5 languages. You can follow the English. Actors perform a line in non-English and then English seamlessly, with no subtitles.
World Premiere
Playwright & Director: Derek S. Chan
Composer & Music Director: Lucca Troutman
Final Translators: Cast & Clara Hsu
DATES: November 5–8, 2026
LOCATION: Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street, San Francisco (map)
Who among us hasn't struggled with an addiction — i.e., substance, doomscrolling, or other — both wanting and not wanting to stop simultaneously? Yasi Ming-Moreno’s addiction is poker gamblin’ at the casino. However, in the underground South San Francisco of the early 1900s, she falls into deadly debt among sharks as dangerous as jaws, which leads to unintended consequences for her mother and brother. As people and spirits appear, who is kind-hearted or devious?
as Sabina Mazur & Dr. Marta Laskowska
in English and Polish
Select credits from 20+ shows include Silicon Valley The Musical at Potrero Stage, Cinderella at the African-American Shakespeare Company, and Stranger Things at Netflix / Fever.
as Cipriano Ming-Moreno
in English and Spanish
Eugenio Geiken is an actor based in the Bay Area. Select credits include Down to the "Fifty-Four" at PlayGround SF, and The Sound of Music at Berkeley Playhouse; he can also be seen on screen in Luca Guadagnino's Artificial, released by NEON and in theaters Christmas Day; and in D.C. Studios' Lanterns, available on all streaming platforms.
as Mrs. Ming-Moreno
in English, Cantonese, and Spanish
Joann was first touched by the magic of acting in Singapore’s Mandarin and Cantonese film sets. She's elated to help bring more languages to the Bay Area stage. Favorite past works include The Chinese Lady (Pear Theatre), Chinglish (u/s, SF Playhouse), and Butterfly Lovers of Gold Mountain (California Revels). @Jo.GeekSinger www.backstage.com/u/joannxwu/
as Yasi Ming-Moreno
in English and Cantonese
Select credits include A Lantern Riddle in Cantonese at Clarion Performing Arts Center featured on NBC Bay Area News, and content with 26k+ fans on Douyin (Chinese TikTok).
as Wulfran Kerjean & Accompanist
in English and French
As a French-American performer, Robin is thrilled to be joining his first multilingual production. Select credits include Anastasia (Broadway South Bay), The Little Mermaid (BareStage Productions), and featured performances at the Orpheum Theatre’s first Open House (BroadwaySF).
as Spirit Sage
in English and Cantonese
Select credits from 30+ bilingual plays include acting in Portrait of Peony, Amazing Triumph, and The Rich Miser and co-directing Will Auntie Face Justice? in San Francisco Chinatown.
Cast members were the final translators of their characters’ lines from English to non-English. Clara Hsu was the final translator of the Spirit Sage’s lines to non-English.
Scenic, Props, & Lighting Designer
Director’s Assistant at Clarion Performing Arts Center on new Cantonese shows such as A Lantern Riddle and DragonBeard, designing and fabricating for stage, and creating and managing their digital media.
Stage Manager
Khem Myrick has been behind the scenes in and around the San Francisco arts community for over 25 years. He’s done stage management with AfroSolo Theatre, the African-American Shakespeare Company and PlayGround.
Composer & Music Director
Lucca Troutman (she/they) is an electro-acoustic composer, instrumentalist, and performer. Working across sound, movement, textile, and devised performance, their practice investigates identity, transformation, ritual, myth, and the body–mind connection. Lucca integrates analog and digital sound processing, improvisation, intentional movement, and material-based exploration to construct immersive, embodied performance environments. Their work foregrounds sonic experimentation as a site of inquiry, inviting audiences into states of reflection, vulnerability, and collective resonance.
Playwright, Lyricist, Director, & Producer
Past Assistant Director on Disney ABC’s Diversity Theater Showcase, SF actor in original bilingual plays for 50k patrons, and current PlayGround board member.
Thursday, November 5 at 8pm
Friday, November 6 at 8pm
Saturday, November 7 at 8pm
Sunday, November 8 at 6pm
Tickets: Sliding scale $21 to $36
Ages: Adults and kids ages 10+
Accessibility: 10+ seats without stairs
Runtime: Estimated 75 minutes, no intermission
Gamblin' Life or Death is presented as part of PlayGround's Potrero Stage Presenting Program.
Potrero Stage (99 seats), 1695 18th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107 (map)
Know friends or family who'd enjoy?
Poster photo: San Francisco Public Library
Thursday, November 5 at 8pm
Friday, November 6 at 8pm
Saturday, November 7 at 8pm
Sunday, November 8 at 6pm