Gamblin’ Life or Death at Potrero Stage, November 5–8
Some gambles cost more than money; some debts can never be repaid. This weekend, San Francisco audiences are invited to “meet” Compassion Collab, a new Bay Area theatre company making its debut with the world premiere of Gamblin’ Life or Death at Potrero Stage (1695 18th St., San Francisco) for four performances only, Nov. 5–8. Performed in five languages, including English, Spanish, Polish, French and Cantonese, the 90-minute production brings suspense, supernatural intrigue, and more to Potrero Hill. Tickets for this limited engagement, ranging from $10-$36, are on sale now and can be purchased online at compassioncollab.org. Gamblin’ Life or Death is presented as part of PlayGround’s Potrero Stage Presenting Program.
“Compassion Collab aims to carry on part of the legacy of Mar Yick Shee—my great-great-grandmother and a nonprofit founder—helping diverse Bay Area communities feel connected while cultivating compassion through collaborative, original, multilingual stage productions. It also aims to transition to screen to impact wider audiences and fund new local stage work,” said Derek S. Chan, Compassion Collab Founder and Gamblin’ Life or Death Director, Producer, Playwright and Lyricist. “Gamblin’ Life or Death incorporates five languages to inspire and learn from audiences and each other.”
“I was really motivated by the lyrics; it seems melancholic, there’s some anger behind it, there’s some passion behind it, so I let that drive whatever I was composing, built some motifs around that, and wrote some chord progressions to it while modifying the lyrics to fit what I had written,” said Lucca Troutman, Music Director and Composer. “This process has been super collaborative. If something modifies an actor and they want to add a note here and add something else there, I let it be reciprocal in how we develop our work together.”
About the show: Set against the shadowy backdrop of underground South San Francisco in the early 1900s, the gripping world premiere of Gamblin’ Life or Death follows Yasi Ming-Moreno, a young woman whose addiction to poker gambling takes a deadly turn when she gambles away the life of someone she loves to ruthless casino sharks. As the stakes rise and the consequences unravel, Yasi’s choices forever alter the lives of her mother, her brother, and herself. Amid a mysterious world where people and spirits emerge in Victorian-era attire and unexpected disguises, the line between reality and the supernatural begins to blur. With danger lurking around every corner, one question remains: Who can be trusted when everything, and everyone, is on the line?
Presented in English, Spanish, Polish, French and Cantonese, Gamblin’ Life or Death blends suspense, unexpected humor, grief, and supernatural intrigue in a compelling exploration of addiction, family loyalty and the devastating consequences of the choices we make. With performers seamlessly transitioning between languages, audiences can follow every twist and turn without the need for subtitles. The 90-minute premiere also features music, including songs by seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier. Set within the intimate, 99-seat Potrero Stage, the production brings audiences up close to a world where every decision matters and every relationship carries weight.
Gamblin’ Life or Death’s cast features Christina Kruszewska (Sabina Mazur/Dr. Marta Laskowska; English-Polish; Netflix’s Stranger Things), Eugenio Geiken (Cipriano Ming-Moreno; English-Spanish; DC Studios’ Lanterns), Joann Wu (Mrs. Ming-Moreno/Ghost; English-Cantonese-Spanish; SF Playhouse’s Chinglish), Mangling Tan (Yasi Ming-Moreno; English-Cantonese), Robin Dumas (Wulfran Kerjean/Spirit/Accompanist; English-French), Barry Chan (Spirit Sage; English-Cantonese). The creative team includes Derek S. Chan (Director/Producer/ Playwright/Lyricist; ABC’s Diversity Theater Showcase), Lucca Troutman (Music Director/Composer; TheatreWorks’ Little Shop of Horrors), Inga Chernogradskaia (Scenic Designer/Lighting Designer/Properties Master), Leo Beare (Costume Designer) and Khem Myrick (Sound Designer/Production Stage Manager).
Tickets for Gamblin’ Life or Death are available now online. For more information, including show dates and times, or to purchase tickets, visit compassioncollab.org.
To access assets, including rehearsal footage, show art, headshots, bios and logos, click here.
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About Compassion Collab
Founded in 2026 by Derek S. Chan, Compassion Collab is a Bay Area theatre company dedicated to fostering connection, understanding, and compassion among diverse communities through original, collaborative stage productions, including multilingual performances. With plans to bring its productions from stage to screen, the company aims to reach Bay Area audiences and beyond while supporting the creation of new, locally produced theatrical works. Inspired by the legacy of Chan’s great-great-grandmother, Mar Yick Shee, who co-founded a nonprofit that presented bilingual Cantonese-English theatrical productions in San Francisco’s Chinatown for more than four decades, Compassion Collab builds on a rich tradition of storytelling that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries. For more information, visit compassioncollab.org.