Joyful Raven’s
Breed or Bust
Returns for a Limited Time!
In Person at The Marsh San Francisco Mainstage
Written & Performed by Joyful Raven
Directed & Developed by Jael Weisman
Click for Tickets
Online ticket sales close 2 hours before each performance,
and additional tickets may be available for purchase at the door.
October 19
October 26
November 2
Saturdays at 8pm
Ticket Information
Tickets: $20 – $35 General Seating sliding scale | $50 & $100 Reserved Seating
Online ticket sales close 2 hours before each performance,
and additional tickets may be available for purchase at the door.
70 minutes | No Intermission | Ages 16+
Please do not bring infants to the show
Please read our
Health, Safety and COVID-19 Information
Our commitment to our patrons
About the Show
Blending masterful storytelling, standup and dark humor, Joyful Raven takes you on a subversive and hilarious romp through the treacherous terrain of her breeding decisions. Bold and brazen she blazes a fire through the taboos of abortion and the unexplored nuances often left out of the conversation about women’s reproductive choices. Walking the tightrope between comedy and tragedy this multi award winning show is fresh off a critically acclaimed run at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe. With the last tock’s of her biological clock ticking, Raven wrestles with her choices, the father of her abortions, and the complex relationship between womanhood and motherhood. Should she surrender to the role of weird aunty OR should she start a GoFundMe to freeze her geriatric eggs? Come for the laughs and stay for the sex education… in case you forgot how babies were made.
About the Performer & Artist Crew
Joyful Raven (Writer/Performer)
Joyful Raven (Pursuit of Happyness) is an award-winning actor, director, and ‘story midwife’ known for her powerful and thought-provoking solo shows. Born into an iconic political theater family, she has been devising theater for over 20 years. Her last solo comedy, Tales of a Sexual Tomboy, was dubbed ‘…one of the funniest shows now on display on Bay Area stages’ by the SF Chronicle, won Best of the Fringe at the San Francisco International Fringe Festival 2016, and enjoyed an Off-Broadway run in 2017. Her current show, Breed or Bust, is hot off a critically acclaimed run at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, where it was nominated for an Offie. ★★★★★ ‘Joyful Raven’s masterful approach to storytelling and exquisite performance skills elevate her work to another level.’ – Theatre Weekly UK. The show was also nominated for Best Comedy at the 2022 Hollywood International Fringe Festival, received a Producer’s Encore Award, and a gold medal by TV-olution. She has directed and mentored hundreds of storytellers, co-founded the award-winning theater company Rococo Risqué, and co-authored four plays for the Prize of Hope-winning company Human Nature. Joyful studied theater at Sarah Lawrence College in NY and holds an MFA in dramatic art from UC Davis. She teaches regular storytelling and solo theater classes at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater and her own studio in Oakland, CA.
Jael Weisman (Director/Developer)
Jael Weisman, a founding member of the Dell’Arte Players Co. and a multi-Obie-winning director, is a trailblazer in actor-based theater, directing acclaimed productions like “Whiteman Meets Bigfoot,” “Performance Anxiety,” and “Mad Love.” With Dell’Arte, his works have toured extensively in South America and Europe, earning him numerous Dramalogue Awards for Directing. Noteworthy projects include “The Dragon Lady’s Revenge,” which traveled to New York and was awarded an Obie, the American premiere of “Red Noses” at the San Diego Repertory Co., “Uncle Gunjiro’s Girlfriend” at the Adelaide Festival, and “Mermaid Meat” for the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with luminaries like Carlo Mazzone-Clementi and Joe Chaikin and worked with renowned Bay Area performance artists including Jeff Raz and Brenda Wong Aoki. In his early career, he worked with The San Francisco Mime Troupe, directing among other things “The Dragon Lady’s Revenge,” which was awarded an Obie. Weisman holds a BA from Reed College and an MFA from Carnegie Tech.
Special Pre & Post-Show Events
October 19th – Opener:
Comedienne and Storyteller Holly Shaw
Holly Shaw is a rising voice in comedy, having performed at showcases across Northern California, including Cobb’s, SF Punch Line, and the Oakland Comedy Festival. She is the executive producer of The Comedy Edge, a series of sold-out shows on the Oakland waterfront from 2020-2022. Holly also created and hosts the Comedy Lab Open Mic, where participants write and perform new jokes in one night. She has been offering workshops from 2019-2023. Before comedy, Holly had a career on stage, TV, and film as an actor, professional dancer, and speaker, with credits ranging from an ABC Afterschool Special to dancing with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. She is the author of two books, including the Amazon bestseller The Creative Formula.
More about Holly Shaw
October 26th – Talk Back:
Post-show chat with Suzanne Pullen
Suzanne Pullen is an educator, performer, and stillbirth prevention advocate committed to reproductive justice. A former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, she holds a PhD in Communication Studies and currently teaches Performance Studies at San Francisco State University.
(More info on Suzanne Pullen here)
November 2nd – Opener & Talk Back:
5-minute Opening Act – Abbey Glover
Abbey Glover’s work
Post-show chat with Grace Howard
Grace Howard is a Professor at San Jose State and a sought-after expert in abortion rights. She will be discussing her new book The Pregnancy Police: Conceiving Crime, Arresting Personhood.
(More info on Grace Howard here)
Press & Media
Listen to Joyful’s interview with Sports Byline USA below: