Who Do You Think You Are?

Stories from the Second Act

Proudly sponsored by

A Staged Reading of New Works

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.

Saturday May 2

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.

Please join us afterward for a Q&A.

 

Come early and enjoy the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Old Town. You are strongly encouraged to carpool, Uber or Trolley.

Brought to you by

The What Next? Collective

  • DIRECTOR/ACTOR/DRAMATURG
    Jena Joyce is a lawyer who took the question “What Next?” seriously when her daughter headed off to college in 2018. Venturing back into theater after a hiatus of more than 30 years, she has since performed with Coronado Playhouse, Lamplighters Theater, Poway Performing Arts Center, Thruline Theater, La Jolla Theatre Ensemble, Trinity Theater Company, Vanguard Theater, and more, and serves on the board of the San Diego Performing Arts League.

    Jena studied theater at Princeton University where she performed in a dozen plays, costumed several more and served on the board of the student-run Theatre Intime. After earning her Certificate from the Program in Theater and Dance, along with a BA in History, she performed in San Diego with the now-defunct Fritz, Fiesta, NewWorks and Marquis theaters before making an about face to study and practice law.

    Jena is delighted to be part of The What Next Collective to support this band of creatives, while also growing into her own second act.

  • PRODUCER/WRITER/MC
    Melissa Jordan Grey is a playwright, instigator, and unapologetic fan of messy characters and sharp dialogue. Her play Cringe snagged top honors at the TTC New Works Festival, while Trial and Error and A Walk in the Park were staged back-to-back at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center as winners of the International Memoir Writer’s Showcase.

    She’s the co-founder of The WhatNext? Collective, the creative force behind two bold original productions: Good Girls and Badassery and Park Bench Confessions. When she’s not stirring the pot onstage, Melissa serves on the board of the San Diego Performing Arts League and the IRTS Foundation, and has twice shared her voice (and maybe a few strong opinions) at the San Diego Writers Festival.

    Connect with her at www.melissajordangrey.com or on Instagram: @madeinmelissaland.

  • Writer

    Lisa Balderston is a playwright and educator based in San Diego. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Diego State University and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

    Lisa is an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, where she teaches dramatic writing and literature. Her plays explore a wide range of subjects, often blending humor with emotional depth.

    Her work has received staged readings, full productions, and development with organizations including Lamplighters Community Theatre, PowPAC Community Theatre, Point Loma Playhouse, Scripps Ranch Theatre, and The Scripteasers of San Diego. Her plays include Queen of Lucia, Life by Numbers, Transported, The Art of Tolerance and Forgiveness, The Sum of Sisterhood, Celebration of Life, Let’s Chat, The Death of Ryan, and Still Standing, which will be featured in a playwright showcase in May 2026. Her full-length play Queen of Lucia will receive a four-weekend stage production in October 2026. Lisa’s work has been recognized in several festivals and competitions. Her play The Devil’s Dish was selected for the Celebration of New Playwrights by The Roustabouts Theatre. She was a semi-finalist in the PlayGround Experiment Monologue Competition for Can I Buy You a Drink? and in their short play category for All Wrong. Queen of Lucia was selected for the Lamplighters Theatre New Playwrights Festival 2025. The Art of Tolerance and Forgiveness won the Trinity Theatre Company New Works Festival 2025, while Let’s Chat was a finalist in the Loud Fridge New Works Festival 2025. Earlier, Transported won the Local Flavor Play Readings (2019) presented by San Diego Playwrights in conjunction with Scripps Ranch Theatre. Her plays The Sum of Sisterhood and The Death of Ryan were also recognized by The Scripteasers of San Diego in their Annual Short Play Competition (2021) and 24 Experiment (2023).

  • WRITER/ACTOR

  • ACTOR
    Maria Costello trained for theatre and film at Shelton Studios in San Francisco. Shortly before the pandemic, she moved from the Bay Area to San Diego. Favorite roles include "Tina" in the Theatre Critics Circle award-winning play, "Girls Kill Nazis" and "Charlotte" in Beyond Therapy. A mother of two, Maria loves sourdough bread baking, training at her local gym and writing poetry. .

  • ACTOR

  • Writer
    Lolo Moreno Inés is a graduate of La Jolla Playhouse’s Spotlight On courses. When not writing, she can be found enjoying the local San Diego things she grew up on: Pinoy food, boogie boarding during winter Santa Anas, and off-roading in Borrego. Lolo is also a truly proud cat mama.

  • ACTOR/SOCIAL MEDIA
    Julie is an accomplished TV host. She has been on the sidelines covering college football on Fox and the Big Ten Network; the US Open for ESPN; and baseball for MLB Network, the Washington Nationals, and, most recently, for the San Diego Padres. Julie has hosted entertainment shows interviewing celebrities for MTV, the Emmys Red Carpet, the Miss USA Pageant, and the Oscars. NYC Off-Broadway: Pieces (New World Stages); Twelfth Night (Urban Stages); Marisol (Hudson Guild Theater). Other NYC/Regional credits include: Tony and Tina’s Wedding, The Diary of Anne Frank (Tennessee Rep); Brighton Beach Memoirs (Long Beach Playhouse); and Yo Soy Latina (Crossroads Theater). Julie was also part of the original cast of the musical Gidget, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Numerous national network commercials and Voice Overs. She can currently be heard as the voice of Progressive Insurance and on the latest installment of Harley Quinn and Joker for DC Comics on Spotify.

  • Writer/House Manager

    Lindsey Salatka is an author, editor, ghost-writer, and Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach. Her debut novel, Fish Heads and Duck Skin was released by She Writes Press in 2021. Her writing has been featured in several anthologies and performed in the San Diego Memoir Showcase in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and in the What Next Collective in 2024. She is on the advisory board of the San Diego Writers Festival and recently completed a three-year stint as Director of the KidsWrite! Children’s Writing Contest. She also served as Coordinator of the Author of the Month program at the San Diego Central Library from 2022-2024. You can find her at lindseysalatka.substack.com and on Instagram: @mywhatlovelygillsyouhave.

  • Actor/Publicist
    Susan most recently performed at Oceanside Theatre Company as Margie in Good People. Scripps Ranch Theatre credits include Donna Orbits the Moon, Good People, Absurd Person Singular, Moonlight and Magnolias, California Suite and How the Other Half Loves. Lamb’s Players Theatre credits include The Nerd, Harvey, A Man For All Seasons, ‘Till We Have Faces and The Diviners. Susan performed in Write Out Loud’s Twainfest from 2010 – 2020 and portrayed Clara Schumann for the San Diego Symphony. Other local credits include Defying Gravity, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Auntie Mame, Dancing at Lughnasa and Jake’s Women at North Coast Rep. On camera credits include Host and Co-Producer of the 10 episode docuseries Lights, Camera, Friendship on the Spectrum (streaming on Red Coral) and Carol in A Christmas Miracle by Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films. Susan is also a voice over artist and voices the character of “Gooz” for the ongoing children’s radio series Paws and Tales. She teaches filmmaking to teens with developmental and intellectual disabilities via Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films.

  • WRITER/SOCIAL MEDIA
    Caroline Gilman is a middle grade writer and business owner who resides in San Diego, CA. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Caroline is currently preparing to query her middle-grade fantasy novel, an adaptation of her recent screenplay.  Caroline serves as the Vice President of the International Memoir Writers Association and Director of Marketing for the San Diego Writers Festival. Her short memoir DFQ was selected as a winner in the San Diego Memoir Showcase and performed on stage at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. Caroline also provides freelance marketing and graphic design support for authors. 

  • ACTOR

Featured Pieces

  • What if you could measure a relationship not in months—but in moments? In 200 Coffee Filters, sparks fly between two people who aren’t ready to stop wanting more from life—or love. But as passion turns into pattern, small cracks begin to show, and the question becomes: how long can chemistry carry you? Funny, sharp, and achingly real, this play serves up romance, reinvention, and the courage to start again—one cup at a time.

  • What do we really inherit from the women who came before us? In Bittercake, three generations share more than a recipe—they share habits, expectations, and unspoken rules about love, hunger, and worth. As they each move through the same ritual in their own way, something deeper begins to surface. Sharp, funny, and quietly devastating, this play asks: can we change what’s already been passed down?

  • If you had the chance to make a statement—would you go through with it? In Confetti Time, two women break into a pharmaceutical warehouse on a mission that feels urgent, justified… and increasingly complicated. As they wait for the moment to act, doubt creeps in and the stakes begin to shift. Tense, darkly funny, and unpredictable, this play keeps you guessing until the very last second.

  • When is the right moment to speak up—and what if you’ve already missed it? In Off Sides, two moms watch a soccer game from the sidelines, but their conversation quickly moves beyond the field. What starts as casual commentary builds into something louder, riskier, and impossible to ignore. Smart, funny, and uncomfortably relatable, this play captures the moment when staying quiet is no longer an option.

  • 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.

  • How much do you really know about the people next door? In The Gossip, a quiet morning routine turns into something far more consuming as one woman begins to watch—and wonder. The more she looks, the more certain she becomes that something isn’t right. But certainty can be dangerous. Funny, eerie, and sharply observed, this play keeps you questioning what’s real… and what isn’t.

  • What would you say if you finally had the chance to ask the questions you’ve carried for decades? In Thirty-Five Candles, two former friends reunite and find themselves pulled back into a past that never quite let them go. As memories resurface, so do the choices that shaped their lives in ways neither fully understood. Tender, honest, and deeply affecting, this play lingers long after the lights go out.

  • How real is the life we choose to share online? In Under the Influence, a picture-perfect mom has built a following on flawless meals, a happy family, and effortless living. But when a casual moment at home threatens to expose what’s really behind the screen, the line between performance and truth begins to crack. Fast, funny, and uncomfortably familiar, this play asks: what happens when the filter finally comes off?

Brought to you by

The What Next? Collective

  • DIRECTOR/ACTOR/DRAMATURG/
    GUEST CASTING

    Jena Joyce is a lawyer who took the question “What Next?” seriously when her daughter headed off to college in 2018. Venturing back into theater after a hiatus of more than 30 years, she has since performed with Coronado Playhouse, Lamplighters Theater, Poway Performing Arts Center, Thruline Theater, La Jolla Theatre Ensemble, Trinity Theater Company, Vanguard Theater, and more, and serves on the board of the San Diego Performing Arts League.

    Jena studied theater at Princeton University where she performed in a dozen plays, costumed several more and served on the board of the student-run Theatre Intime. After earning her Certificate from the Program in Theater and Dance, along with a BA in History, she performed in San Diego with the now-defunct Fritz, Fiesta, NewWorks and Marquis theaters before making an about face to study and practice law.

    Jena is delighted to be part of The What Next Collective to support this band of creatives, while also growing into her own second act.

  • PRODUCER/WRITER/MC/ACTOR/
    DIRECTOR

    Melissa Jordan Grey is a playwright, instigator, and unapologetic fan of messy characters and sharp dialogue. She’s the co-founder of The WhatNext? Collective, the creative force behind three bold original productions: Good Girls and Badassery‍ ‍Park Bench Confessions, and now Who Do You Think You Are?

    Her play Cringe debuted at the TTC New Works Festival, while Trial and Error and A Walk in the Park were staged back-to-back at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center as winners of the International Memoir Writer’s Showcase. Her new full-length play, The Mayflower Inheritance, is currently in development.

    When she’s not stirring the pot onstage, Melissa serves on the board of the San Diego Performing Arts League and the IRTS Foundation, and has twice shared her voice (and maybe a few strong opinions) at the San Diego Writers Festival.

    Melissa is a jazz saxophonist, composer and singer-songwriter. In her off hours, you’ll find her flying across the bay in her paddle board.

    Connect with her at www.melissajordangrey.com or on Instagram: @madeinmelissaland

  • WRITER

    Lisa Baderston is a playwright and educator based in San Diego. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Diego State University and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

    Lisa is an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, where she teaches dramatic writing and literature. Her plays explore a wide range of subjects, often blending humor with emotional depth.

    Her work has received staged readings, full productions, and development with organizations including Lamplighters Community Theatre, PowPAC Community Theatre, Point Loma Playhouse, Scripps Ranch Theatre, and The Scripteasers of San Diego. Her plays include Queen of Lucia, Life by Numbers, Transported, The Art of Tolerance and Forgiveness, The Sum of Sisterhood, Celebration of Life, Let’s Chat, The Death of Ryan, and Still Standing, which will be featured in a playwright showcase in May 2026. Her full-length play Queen of Lucia will receive a four-weekend stage production in October 2026. Lisa’s work has been recognized in several festivals and competitions. Her play The Devil’s Dish was selected for the Celebration of New Playwrights by The Roustabouts Theatre. She was a semi-finalist in the PlayGround Experiment Monologue Competition for Can I Buy You a Drink? and in their short play category for All Wrong. Queen of Lucia was selected for the Lamplighters Theatre New Playwrights Festival 2025. The Art of Tolerance and Forgiveness won the Trinity Theatre Company New Works Festival 2025, while Let’s Chat was a finalist in the Loud Fridge New Works Festival 2025. Earlier, Transported won the Local Flavor Play Readings (2019) presented by San Diego Playwrights in conjunction with Scripps Ranch Theatre. Her plays The Sum of Sisterhood and The Death of Ryan were also recognized by The Scripteasers of San Diego in their Annual Short Play Competition (2021) and 24 Experiment (2023).

  • WRITER/ACTOR

    Connie is a media communications producer, writer and talent. After receiving her Master's in Radio and Television at Indiana University in 1977, she moved to San Diego where she was hired at Channel 8 initially as a director (the first female director at a TV station in San Diego), choosing to transition to booth announcing (also a first in San Diego) so that she could pursue free lance work. Fate had other plans and Connie was hired at General Dynamics in 1987 wearing all her hats and and supervising a 16-person staff of film and video professionals. She returned to free lance status in 1995 starting 42nd Street Productions where she continues to write, produce and do voice over work.

    She started doing live theater in 1999 receiving multiple nominations for Aubrey's over the years since including Best Lead Actor in a comedy for her role as Rose in "Rose and Walsh" produced at Point Loma Playhouse in 2023. She ventured into writing plays in the early 2000's. "200 Coffee Filters" is her first project for The What Next? Collective. Lamplighters Theater produced her play "Silkworms" in 2023. Another of her recent full-length plays was selected for the Trinity Theater Fourth Annual New Works Festival for 2026 - "Nothing But The Truth". Several other plays are being workshopped.

    Connie was also an adjunct faculty member at San Diego City College for almost 19 years teaching voice acting, as well as public speaking and voice and articulation. Recently, Connie has ventured into Stand Up Comedy and is part of the Brassy Broads. (brassybroads.com)

    More information can be found at www.voiceover-talent.com and www.youtube.com/connieterwilliger

  • ACTOR
    Maria Costello trained for theatre and film at Shelton Studios in San Francisco. Shortly before the pandemic, she moved from the Bay Area to San Diego. Favorite roles include "Tina" in the Theatre Critics Circle award-winning play, "Girls Kill Nazis" and "Charlotte" in Beyond Therapy. A mother of two, Maria loves sourdough bread baking, training at her local gym and writing poetry. .

  • ACTOR

  • ACTOR/SOCIAL MEDIA

    Julie is an accomplished TV host. She has been on the sidelines covering college football on Fox and the Big Ten Network; the US Open for ESPN; and baseball for MLB Network, the Washington Nationals, and, most recently, for the San Diego Padres. Julie has hosted entertainment shows interviewing celebrities for MTV, the Emmys Red Carpet, the Miss USA Pageant, and the Oscars. NYC Off-Broadway: Pieces (New World Stages); Twelfth Night (Urban Stages); Marisol (Hudson Guild Theater). Other NYC/Regional credits include: Tony and Tina’s Wedding, The Diary of Anne Frank (Tennessee Rep); Brighton Beach Memoirs (Long Beach Playhouse); and Yo Soy Latina (Crossroads Theater). Julie was also part of the original cast of the musical Gidget, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Numerous national network commercials and Voice Overs. She can currently be heard as the voice of Progressive Insurance and on the latest installment of Harley Quinn and Joker for DC Comics on Spotify.

  • WRITER/FRONT OF HOUSE

    Lindsey Salatka is an author, editor, ghost-writer, and Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach. Her debut novel, Fish Heads and Duck Skin was released by She Writes Press in 2021. Her writing has been featured in several anthologies and performed in the San Diego Memoir Showcase in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and in the What Next Collective in 2024. She is on the advisory board of the San Diego Writers Festival and recently completed a three-year stint as Director of the KidsWrite! Children’s Writing Contest. She also served as Coordinator of the Author of the Month program at the San Diego Central Library from 2022-2024. You can find her at lindseysalatka.substack.com and on Instagram: @mywhatlovelygillsyouhave.

  • ACTOR/PUBLICIST

    Susan most recently performed at Oceanside Theatre Company as Margie in Good People. Scripps Ranch Theatre credits include Donna Orbits the Moon, Good People, Absurd Person Singular, Moonlight and Magnolias, California Suite and How the Other Half Loves. Lamb’s Players Theatre credits include The Nerd, Harvey, A Man For All Seasons, ‘Till We Have Faces and The Diviners. Susan performed in Write Out Loud’s Twainfest from 2010 – 2020 and portrayed Clara Schumann for the San Diego Symphony. Other local credits include Defying Gravity, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Auntie Mame, Dancing at Lughnasa and Jake’s Women at North Coast Rep. On camera credits include Host and Co-Producer of the 10 episode docuseries Lights, Camera, Friendship on the Spectrum (streaming on Red Coral) and Carol in A Christmas Miracle by Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films. Susan is also a voice over artist and voices the character of “Gooz” for the ongoing children’s radio series Paws and Tales. She teaches filmmaking to teens with developmental and intellectual disabilities via Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films.

  • WRITER/SOCIAL MEDIA/COMMUNICATION
    Caroline Gilman is a middle grade writer and business owner who resides in San Diego, CA. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Caroline is currently preparing to query her middle-grade fantasy novel, an adaptation of her recent screenplay.  Caroline serves as the Vice President of the International Memoir Writers Association and Director of Marketing for the San Diego Writers Festival. Her short memoir DFQ was selected as a winner in the San Diego Memoir Showcase and performed on stage at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. Caroline also provides freelance marketing and graphic design support for authors. 

  • ACTOR

    Analía Romero (she/they) is honored to return to The What Next Collective. Favorite credits include Man of La Mancha (Housekeeper, MTW), Jekyll & Hyde (Nellie, SDMT), In the Heights (Abuela Claudia, ETC/SDMT), El Puente (Gloria, La Jolla Playhouse), Esperanza Rising (Hortensia, ASCAP), Oliver! (Old Sally, 5-Star Theatricals), Call Your Mother (Gabrielle, Chance Theater), and 7 Days to Mexican (Grandma Sarah, Garage Theatre).

    Analía holds an M.M. in Afro-Latin Music, is an accomplished mariachi vocalist and guitarist, and is represented by FSE Talent. IG: @analiaromero01

  • WRITER/FRONT OF HOUSE

    Lolo Moreno Inés is a graduate of La Jolla Playhouse’s Spotlight On courses. When not writing, she can be found enjoying the local San Diego things she grew up on: Pinoy food, boogie boarding during winter Santa Anas, and off-roading in Borrego. Lolo is also a truly proud cat mama.

  • WRITER/DIRECTOR/VENUE
    Aleta Barthell is a producer and writer. Besides this opportunity with What Next and creating CONFETTI TIME, Aleta is developing a play called MY OWN WILDERNESS that explores the fantastical life of a woman experiencing dementia. This project has been funded by the William Male Foundation, which has allowed her to go to her happy place of Dorland Mountain Arts Colony for the loveliest of writing retreats.

    Aleta also recently wrapped up production on a documentary, THE MOSLEYS: Love for the Ages, which has premiered at festivals from Florida to California where it was awarded “Best Short Documentary” at the Fallbrook International Film Festival.

    Aleta is a grant writer with Father Joe’s Villages and leads Creative Writing Workshops there. She also offers playwriting workshops at San Diego Writers Ink.

    Aleta holds a Bachelor in Science from Northwestern University, trained as an actor at the British American Drama Academy and Shakespeare & Company, and has studied playwriting / screenwriting at the Kennedy Center, The Dramatists Guild Institute and UCSD.

Guest Artists

Kelley Goode
Actor

Ali Impey
Actor

Ted Leib,
Technical Director

Charles Peters
Director

Jenn Peters
Director

John Tessmer
Actor