Written & Performed by Mark Kenward
Directed by Rebecca Fisher
June 2 and 3 ONLY | Berkeley
Tuesday & Wednesday 7:30pm
VISIT NANTUCKET WITHOUT LEAVING BERKELEY
Seagulls. Sand dunes. Surfcasters at sundown, their rods bent with fish. Where whaling captains of old gave birth to a mightier New World economy, and where today’s New England elite spend their summers. But in the dead of winter Nantucket is a different place, an island where the reality is that not everyone will be a survivor.
Nantucket is a hilarious and haunting performance that takes an unflinching look at the dark side of paradise. The Contra Costa Times hailed the show as “astounding, funny and breathtaking” and The Stark Insider marveled that “so powerful was his hold on the audience, the only evidence that anyone was even breathing was an occasional gasp.”
After a sensational extended run last spring at The Marsh Berkeley that wowed both audiences and critics, Mark Kenward’s Nantucket returns for two special encore performances. These will be benefit performances with proceeds going toward The Marsh’s new Discovery Series. Following these two performances Kenward will take Nantucket on a two-month fringe festival tour to Ottawa, Toronto, and Edmonton.
So jump aboard and hear a story that may change how you think about islands and the people who live on them.
Artist Biography
Mark Kenward, a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Nominee, has performed his work in over 35 cities throughout the US and Canada, including a reception for The House of Representatives and several runs at The Marsh. He is also the director of several successful solo shows, including three that have had runs at The Marsh: Howard Petrick’s Rambo: The Missing Years, Kurt Bodden’s Steve Seabrook: Better Than You, and David Kleinberg’s Hey, Hey, LBJ!. For more information visit markkenward.com.
Press & Media
“Astounding, funny, and breathtaking solo show…An astounding theatrical creation. Engaging and captivating. Kenward has become master of the craft. He is a wonder to watch.”
Contra Costa Times
“So powerful was his hold on the audience, the only evidence that anyone was even breathing was an occasional gasp….Kenward’s a master storyteller… Bringing performers like him to the stage is where the Marsh excels.”
Stark Insider
“a commanding storyteller”
San Francisco Weekly
“a warm, wonderful storyteller who establishes an instant rapport with his audience”
San Francisco Examiner
“his comic timing is as sharp as his punch lines are well honed.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“a compelling storyteller able to serve up life’s dramatic moments, and arrange them meaningfully as a fiction writer might.”
Victoria Times Colonist
“An affable, poised, physically demonstrative performer with a residual Midwestern charm, Kenward describes an upbringing in a household overshadowed by a high-strung, controlling, deeply unhappy mother… Nantucket … maintains an inescapable pull.”
San Francisco Bay Guardian