Roni Ragone // Playwright
About Roni
Roni Ragone is a playwright whose work is situated at the intersection of exploring the boundaries of gender expectations and testing the lengths people will go to in search of human connectedness all while being told through intriguing worlds that give us the space to discover new perspectives on our everyday lives. Ragone graduated in June 2023 from the University of California, Santa Barbara with bachelor degrees in English and Theatre with a concentration in playwriting. Their full length play, "Night Night, Roger Roger," published by Dramatic Publishing Company, was performed as part of the 2022-2023 season at the University of California, Santa Barbara and became the first ever main-stage production written by an undergraduate student; this play continues to be produced across the United States. Ragone's short play, "my barricade," was selected and performed in the Top 30 in the 48th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival at the Vineyard Theatre, and in 2022, their play "We're All Girls Here," was selected and performed in the same festival at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons. Short plays, "Hiding in Flowers" and "Security!," were both selected and performed in Southern Rep Theatre’s Pop Up Play Series in both April and May of 2021. Full length play, "Up Strung Down," was workshopped through Amplify in October 2022 and again in the Tank Moonlight Series in January 2024. Along with William Huffaker, Ragone is one of the co-creators of "Doubles" - a playwriting festival produced through The Initiative for New and Reimagined Works. Ragone and their close friend, Bailey Jordan Garcia are the co-founders of Fresh Binder Productions — here, they support their fellow trans/non-binary playwrights and help bring new works to life.
Ragone is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Logo by Madison Ragone
Press & Media Coverage
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Roni Ragone and Bailey Jordan Garcia launched “Fresh Binder Productions” in December 2023. In January 2024, they produced Ragone’s play, “Up Strung Down,” at the Tank, and they recently announced spring cohort writers: Kyle A Smith, Samekh Resh, Kai Xing Mun, Christian Flynn, Lee Harrison Daniel, and Alex Moon
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April 2024
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-Best Play
-Best New Play or Musical
-Best Ensemble
-Best Direction of a Play - Julie Fishell
-Best Scenic Design - Maggie Welch
-Best Lighting Design - Sophie Lynd
-Best Costume Design - Maxi Largo
-Best Sound Design of a Play or Musical - Kadrik Blatt
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12/10/2023 - 12/11/2023
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December 2023
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2/8/2024 - 2/11/2024
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Montclair, New Jersey on Thursday, May 4th.
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Studio Theatre, 7pm
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Baba Nana Drama Club invites Roni to speak about playwriting on May 8th, 7pm
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By Tom Jacobs
““The fact this production exists is somewhat fantastical in itself. This is, to anyone’s knowledge, the first time ever that the UC Santa Barbara Department of Theater and Dance has undertaken a full-scale production of a student’s work.”
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“Roni Ragone’s performance as William Barfée dazzled onstage. From their entrance, Ragone incited laughter with their smug smile and proud display of their “magic foot” — Barfée’s technique for spelling words. Ragone’s natural comedic talent in both physical and vocal performance shined most brilliantly in “Magic Foot,” an ode to Barfée’s unique technique.”
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“This is a whimsical production that looks at life through a unique comedic lens, and the cast seems to be having a blast performing it. It is also lovely to see that those performing enjoy the material and want to share their commitment and passion for it.”
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January 22nd, 2023
6 New Plays:
Bisque in Glory by Roni Ragone
Baggies by Will Huffaker
My Friend, Fletcher by Erin Donohue
A Story Below by Maya Rosenberg
Parallel Lines by Travers Tobis
The Cradle by Alex Yang
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Written and directed by Roni Ragone
Shrunken Heads Production Company
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UCSB Amplify, 2022