THE WHAT’S NEXT? COLLECTIVE: A Staged Reading of New Works (May 2, 2026)

Get ready for laughs, losses, and overdue truths. Coffee filters. A buttercake. A pair of binoculars. Sometimes the smallest, most ordinary things hold the biggest questions. Who Do You Think You Are? brings together eight new 10-minute plays, each asking—in wildly different ways—how we see ourselves, show up for each other, and finally look in the mirror. Bring a friend. You’ll have a lot to talk about on the way home.

STILL STANDING by Lisa Balderston: What if your greatest enemy could talk back? In Still Standing, a stand-up comedian takes the stage to tell the story of her cancer diagnosis—only to find herself face-to-face with Cancer itself. What unfolds is a battle of wit, willpower, and survival, where nothing is off-limits. Bold, hilarious, and deeply human, this play dares to find laughter in the fight of a lifetime.

SAN DIEGO READER: ”Who Do You Think You Are?’

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/events/2026/may/02/who-do-you-think-you-are-0f70529c/

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https://www.kpbs.org/events/2026/05/02/who-do-you-think-you-are

KPBS: ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

Theatre Arts

Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 5 PM

Old Town Theatre (Cygnet Theatre)

“Who Do You Think You Are?,” a staged reading of eight original 10-minute plays presented by The WhatNext? Collective will take place Saturday, May 2 at 5 p.m. at Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego, CA 92110.

Tickets and information are available at thewhatnextcollective.com/tix

The evening spans a full range of female defiance, from two soccer moms on a bleacher finally finding their voices, to a cancer survivor turning her diagnosis into a stand-up set, to a compliance officer who approved the destruction of $9 million in contraceptives and decides she has to do something about it. There are mothers and daughters, secrets kept for 35 years, and a suburban housewife who has been surveilling her neighbors with binoculars for two years and will not be stopped.

The ensemble cast features Julie Alexandria, Maria Costello, Kelley Goode, Melissa Jordan Grey, Ali Impey, Laura Jackson, Jena Joyce, Analia Romero, John Tessmer and Connie Terwilliger.

The plays are written by Lisa Balderston, Aleta Barthell, Caroline Gilman, Melissa Jordan Grey, Lolo Moreno Ines, Lindsey Salatka and Connie Terwilliger. Jena Joyce serves as dramaturg.

The production is directed by Lisa Celia Balderston, Aleta Barthell, Melissa Jordan Grey, Jena Joyce, Charles Peters, and Jenn Peters.

Featured New Works:

200 Coffee Filters by Connie TerwilligerA woman tracks her whirlwind romances in coffee filters—until she realizes love might require more than just good chemistry and a fresh brew.

Bittercake by Melissa Jordan GreyThree generations of women wrestle with food, body image, and inheritance as a simple cake reveals what’s been quietly baked into them all.

Confetti Time by Aleta BarthellTwo women on a covert mission to blow up a pharmaceutical warehouse discover that waiting for orders is harder than pulling the trigger.

Off Sides by Lindsey SalatkaAt a high school soccer game, two moms channel their sideline outrage into a full-blown reckoning with fear, politics, and finding their voice.

Still Standing by Lisa BalderstonA stand-up comic battles Cancer as her most relentless heckler, proving that if she’s going down, she’s taking the mic—and the last word—with her.

The Gossip by Lolo Moreno InesAn empty-nester turns neighborhood gossip into a high-stakes surveillance operation, blurring the line between curiosity, conspiracy, and self-discovery.

Thirty-Five Candles by Melissa Jordan GreyAt a reunion decades in the making, two women confront the choices that shaped their lives—and the daughters they still imagine.

Under the Influence by Caroline GilmanA perfectly curated influencer mom goes viral for all the wrong reasons when her live stream exposes the chaos behind her “perfect” life.

Old Town Theatre

4040 Twiggs St
San Diego, CA 92110

Doors open at 4:30 pm.
Show starts at 5:00 pm.

Tickets start at $25 per person.

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The Roustabouts Theatre’s “CELEBRATION OF NEW WRITERS” (Feb 23, 2026 & Feb 24, 2026) is an opportunity to showcase the works of a diverse pool of playwrights. This evening includes short new pieces you get to hear first, with a discussion afterward. This year’s Celebration will be co-directed by Matt Thompson and Carla Navarro. Join us for an evening that celebrates creativity, and Cultural Culinary Connections. Performed Feb. 23 at Westminster Presbyterian Church and Feb. 24 at Moxie Theatre. Specific details & tickets coming soon: https://www.theroustabouts.org/celebration

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A Staged Reading of QUEEN OF LUCIA

Written by Lisa Balderston & Directed by John Tessmer.

LOCATION: La Jolla Library – 7555 Draper Avenue, La Jolla, CA 90037

READINGS: 1/20/26 at 6:00 pm & 1/24/26 at 2:00 pm.

A NEW READING IN JANUARY 2026: In Queen of Lucia, Jack and Elena seek respite from the demands of her Bipolar Disorder by going to a secluded cottage in the country. Jack hopes the surroundings will help Elena find balance, but her erratic behavior soon disrupts any chance of serenity. As Elena’s mental health deteriorates, her emotional abuse toward Jack intensifies. Torn between his vows and the toll of being her caregiver, Jack must decide whether to stay in a toxic cycle or break free to save his own sanity. In this raw exploration of love, duty, and mental illness, both must confront the truth about their relationship, and try to find hope for their future together.

CAST:

RHIANNON McAFEE is a stage, screen, and voice actor; director; dramaturg; and dialect coach.

CHARLES PETERS is an award-winning director and actor and has twice toured nationally.

JAMIE FEINSTEIN is excited to be participating in her first staged reading production with the La Jolla Theatre Ensemble. Jamie has been fortunate to perform in plays and musicals throughout San Diego in productions at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, Broadway Vista, Luminary Arts, Lamplighters Theatre, PowPAC, Patio Playhouse, Star Theatre, and the Coronado Playhouse.

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The Scripteasers Sixth Annual “Leftovers” Readings

STILL STANDING – A Short Play by LISA BALDERSTON

Join us on Friday, November 21, 2025 @ 7:30 pm -10:00 pm

A NEW STAGED READING: Join us for The Scripteasers Sixth Annual “Leftovers,” a night of post-Thanksgiving Readings, including my 10-minute play, Still Standing. After months of grueling recovery, comedian Sonya returns to the stage for her highly anticipated comeback set, ready to find the humor in her recent battle with illness. The show takes an unexpected turn when a menacing heckler emerges from the shadows: Cancer itself, personified as a cruel antagonist unwilling to let her move on. What follows is a fierce, funny, and profoundly human showdown, transforming the stand-up routine into a dramatic battle for survival and self-acceptance. Blending biting humor with moments of aching vulnerability, this dramedy explores the challenge of maintaining your timing and voice when life relentlessly interrupts the performance. Ultimately, Still Standing asks whether laughter and resilience are enough to defeat the darkness that refuses to stay backstage. (Cast: Rhiannon McAfee & Martin Wojtysiak- Narrated by Marc Biagi) – Friday, November 28th at 7:30 pm

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THE SCRIPTEASERS READING of LET’S CHAT by LISA BALDERSTON:

Join us on Friday, June 13, 2025 @ 7:30 pm -10:00 pm

When overworked Professor Gracie uses AI to generate a quiz but fails to fact-check it, her sharp-eyed student, McKenzie, spots the errors and seizes an opportunity. Confronting the professor, McKenzie demands a grade boost in exchange for her silence, sparking a tense and hilarious battle of wits over accountability, academic integrity, and the growing role of AI in education. As accusations fly and ethical lines blur, the play forces the audience to consider who is truly at fault—an overburdened educator, a savvy student, or the very technology they both choose to use? Let’s Chat is a timely and unsettlingly relevant exploration of AI’s impact on learning, the fine line between innovation and deception, and what it means to create in an age of automation.

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A NEW PLAY READING: QUEEN OF LUCIA by Lisa Balderston

Synopsis: In Queen of Lucia, Jack and Elena, a married couple seeking respite from the
overwhelming demands of Elena’s Bipolar Disorder, retreat to a secluded cottage deep in the countryside. Jack hopes the peaceful surroundings will help Elena find balance, but her erratic mood swings soon disrupt any chance of serenity. As Elena’s mental health deteriorates, her emotional abuse toward Jack intensifies, pushing him to the brink of collapse. Torn between his vows and the toll of being her caregiver, Jack must decide whether to stay in a toxic cycle or break free to save his own sanity. In this raw exploration of love, duty, and mental illness, both must confront the truth about their relationship. Can they find a way to navigate the storm of mental illness together, or will the isolation reveal irreparable fractures in their marriage?

The SCRIPTEASERS Reading of QUEEN OF LUCIA – September 13, 2024

AUDIENCE & READER RESPONSES:

“Art is meant to move us and you definitely did that. The fact that it brings people to important conversations about things that aren’t even directly part of the focus of the work is also commendable. Art can inform as well and start conversations and your play does both.” (Marc Biagi)

“Thank you all for a super fun experience. Lisa, I loved being a part of this thought-provoking new play. And the discussion afterwards was so engaging. (Samantha Goldstein – Reader)

“Congratulations on the reading of your play. It was a really good Reading and the crowd was certainly very enthusiastic” (Michael Adler)

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CELEBRATION OF LIFE: This short play gained recognition by The Scripteasers who requested that it be performed during one of their Zoom Reading sessions.

PLAY SUMMARY:
When Christina Alvarez decides to attend the Celebration of Life of her former high school English teacher, it’s not to pay her respects to the well-respected educator. Memories from Christina’s senior year still haunt her, memories of a teacher who made her life miserable. How does she confront a ghost about events that happened 25 years ago? Can she find peace in the comfort of a church, in the company of a stranger, and in front of a deceased teacher’s larger-than-life photo at the alter?

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