Playground Will Present First Annual PLAYGROUND COMEDY FESTIVAL In San Francisco

PlayGround has announced the lineup for its first annual PlayGround Comedy Festival, an eclectic month of stand-up, sketch, improv, comedic plays, and hybrid performance running March 6–29, 2026, at San Francisco’s Potrero Stage and simulcast online.

With 18 acts and more than 60 performances, the festival reflects PlayGround’s mission to uplift bold comedic voices and develop innovative new theatrical work. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $10–$30.

SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES

A Stab In The Dark

Presented by The Red Herrings
An improvised murder mystery where performers and audiences uncover the killer together.
Sun, March 15 at 2:30pm; Sun, March 22 at 7pm; Mon, March 23 at 8:30pm

The Bomb

By Dana Schwartz
A fading superstar returns to stand-up and hires a young comic to test his material, forcing both to confront ego and authenticity.
Thurs, March 26 at 8:30pm; Fri, March 28 at 2:30pm and 7pm; Sat, March 29 at 5:30pm

Culturally Distressed: Live

Produced by Loic Pichot
A hybrid of stand-up, sketch, and banter exploring identity, culture, queer dating, and generational differences.
Fri, March 27 at 7pm; Sat, March 28 at 8:30pm; Sun, March 29 at 4pm

Emil Amok, Anchorman: The News Made Me Do It

By Emil Guillermo
A comedic one-man odyssey through a 50-year media career, interrogating race, politics, and the failures of journalism.
Fri, March 14 at 4pm; Sat, March 15 at 7pm; Sun, March 16 at 7pm; Thurs, March 19 at 7pm

Fancy Seeing You Here

Produced by Jiaxin Zheng
A longform improv show beginning with an audience suggestion about running into an ex, spun into spontaneous comic worlds.
Fri, March 14 at 8:30pm; Sat, March 15 at 8:30pm; Fri, March 21 at 7pm

Friends Without Benefits, Too: The Shequel

By Ric Iverson and Annmarie Macry
A musical-comedy duo performance imagining a never-consummated marriage, delivered by veteran improvisers.
Fri, March 7 at 2:30pm; Sat, March 8 at 5:30pm and 8:30pm; Thurs, March 13 at 7pm

Gamesome Frolic: Improvised Show in the Stylings of the Bard

By Diana Brown, Radhika Rao, and Mick Shaffer
Elizabethan-inspired improvised theatre accompanied by live music.
Sat, March 8 at 7pm; Fri, March 14 at 7pm; Sat, March 15 at 5:30pm

Give a Little Bit More

By Ben Visini
A musical-comedy solo piece exploring ambition and burnout through original songs and meta storytelling.
Thurs, March 12 at 7pm; Sat, March 22 at 8:30pm; Sat, March 29 at 7pm

The Naked Stage

Presented by Improv Playhouse of San Francisco
A fully improvised one-act play performed anew each night.
Thurs, March 19 at 8:30pm; Sat, March 21 at 2:30pm and 8:30pm; Sun, March 22 at 5:30pm

Latini-DUH!

By Raymond Abel Gutierrez
A solo sketch-comedy piece celebrating queer Latine identity through characters, confession, and satirical commentary.
Thurs, March 6 at 7pm; Fri, March 7 at 4pm; Sat, March 8 at 2:30pm; Sun, March 9 at 7pm

Johnny Lonely's Unhappy Hour

By Brian Lohmann and Joshua Raoul Brody
Musical sketch comedy blending original songs, standards, and improvised audience-inspired numbers.
Thurs, March 26 at 7pm; Fri, March 27 at 8:30pm; Fri, March 28 at 4pm

Munch Ado About Improv

Produced by The Fists of Improv
An adults-only improvised exploration of kink and sensuality through themed interactive games.
Thurs, March 6 at 8:30pm; Fri, March 7 at 7pm; Fri, March 14 at 2:30pm

Off-Topic Improv

Produced by Neil Harkins
A “Living Room–style” improv format based on audience prompts and personal monologues.
Fri, March 7 at 8:30pm; Sat, March 8 at 4pm; Sun, March 9 at 8:30pm

SCRIPT///NOT/FOUND: An Improvised Cyberpunk Adventure

Performed by Diana Brown, Josh Caldwell, Gordon Downs, Mark Gardiner, Matt Haley, Sara Goetz, and Erin Souza
A dystopian cyberpunk world improvised each night, where rebellion, identity, and AI collide.
Sat, March 22 at 4pm; Fri, March 28 at 5:30pm; Sat, March 29 at 2:30pm and 8:30pm

Unstuck

By Olivia Levine
A stand-up/storytelling hybrid examining lesser-known forms of OCD with humor and honesty.
Thurs, March 20 at 7pm; Fri, March 21 at 4pm; Sun, March 23 at 7pm

Tansu and Kirsten's Very Best Friendship Show

By Tansu Philip and Kirsten Baird
Fast-paced duo improv built from 20 years of friendship and spontaneous comic chemistry.
Thurs, March 13 at 8:30pm; Fri, March 14 at 5:30pm; Sat, March 15 at 4pm

What's Your Protest Song? An Improvised Musical

By Melanie DuPuy and The Wypspers
Audience stories become improvised mini-musicals created live onstage.
Fri, March 7 at 5:30pm; Thurs, March 12 at 8:30pm; Sun, March 16 at 8:30pm

Women Off-Colour