The Marsh - Marsh Rising

The Marsh San Francisco presents
		The Marsh Rising Series One-Night-Only performances of rising talent at The Marsh. Marsh Rising presents works in progress that may be ready for an extended run. For information about putting on a Marsh Rising show, e-mail Sharon Eberhardt at sharon@themarsh.org

The Marsh is pleased to present AN EVENING WITH THE GROUNDLINGS, four short pieces addressing some of the more pressing social issues of the day. All four pieces were originally part of The Marsh’s recent Festival Of New Voices II, which featured new full-length and shorter solo works from up-and-coming local performers developed in The Marsh’s Performance Initiative. AN EVENING WITH THE GROUNDLINGS - one-night-only! Wednesday June 23 at 7:30 pm The Marsh Berkeley 2120 Allston Way, off Shattuck 1 block from downtown Berkeley BART Through The Marsh Performance Intitiative, four artists were commissioned to do short pieces that speak to contemporary issues. The intent was to put a face, a personal story to the struggle we are all enduring while facing unprecendented social challenges. The result....a powerful evening of revelatory stories that speak to the very heart and soul of what living in modern America really means.... REBECCA FISHER • WAYNE HARRIS • MARK MCGOLDRICK • PAUL SUSSMAN take you...... "Down The Rabbit Hole..."
		MEMPHIS ON MY MIND by Rebecca Fisher (Local Economics) Sixty three years ago, Sarah started working as a maid for my grandparents in Memphis. "I worked so long for them, I almost became white," she jokes. Now, lying in bed in a nursing home, Sarah's all I have left of a time and place long gone. And she wants me to help her grandson, who's out of work and like Memphis itself one of the finest examples of economic desperation.

		BOARD POLICY 213 by Wayne Harris (Public Education) The public school system as we know it is under siege. Harris details the consequences of budget cuts, politics and beleaguered bureaucrats in this triad of stories that takes snapshots of the carnage. The daily trials of a school administrator, a PowerPoint presentation out of control and the story of Icarus paint a bleak landscape for the most important institution in the state, Public Education. Harris’ previous performances at The Marsh include the critically acclaimed “Mother’s Milk” and “Train Stories. ” His latest play “The May Day Parade” was developed as part of the 2007 Marsh Performance Initiative and had successful runs in both Canada and the United States. When not on stage, Harris works for the East Bay School District.

		STUCK by Mark McGoldrick (Social Justice) A typical day in a criminal court, not a jury trial or anything fancy, just a Restitution Calendar court for misdemeanor probationers. It’s a place where victims don’t get their money and poor people are squeezed for cash, maybe even thrown in jail for their lack of it. The only chance of justice is that which the deputy sheriff or public defender who staff the place can wrest from a bewildering system of laws. McGoldrick’s previous shows at The Marsh include “Public Defense,” “The Golden Hammer” and, most recently, “Countercoup,” in which he described his rebellious youth, car crash and spinal cord injury. He has been a deputy public defender in the East Bay for 15 years.

		DO THE MATH by Paul Sussman (Public Discourse) Imagine changing the world by telling the story of one homeless man’s redemption. Not so fast! I’ll show you my checkbook if you show me your data. In this time of compassion fatigue, Sussman explores the ways we talk, think and argue about the homeless. He developed his approach to melodrama and farce through years of work in financial management with Bay Area nonprofit organizations. At The Marsh he has written and performed a series of short solo pieces seen through the eyes of road-ragers, insects, Anabaptists, cannibals, and others who persist in the search for meaning amidst puzzling evidence.