Join Pacifica Spindrift Players for live theatre under the stars with the return of our outdoor staged reading series!

Last summer, PSP was proud to be one of the first theaters in the Bay Area to bring performers and patrons together – safely and in person – for live performances during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a series of seven socially distanced outdoor staged readings of contemporary and classic theatrical works.

Starting this May, Theatre in the Woods returns with another summer of outdoor live theatre, featuring 7 weekends of staged readings of incredible plays.

The End of The World With Symposium To Follow by Arthur Kopit
Directed by Gabriel A. Ross
May 15-16 @ 4PM
A few years ago Arthur Kopit was commissioned by a wealthy industrialist to write a play about nuclear peril. This hilarious play – about a playwright who sees himself as a Sam Spade like detective who is commissioned by a mysterious billionaire to write a play about the Impending Doom – is the result. The writer has two mysteries to solve: the truth behind the nuclear arms build up, and the reason the eccentric croesus Philip Stone believes he is the man to write about it.

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Directed by Heather Skelley
May 22-23 @ 4PM
Ibsen’s landmark 1879 play tells the story of the awakening of Norwegian housewife Nora Helmer from her previously unexamined life of domestic, wifely comfort. Having been ruled her whole life by either her father or her husband Torvald, Nora finally comes to question the foundation of everything she has believed in once her marriage is put to the test.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath
Directed by Cat Imperato
May 29-30 @ 4PM
Hnath’s Tony-winning 2017 play picks up where Ibsen’s groundbreaking play – which shocked 19th century audiences and instantly propelled drama into the modern age – left off, with a 15 year hiatus. Many years have passed since Nora’s exit. Now, there’s a knock on that same door. Nora has returned. But why? And what will it mean for those she left behind?

Beyond Therapy by Christoper Durang
Directed by Tyler Paranoia
June 5-6 @ 4PM
Bruce and Prudence are deeply into therapy. Prudence’s macho therapist is urging her to be more assertive, while Bruce’s wacky female therapist wants him to meet women by placing a personal ad. She does not fully comprehend that Bruce has a male lover who is not pleased by Bruce’s desire to date a woman. Bruce doesn’t know how to handle poor, nervous Prudence, and Prudence doesn’t know what to make of her unpredictable new boyfriend. They do learn to live beyond therapy in this delightful comedy.

How To Destroy An American Girl Doll by Jan Rosenberg
Directed by Gwynnevere Cristobal
June 12-13 @ 4PM
Gen and Vee are best friends. Gen teaches Vee how to throw up. Vee sells Gen weed. Gen teaches Vee how to pretend like you don’t hate sex. Vee tries to pretend like she doesn’t love Gen a little too much. Through parties, treatment centers, and college, they keep each other’s secrets. Because that’s what friends are for–right? A dark comedy about toxic friendships, asexuality, and addiction. Content warning: this production involves adult content, including depictions of eating disorders and substance use; patron and parental discretion is advised. 

Radio Golf by August Wilson
Directed by Tanika Baptiste
June 19-20 @ 4PM
Radio Golf is a fast-paced, dynamic, and wonderfully funny work about the world today and the dreams we have for the future. Set in Pittsburgh in the late 1990s, it tells the story of a successful entrepreneur who aspires to become the city’s first black mayor. But when the past begins to catch up with him, secrets get revealed that could be his undoing.

Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them by A. Rey Pamatmat
Directed by Juan Castro
June 26-27 @ 4PM
Three kids — Kenny, his sister Edith, and their friend Benji — are all but abandoned on a farm in remotest Middle America. With little adult supervision, they feed and care for each other, making up the rules as they go. But when Kenny’s and Benji’s relationship becomes more than friendship, and Edith shoots something she really shouldn’t shoot, the formerly indifferent outside world comes barging in whether they want it to or not.

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In order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and comply with national and local guidelines, the total number of tickets available for each performance will be very limited, and patrons are asked to bring their own chair to Theatre in the Woods (lawn chairs, camping chairs, and blankets are all welcome), wear a mask at all times when indoors and when in close proximity to people outside their household when outdoors, and remain home if exhibiting any possible symptoms of COVID-19 (including – but not limited to – fever and/or new body aches, cough, runny nose, sore throat, loss of smell, and/or difficulty breathing).