Chance Theater to Present 2025 On The Radar New Play Reading Series

Chance Theater will present its 2025 On The Radar New Play Reading Series, showcasing an exciting lineup of new works by emerging and celebrated playwrights. These staged readings are a cornerstone of their commitment to developing diverse, original, and thought-provoking stories. The series will feature new plays by 2025 Resident Playwright Benjamin Benne, award-winning playwrights Khanisha Foster and Ravi Kapoor, Chance Theater's 2018 Playwright in Residence Joanna Garner, and 2023 Resident Playwright Keiko Green. Each reading offers audiences a unique opportunity to witness the creative process in action and support the voices shaping the future of American theater.

“Supporting playwrights is essential to keeping theater vibrant and alive,” says Founding Executive Artistic Director Oánh Nguyễn, “Our On The Radar series allows us to champion bold voices, provide a space for risk-taking, and foster stories that challenge, inspire, and bring people together.”

Benjamin Benne is their 2025 Resident Playwright after previously working with him on his award-winning production of Alma last season. Benne will be gifting us two new plays as part of his residency, and we are thrilled to share his voice, bringing remarkable humanity, poetry, and incredibly drawn characters to the stage as he deftly explores subjects with social impact and heartfelt storytelling. The first is at the very bottom of a body of water, a stunning exploration of daily rituals we reserve for ourselves. 

We will also feature two Chance Playwriting Commission workshops, one by 2018 Fox Fellow Khanisha Foster and another by 2018 Resident Playwright Joanna Garner. Foster's new play, Pyro: How To Blow Up A Life, is a semi-autobiographical exploration of motherhood, sexuality, and femininity for a woman in her middle years as she wrestles with the fallout from the discovery of infidelity in her marriage, subsequent divorce, and the flurry of her newfound independence. Garner's Punk AF is a comedic take on female friendship, punk music, and how bonds formed during angsty teen years can be tested by time and a growing cultural divide as friends reunite in a momentous moment in middle age. 

Their OTR Series will also include a staged reading of Tea for Toofi by Ravi Kapoor; a new take on Molière's Tartuffe, the play reimagines this classic as a mad-cap farce set in 1980's Orange County and features an entirely Southeast Asian cast. 

Finally, they will welcome back 2023 Resident Playwright Keiko Green (You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! at South Coast Repertory, Hulu's Interior Chinatown). This fall, Green will workshop a brand-new play with us, bringing her exceptional talent and unique ability to address complex, challenging topics with sharp humor, incisive wit, and boundless creativity.

OTR producing Associate and Literary Manager, James Michael McHale, says, “The 2025 OTR Series is a testament to our unwavering commitment to nurturing new voices and presenting stories that resonate deeply within our community.

The 2025 OTR series is generously supported by Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, The Elizabeth George Foundation, Jennifer Ruckman & Ken Favell, Amanda Demaio, the National Endowment for the Arts, David & Judy Joss, Steven & Louise Koch, and Rachelle Menaker & Eddie Schuller.

The 2025 Season is being produced by community leaders and Executive Season Producers Bette & Wylie Aitken, with the Family of Mary Kay Fyda-Mar as the Associate Season Producers. 

Memberships for the 2025 season are now available. Enjoy everything Chance Theater offers for as low as $15/month. 

2025 OTR Season

at the very bottom of a body of water

Written by 2025 Resident Playwright Benjamin Benne
Directed by Sara Guerrero
Performance: February 12, 2025

Marina swims in a circle of routine: every week, she goes to her local fish store, buys a catfish, and makes soup. But this week, her usual fishmonger has disappeared and the comfort of her ritual has been destroyed. Does destruction only mean pain and suffering, or could it also mean the possibility for new and grander experiences? She's about to find out.

Pyro: How To Blow Up A Life - Chance Theater Commission

Written by 2018 Chance Fox Fellow Khanisha Foster
Performance: April 2, 2025

Khanisha Foster is the Director of Equity, Belonging, and Engagement at Center Theatre Group. Her plays have been commissioned by Penumbra Theatre, 1st Stage, and 2nd Story. Foster's solo show Joy Rebel, directed by Obie Award winner Lou Bellamy, received critical acclaim, and she was named in American Theatre Magazine's Role Call series as one of the “6 Theatre Workers You Should Know.”

Tea for Toofi

Written by Ravi Kapoor
Performance: April 9, 2025

Ravi Kapoor is an actor/writer/director based in LA but hailing from Liverpool, UK. He directed and co-wrote the feature Miss India America as well as a number of award-winning short films. Some of the plays he has written and directed include Oh Sweet Sita, which played in both London and Toronto and was named a top ten play of the year by London Time Out. He was a series regular on the shows Gideon's Crossing and Crossing Jordan.

A New Play

Written by 2025 Resident Playwright Benjamin Benne
Workshops: June 4 & 8, 2025

Benjamin Benne (he/him) was named part of “LA Vanguardia: The Latino innovators, instigators, and power players breaking through barriers” by the Los Angeles Times. His produced plays include Alma (Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre, Chance Theater) and In His Hands (Mosaic Theater Company). Benne's work has been developed at renowned institutions such as The Public Theater and the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference.

Punk AF - Chance Theater Commission

Written by 2018 Resident Playwright Joanna Garner
Workshops: July 30 & August 3, 2025

Joanna Garner's political drama The Orange Garden was a winner of the 2018 Izzy Award and included on the Kilroys List. Garner focuses on creating immersive, impactful experiences through her work and was named a 2018 Playwright in Residence at Chance Theater.

A New Play

Written by 2023 Resident Playwright Keiko Green
Performance: October 22, 2025

Keiko Green is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and performer. Her plays have been produced and developed by the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Kennedy Center, and South Coast Repertory Theatre, among others. Green is known for creating dynamic, character-driven stories that resonate deeply with audiences.

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