The WhatNext? Collective Presents
Who Do You Think You Are?
A Staged Reading of 10-Minute Plays
Saturday, May 2nd 5pm
Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs Street
April 2, 2026 SAN DIEGO, CA — Who do you think you are? At a moment when that question is being asked of citizens, institutions, and bodies across America, seven San Diego playwrights answer it from the stage.
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 5:00 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.
“This year, we wanted to explore identity in all its messy forms,” says WhatNext? co-founder Melissa Jordan Grey. “The show takes a sharp, funny, and deeply human look at womanhood, relationships, and the challenge of being a functioning person in a very dysfunctional world.”
Co-founder Jena Joyce adds, “We take a look at how our identities as women change over the course of our lives, in particular this “second act” we get to experience as our kids grow up, our careers downshift or our priorities change. Our goal is to create opportunities for San Diego women to share their voices. We hope everyone there – both onstage and in the audience – will recognize a bit of their own lived experience in the pieces we present.”
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 Terwilliger
A 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 Grey
Three 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 Barthell
Two 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 Salatka
At 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 Balderston
A 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 Ines
An 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 Grey
At 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 Gilman
A perfectly curated influencer mom goes viral for all the wrong reasons when her live stream exposes the chaos behind her “perfect” life.
About The WhatNext? Collective
Founded in 2023 by Melissa Jordan Grey and Jena Joyce, The WhatNext? Collective is a vibrant group of San Diego-based writers, actors, and directors committed to amplifying the diverse voices of women through bold storytelling. The Collective made waves with its sold-out inaugural production, Good Girls and Badassery, in 2024, and continued to challenge, inspire, and entertain audiences with its sold-out 2025 show, Park Bench Confessions. Who Do You Think You Are? is the Collective’s third production and its first at Old Town Theatre.Warmly,
Susan
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