PlayGround's 2025 Free-Play Festival Returns to Potrero Stage This August

PlayGround will conclude its summer season with the fourth annual Free-Play Festival, running August 1–24, 2025, at Potrero Stage and online via simulcast.

The festival offers a diverse, “fringe-style” lineup of 17 original productions and 58 performances, showcasing emerging and established theater artists from across the country, including PlayGround hubs in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.

Admission is free for all in-person and online performances (donations accepted), with a $10 suggested donation for advance in-person reservations. Tickets and additional info are available at playground-sf.org/freeplay.

Festival Highlights

The 2025 Free-Play lineup spans a range of genres and formats—from one-person memoir pieces to devised ensemble work and interactive improvisation. The works explore timely themes including identity, resistance, grief, mental health, family, and the future.

La Cucaracha by J. Lynn Jackson

A political allegory told through insects resisting an "orange predator" during a life celebration in Mexico. Features an ensemble of bug and human characters fighting for justice and joy.

Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother by Lani T. Montreal (PlayGround-Chicago)

A queer Filipina daughter confronts identity, legacy, and grief in this solo journey through memory and migration.

Lifedebt by JJ Sutton

Set in a near-future dystopia, this play examines corporate power and worker solidarity in a mega-warehouse.

What’s Yo Protest Song? by Melanie DuPuy & Cast

An improvised musical inspired by real audience stories of resistance, blending comedy and catharsis.

Everyone’s a Hamlet by Michelle Haner & Tom Bentley-Fisher

Shakespeare meets Pirandello in a meta-theatrical piece about art, society, and legacy.

Escape from Tehran by Stephanie Liss

A Jewish couple flees Iran at the dawn of the Islamic Revolution, accompanied by original music from RebbeSoul.

Mine for the Tribe by Chris Smith

A solo work reflecting on mental health in the arts through personal loss and a return to one’s roots.

Made in America? by Yide Cai

A solo museum tour unpacks the life and loss encoded in a single brick, revealing truths about labor and identity.

The Miss Rose Show by Ken Prestininzi

A cabaret-play honoring the life of Rose Williams, sister to Tennessee Williams, and the legacy of family and art.

Schedule and Ticket Info

Performances take place at Potrero Stage (1695 18th Street @ Arkansas, San Francisco) with select events livestreamed and available on demand.

Each production runs 3–4 times over the festival’s four weekends. A complete schedule and artist information can be found on the official festival website.

About PlayGround

Founded in 1994, PlayGround has grown into a national new play incubator, developing over 1,500 short plays and hundreds of full-length works through commissions, residencies, and festivals. Its programs have launched the careers of noted playwrights such as Lauren Yee and Jonathan Spector and led to award-winning productions across the country. In 2017, PlayGround opened Potrero Stage, a dedicated venue for new work.

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

16.8% of votes

2. THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)

9% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)

8.7% of votes

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