Wayne Harris News

This December, Bay Area holiday favorite The Jewelry Box returns to The Marsh San Francisco. Performed by acclaimed writer/performer Brian Copeland (Not a Genuine Black Man, The Waiting Period), hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as a?oeamong the Bay Area's most honest, thoughtful and eloquent storytellers,a?? and directed by David Ford, this hilariously heartwarming story follows a young Brian as he heads to the a?oemean streetsa?? of Oakland to buy his mom a Christmas present. When he finds the perfect gift a?" a jewelry box in the White Front Department store a?" six-year-old Brian sets out to earn the required $11.97 by Christmas. Rife with references to 1970s Oakland, The Jewelry Box recounts Brian's adventures as he scours the a?oehelp wanteda?? ads, applies for jobs, and collects bottles, inching his way toward the perfect Christmas gift. The Jewelry Box will be presented December 5 a?" 14, 2019 (specific times below) at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia Street. For tickets ($20-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved) the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call The Marsh Box office at 415-282-3055 (open Monday through Friday, 1:00pm-4:00pm).

Theatre Bay Area, one of the largest regional performing arts service organizations in North America, has announced the finalists of the 2019 TBA Awards. The sixth-annual TBA Awards Celebration will take place on Monday, Nov. 4 at the Herbst Theatre (401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco).

Brian Copeland performs The Waiting Period - winner of the Theater Bay Area Award for Outstanding Production of a Solo Play, This deeply moving and surprisingly funny work outlines Copeland's own struggles with depression and suicidal thought, and is presented to everyone and to remove all barriers for those who may be struggling with depression themselves. Featuring humorous, poignant, and riveting insights, the solo show written by Copeland and directed by David Ford, It will take place at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre in Hayward, CA on Saturday, October 5, 2019 (8:00pm).

The family-friendly Bay Area holiday favorite The Jewelry Box comes to the Altarena Playhouse. Performed by Brian Copeland, who has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as 'among the Bay Area's most honest, thoughtful and eloquent storytellers,' and directed by David Ford, this hilariously heartwarming story follows a young Brian as he heads to the 'mean streets' of Oakland to buy his mom a Christmas present.

The Marsh San Francisco announces additional performances of Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest running solo show in San Francisco theater history.

The Marsh San Francisco adds two free performances of Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period, due to ongoing support from a GoFundMe campaign and generous corporate contributions from Summit Bank, Clint Reilly Associates, The Handlery Hotel Union Square in San Francisco, and Fremont Bank, OSIsoft, and Galvan and Associates in San Leandro.

The Marsh San Francisco adds two free performances of Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period, due to ongoing support from a GoFundMe campaign and generous corporate contributions from Summit Bank, Clint Reilly Associates, The Handlery Hotel Union Square in San Francisco, and Fremont Bank, OSIsoft, and Galvan and Associates in San Leandro.

The Marsh San Francisco announces an extension of Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest running solo show in San Francisco theater history. This funny, honest, and harrowing piece by award-winning actor, playwright, and talk show host Brian Copeland recounts the struggles Copeland faced growing up in what was declared one of the most racist suburbs in America

The Marsh San Francisco adds five free performances of Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period, due to ongoing support from a GoFundMe campaign and generous corporate contributions from Summit Bank, Clint Reilly Associates, The Handlery Hotel Union Square in San Francisco, and Fremont Bank, OSIsoft, and Galvan and Associates in San Leandro.

Jeremy Julian Greco brings Keeping Up with the Jorgensons to the 2019 Dallas Solo Fest for just three performance, Friday, June 14th at 8:30pm, Saturday June 15th at 10pm and Sunday, June 16th at 3pm.  In this presentation, Greco recounts a childhood road trip to Orange County, CA to attend the wedding of a relative he's never met.

The Marsh San Francisco announces additional performances of Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest running solo show in San Francisco theater history by award-winning actor, playwright, and talk show host Brian Copeland. This funny, honest, and harrowing piece recounts the struggles Copeland faced growing up in what was declared one of the most racist suburbs in America.

Wayne Harris' award-winning, music-infused, spiritual, and uplifting Mother's Milk will return to The Marsh Berkeley. Original songs, traditional blues, and gospel classics come together to underscore an intricate and uplifting narrative on life, death, and the Baptist Church (not to mention the best recipe ever for banana pudding). Set against the background of the civil rights movement, a losing battle with breast cancer, and a slightly inebriated preacher, Mother's Milk tells the story of a young black man finding his way back home.

The Marsh San Francisco adds four free performances of Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period,due to ongoing support from a GoFundMe campaign and generous corporate contributions from The Handlery Hotel Union Square in San Francisco, and Fremont Bank and OSIsoft in San Leandro.

The Marsh San Francisco announces the return of Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest running solo show in San Francisco theater history by award-winning actor, playwright, and talk show host Brian Copeland. This funny, honest, and harrowing piece recounts the struggles Copeland faced growing up in what was declared one of the most racist suburbs in America.

A captivating tale of a harrowing recovery, the hit solo show My Stroke of Luck will return to The Marsh Berkeley for a 2019 run. Not everyone knows that the average person loses 1.9 million brain cells every minute a stroke goes untreated, but Diane Barnes did.

Jeremy Julian Greco brings Keeping Up with the Jorgensons to the Whitefire Theatre's Solofest 2019 for just one performance, Today, February 21st, 8 pm. In this presentation, Greco recounts a childhood road trip to Orange County, CA to attend the wedding of a relative he's never met. Asked to tickle his father's feet and sleep in his grandmother's bed, the young Greco finds he will say and do anything to secure a visit to the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. He has performed this work to sold-out crowds at The United Solo Theatre Festival, the Nugget Fringe Theater Festival, and the 2017 San Francisco Fringe Festival, where it won Best of the San Francisco Fringe, and most recently had an eight show run at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. The Huffington Post said of the show, "a delightful hour of mirth mixed with adolescent angst brought on by a cast of characters that make All in the Family, Roseanne, and Married…with Children seem a bit too Disneyfied."

The Marsh Berkeley has announced that due to popular demand it has scheduled an extended run of Lisa Rothman's hit show, Dragon in the Drop-Off Lane. This hilarious and cautionary tale describes what happens when Rothman's Oakland-raised kids venture into the fairytale world of Marin, where all the children seem to know how to sew, speak in a "Crystal Cave whisper," and decorate their (vegan) gingerbread men with stevia icing, carob chips, and unsweetened coconut flakes. Of course, no fairytale would be complete without a fairy godmother to help Rothman reckon with her parenting choices.

Jeremy Julian Greco brings Keeping Up with the Jorgensons to the Whitefire Theatre's Solofest 2019 for just one performance, Thursday, February 21st, 8 pm. In this presentation, Greco recounts a childhood road trip to Orange County, CA to attend the wedding of a relative he's never met. Asked to tickle his father's feet and sleep in his grandmother's bed, the young Greco finds he will say and do anything to secure a visit to the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. He has performed this work to sold-out crowds at The United Solo Theatre Festival, the Nugget Fringe Theater Festival, and the 2017 San Francisco Fringe Festival, where it won Best of the San Francisco Fringe, and most recently had an eight show run at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. The Huffington Post said of the show, "a delightful hour of mirth mixed with adolescent angst brought on by a cast of characters that make All in the Family, Roseanne, and Married…with Children seem a bit too Disneyfied."

The Marsh San Francisco announces a one-night-only Marsh benefit performance of Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest running solo show in San Francisco theater history by award-winning actor, playwright, and talk show host Brian Copeland. This funny, honest, and harrowing piece recounts the struggles Copeland faced growing up in what was declared one of the most racist suburbs in America. "In the current political climate, empathy seems to be a lost commodity. By showing people the world through the eyes of a bullied and lonely little African-American boy, I hope they will develop compassion for the demonized 'other,'" says Copeland. The San Francisco Chronicle described the show as "relentlessly introspective and disarmingly honest, Copeland takes apart the false notion that black masculinity is some monolithic concept, in a way that has continued, unfortunately, to be relevant long after the show's 2004 premiere." Not a Genuine Black Man will play as a Marsh benefit performance for one-night-only at 8:00pm, Thursday, January 10, 2019 at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. For tickets ($30-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved) or more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call The Marsh Box office at 415-282-3055 (open Monday through Friday, 1pm-4pm).

The Marsh Berkeley has announced that due to popular demand it has scheduled an extended run of Lisa Rothman's hit show, Dragon in the Drop-Off Lane. This hilarious and cautionary tale describes what happens when Rothman's Oakland-raised kids venture into the fairytale world of Marin, where all the children seem to know how to sew, speak in a "Crystal Cave whisper," and decorate their (vegan) gingerbread men with stevia icing, carob chips, and unsweetened coconut flakes. Of course, no fairytale would be complete without a fairy godmother to help Rothman reckon with her parenting choices.