Sam Affoumado is a NYC-based Playwright/Director/Producer. He has written seven full-length plays and over two dozen short plays and monologues. Sam has produced and directed many of his plays in and around NYC: One-Way Ticket, (sending Trump to Mars) was selected for the William Inge Theatre Festival Playwrights’ Lab and he directed it for The Spark Festival, NYC at the Chain Theatre (2025). He directed his play Doctor Truth, for the All-Out Arts Fresh Fruit Festival (2024), The Finalist, for the Emerging Artists Theater - New Work Series, The Flogsta Scream, for the International Human Rights Arts Festival at The Wild Project, and Peanut Butter Patty, (semi-finalist) in the 37th Annual Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival. In Pursuit of Prudence, was the winner of the Short Play Competition, Phillips’ Mill Community Association, New Hope, Pa. His play, Sunset Living was produced by Stage it! International Ten-Minute Play Festival (2022) at the Bonita Springs Arts Center, Florida. His plays and monologues have been presented in New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, Florida, and Washington, DC 

Published works: The Bully’s Eye, More 10-Minute Plays for Teens published by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books (2015); The Panic Defense Monologues in We/Us: Monologues for The Gender Minority, Smith & Kraus publishers (2022); Sunset Living, 2022 International Stage It! 6 Anthology. 

Sam is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, Theatre Resources Unlimited 

(TRU Producer Development Program), NPX, The Playwrights’ Center, SAG-AFTRA, AEA, and he was an active writer-member of Playground-NY where his plays, Good Grief, (Peoples’ Choice Award), and In Pursuit of Prudence were virtually presented and simulcast on ZOOM live. http://www.samaffoumado.com/ 

THE PANIC DEFENSE: PROPOSED BUDGET BREAKDOWN
$15,000 - Crowd Funding,  $10,000 - Grants, etc.

Cast & Stage Management      8 Actors ($800 each)         $6,400
                                                      Stage Manager                      $800       
                                                      Subtotal                                $7,200

Venue & Performance               Theatre Rental                    $4,800
                                                      Light/Sound Operators     $1,200
                                                       Subtotal                              $6,000

Design & Production                  Lighting Designer              $1,000
                                                       Projection Designer          $1,000                                                          
                                                        Sound Design                      $600
                                                        Scenic/Set                         $1,000
                                                         Subtotal                             $3,600


Production Management           General Manager               $1,500
                                                        Production Manager         $1,100
                                                        Subtotal                               $2,600

Marketing & Press                        Graphic Design                    $600
                                                         Printing                                 $300
                                                         Social Media Ads             $1,200
                                                         PR/Press Outreach          $1,000
                                                         Subtotal                             $3,100

Insurance, Rehearsal                  Liability Insurance                $400
                                                       Rehearsal Space                   $900
                                                       Subtotal                               $1,300

Front of House                           House Manager/B.O.             $600
                                                       Programs/Materials             $400
                                                       Subtotal                               $1,000

TOTAL $24,800
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WHY SUPPORT THE PANIC DEFENSE. WHY NOW?

The Panic Defense is urgent to support now because it confronts a legal and cultural narrative that continues to shape real outcomes in American courtrooms—the reframing of bias as fear. At a moment when violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly trans women of color, remains alarmingly high, this play does more than recount events; it interrogates the systems that allow such violence to be rationalized. Through a documentary-style approach that centers the voices of victims, the work invites audiences to examine how language, perception, and prejudice intersect with justice. The play encourages empathy toward marginalized groups and promotes discussion of uncomfortable subject matter, creating space for audiences to engage with perspectives that are too often ignored or misunderstood. Supporting this production means investing in a piece that is not only artistically compelling, but also socially necessary—one that transforms the theater into a space for awareness, dialogue, and accountability at a time when those conversations cannot wait.