PlayGround Festival: Festival Kick-Off & Playwrights Panel at Potrero Stage

Hear from five of the playwrights featured in this year’s Festival of New Works! Join Artistic Director Jim Kleinmann in conversation with PlayGround playwright alumni. A festival kick-off reception with the playwrights immediately follows the panel discussion!

The panelists: Jediah Craig, Carl Andrew Johnson, Daniel Martinez Jr., Matthew Y. Morishige, and Bridgette Dutta Portman.

These award-winning dramatists will discuss their plays, their processes, and the role of new works in the evolving landscape of American theatre.

Meet the panelists:

Jediah Craig, he/him, is a member of the PlayGround Writers Pool, Playwright’s Center of San Francisco, and Theatre Bay Area. He lives in Berkeley with his very patient family, who humor him as he stumbles through “this writing thing,” secretly hoping it’s just a phase.

Carl Andrew Johnson, he/him, is a recent addition to PlayGround-SF, with a passion for writing satire, speculative fiction, and comedy. While taking screen and stage playwriting courses at Berkeley City College, he was encouraged by his instructor to submit his work to local theater groups. His writing often draws from personal experiences, blending humor and thought-provoking elements, with the goal of ensuring that audiences leave with both a smile and something to ponder.

Daniel Martinez Jr. is an award winning playwright based in San Jose, CA. This is his third season in the Writers Pool and the water is still ~warm~. Daniel’s short plays have had several staged readings through PlayGround SF. Daniel’s newest one-act play, Vodka Cran, was recently featured in Mountain Community Theater’s New Works Festival. Daniel’s newest one man play, What’s in a Name?, premiered at PlayGround’s Solo Performance Festival in January 2025. Daniel loves writing and sharing stories with all of you- THANK YOU for watching! During the day, Daniel manages a film school for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Matthew Y. Morishige is a playwright, actor, and musician based in Berkeley, CA. Matt has worked with theatre companies such as American Conservatory Theater, Cornerstone Theatre Company, and Pan Theater as a performer. He has been a member of the PlayGround Writers Pool since the ‘22-‘23 season and is currently a resident playwright. He is energized by collaboration with artists across multiple disciplines.

Bridgette Dutta Portman, she/her, is a playwright, novelist, and teacher. She is president of the Pear Theatre board of directors and a member of the Pear Playwrights’ Guild and the Dramatists’ Guild. She received the 2023 June Anne Baker Prize from PlayGround and is currently developing a full-length commission, RIVALS OF MARS. She teaches composition and creative writing at UC Berkeley.

Jim Kleinmann (Moderator/Artistic Director), he/him, co-founded PlayGround in 1994, along with playwright Brighde Mullins and director Denise Shama, and has served as Artistic Director since 1996. For PlayGround, he has provided artistic and administrative leadership for the past twenty-four seasons, developing PlayGround’s unique array of new playwright and new play incubator programs, including Monday Night PlayGround, the PlayGround Festival of New Works, the full-length play Commissioning Initiative, the New Play Production Fund, Potrero Stage: PlayGround Center for New Plays, and most recently the Innovator Incubator. For PlayGround, he has directed more than one hundred short and full-length plays, including works by Garret Jon Groenveld, Aaron Loeb, Geetha Reddy, Lauren Yee, Katie May, and many others. Recent directing and dramaturgy credits include David Steele’s Vignettes on Love and Ruben Grijalva’s Value Over Replacement. He is a veteran arts administrator with more than thirty years of experience, including stints leading Traveling Jewish Theatre, Smuin Ballet, and Berkeley Symphony, and received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

For the complete festival schedule, visit https://playground-sf.org/festival.