Kevin O’Connell and Jill Goodrich are a husband-and-wife team and both members of the DC theater community. Jill has been doing community theater since the 4th grade, and Kevin is a dramaturg and the former artistic director of Perisphere Theatre. Now, the duo heads Playing Against, a small volun teer organization that —- to quote the organization’s Facebook page — “produces staged readings of plays that repudiate, ridicule, or otherwise resist His Magasty.” Each reading presents a play that tackles the topic of authoritarianism and raises funds for a civil liberties group. Their first fundraiser reading of 2026, The Joy of Theatre by playwright Germaine Shames, takes place this Monday, February 23, at Busboys and Poets in Takoma, Washington, DC.  Sara Barker and Gifty Amponsem appearing in ‘The Joy of Theatre’ presented by Playing Against on February 23, 2026. This interview was condensed for clarity. Statements from Kevin and Jill were combined into one voice.  Give me a brief summary of the organization. We were both devastated after the 2024 election [that brought President Donald Trump back into office]. We tried to think what we could do about it beyond going to protests or donating money. I started to think, what if we did staged readings? So we started staging readings with a team of volunteers. All of the scripts are donated. Jill and I pay for the space and the website and pick a different organization to donate to for each reading. In 2025, we raised over $5,000 in donations from five readings.  Tell us about the next one happening on Monday, February 23, at the Busboys and Poets in Takoma, DC? It’s by a new playwright named Germaine Shames. I found the script on the New Play Exchange. It’s a dystopian story about people living in an authoritarian society. At first, they feel that they are safe from it and won’t get caught up in it until they stage a play that runs afoul of the regime, and two of them end up in prison. The second half of it is set in this prison, which is actually more like a dog kennel. Busboys and Poets has been a great venue for us because they have a room in the back and are very friendly. We thought this kind of event calls for eating and drinking, so it’s great to be at a venue that already has that. People can stay after the reading to discuss the play and ways that we can build community.  Who is in the cast? Sarah Barker, one of the artistic partners at Avant Bard, already knew the playwright, so they wanted to work together. Also in the cast are Gifty Amponsem, Rick Foucheax, Matthew Marcus, Jennifer Mendenhall, Emily Morrison, and Elle Sullivan. Jill reads the stage directions. It’s been a great mix of well-known professional actors and newer people on the scene. All sorts of people have wanted to be involved. And we have many people from the theater world who come to support us. What organization did you choose to donate to for this reading?  It’s the 10 Steps Campaign, founded by Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia state legislative minority leader. [Editor’s note: The 10 Steps Campaign strengthens and defends democracy by helping people recognize, resist, and reverse authoritarian tendencies in government.] How do people make their donation? We ask for a minimum donation of five dollars. People can either bring cash for us to pass on to the organization, or they can show us proof that they have donated to the organization already. Where can people find more information about this event and your organization? We have a rudimentary website and Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky accounts. It’s been really easy to market this because so many people, like us, want to do something. People have been sharing it widely by word of mouth. The last time we did this, we had a totally full house.  Playing Against’s reading of The Joy of Theatre by Germaine Shames will take place on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 7:00 pm at Busboys and Poets, 235 Carroll Street NW, Washington, DC. Donations can be made in cash at the door or by donating directly to the 10 Steps Campaign.  The post New DMV theater organization Playing Against stages readings to fight fascism appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less