SAGE CENTER to Make World Premiere at Hollywood Fringe Festival

SAGE CENTER, a new dramatic play written and directed by Corey Renfree, will premiere this June as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival at Upstairs @ El Centro. Performances will run June 5-14.

Inspired by real experiences working inside psychiatric residential care facilities, SAGE CENTER follows a young staff member who takes a job at a state-run mental health facility in the wake of personal tragedy. As he navigates a workplace defined by constant crisis, institutional burnout, and emotional detachment, he forms a bond with a newly admitted resident that forces him to confront the limits of care and the dangers of his own savior complex.

Blending dark comedy with emotional intensity, the production examines schizophrenia, caregiving, grief, and the unstable emotional dynamics that exist between caregivers and the people in their care. Through an intimate ensemble-driven story, SAGE CENTER offers a grounded and human perspective on severe mental illness and the realities faced by both residents and frontline workers inside overwhelmed systems.