct 15

Dream Role
Written, performed & produced by Carmen Scott. Directed & produced by Jen West. A dynamic blend of intimate storytelling and character portrayals based on Scott’s life journey. Post-show Q&A.

Thurs, Oct 16

Stage Mamma: From Child Star to Leading Lady
Written, performed & produced by Rheagan Wallace. Directed & developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson. A virtuosic solo show chronicling Wallace’s journey from child star to leading lady. Post-show Q&A.

Fri, Oct 17 – PUBLIC WORKSHOP

Secrets & Safety: A Creative Sharing Guide for Writer-Performers
Presented by Pina (Mafia Anonymous). A workshop exploring safe, loving ways to share secrets on stage and beyond.

Sat, Oct 18

Atypical Grace – 1:00pm
Written & performed by Maria Fagan Hassani. A support-group setting becomes the backdrop for a heartfelt exploration of learning disabilities, parenting, and forgiveness. Post-show Q&A.

Mafia: The Women Speak – 4:00pm
Written & performed by Pina. A one-woman show that channels the raw, untold stories of women entangled in the shadows of organized crime.

Sun, Oct 19

The Hairdresser… your therapy session or mine? – 1:00pm
Written & performed by Lauri Fraser. A raconteur hairdresser weaves improvisation and storytelling during an onstage “appointment.” Post-show reception.

Tues, Oct 21

A Crack in Everything – 7:30pm
Written by Cynthia Spierer; directed by Eric Scott Golovan. A moving ensemble piece about identity, intolerance, and unexpected connection. Post-show Q&A.

Thurs, Oct 23

Wise Ass Women from the Westside – 7:30pm
Comedic monologues and storytelling from Pattie Fitzgerald, Wendy Hammers, and Susan Landon.

Fri, Oct 24 – A BFF MUSICAL SELECTION

Trust Me, I’m From Essex – 7:30pm
Written & performed by Lindsay Lucas-Bartlett. A hopeful solo musical about escaping dysfunction and chasing dreams. Post-show reception.

Sat, Oct 25

Will Power Shakespeare Hour – 1:00pm
Performed by The California Shakespeare Company. Scenes, sonnets, and soliloquies from Shakespeare, followed by a Will Power workshop.

I’m Not Here Right Now – 4:30pm
Written & performed by Becca Beberaggi. A comedic solo show about navigating day jobs, manic episodes, and hustling through New York.

Sun, Oct 26

John Huston: The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of – 1:00pm
Written & performed by Phil Stewart. A solo performance about the legendary filmmaker’s life and relationships. Post-show Q&A.

Tues, Oct 28

Free Bricks – 7:30pm
Written & performed by Sonja Marie. A brutally honest solo sketch about self-acknowledgement, purpose, and disappearing Black women. Post-show Q&A.

Wed, Oct 29

Earth, Wind & Car Fire – 7:30pm
Written & performed by Janora McDuffie. A queer Southern storyteller’s journey through contradictions of love, race, and faith. Post-show reception.

Thurs, Oct 30

The Advocate – 7:30pm
Written, directed & produced by Zach Ring. A tense drama about dyslexia, deception, and survival in the entertainment industry.

Fri, Oct 31 – HALLOWEEN SPECIAL EVENT

Absolutely Halloween – 5:00pm
Written & directed by Chris DeCarlo & Evelyn Rudie. A family-friendly musical adventure celebrating Halloween. Post-show photo ops and treats.

Sat, Nov 1 – A FAMILY THEATRE SELECTION

Jane and the Magic Album – 1:00pm
Written & composed by Sergei Stern. A musical about a young girl adjusting to a new life with help from historical figures.

Rag Doll on a Bomb Site – 4:00pm
Book, lyrics & choreography by Shelley Cooper. A musical about Lotte Lenya’s traumatic past and her fight to perform.

Sun, Nov 2 – A BFF FIRST LOOK EVENT

The Summer I Got Old – 2:00pm
Written & performed by Paul Linke. A moving monologue about the surprise of aging. Post-show reception.

Tues, Nov 4

The Six at Ten – 7:30pm
Written & directed by Warren Sata. An evening of ensemble storytelling that blends courage, catharsis, and inspiration.

Thurs, Nov 6

My Great Turnaround: What God and Argentine Tango Taught Me About Life – 7:30pm
Created & performed by Ruthie Danziger with Tango pro Daniel Ledesma. A solo show exploring faith, humor, and dance. Post-show Q&A.

Fri, Nov 7 – A BFF MUSICAL SELECTION

Exes: The Musical – 7:30pm
Written & performed by Anne DiGiovanni. A rollercoaster musical comedy inspired by past relationships and journals.

Sat, Nov 8

tHis Is Very IMPORTANT – 1:00pm
Written & performed by Rahvaunia Johnson. A solo show interweaving HIV, stigma, resilience, and humor.

Adopted by Appalachians – 4:00pm
Written & performed by Paulina Combow. A mystery solo show narrated by Dolly Parton and inspired by X-Files nostalgia.

Sun, Nov 9

Poison Gun – 6:30pm
Written & performed by Dee Freeman. A gripping drama about a math prodigy, moonshine, and family tragedy in 1960s Louisiana.

Tues, Nov 11 – A BFF FIRST LOOK EVENT

Letter From David – 7:30pm
Written & performed by Albie Selznick. A one-man quest to connect with David Bowie. Post-show Q&A.

Thurs, Nov 13

Trans Mom vs Family Court: Justice Sees No Gender – 7:30pm
Written & performed by Rejyna Douglass-Whitman. A raw autobiographical solo show blending reenactment, music, and video. Post-show Q&A.

Fri, Nov 14

Black Don’t Crack – 7:30pm
Hosted by Miles Otway. A multigenerational collective of comedians offering fresh, witty perspectives. Post-show reception.

Sat, Nov 15 – DOUBLE FEATURE DAY

Six shows presented in three double features, including Natasha Mikha’s Marilyn Monroe, Unknown Letters, Ian Michael Scheller’s My Unexpected Journey Into Magic, Jenn Brown’s If Truth Be Told, Venessa Verdugo’s Hooligani, Madeleine Lemay’s Cruel Landlord, and The Best of Constance & Florence.

Sun, Nov 16 – CLOSING DAY

Naturally Tan – 2:00pm
Written & performed by Tanya Thomas. A powerful seriocomic solo show exploring race, colorism, and self-worth. Post-show reception.

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