Performer Interviews, Q & A, and performance excerpts
with Marsh and MarshStream founder Stephanie Weisman

Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm

in conversation with Founder/Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman

Ellen Sebastian Chang

Click Box to Watch!

Photo by Maya Gurantz “How to Fall in Love in A Brothel” Actors Lisa Lee(L) and Carol Kim

Photo by Maya Gurantz “How to Fall in Love in A Brothel” Actors Lisa Lee(R) and Intae Kim(L)

Photo Joan Osato. Candlestick by Ben Fisher with Campo Santo

About the Guest

Ellen Sebastian Chang is a director, writer and a creative consultant. She is a current recipient of the 2016 Creative Capital Awards for her six year collaboration with Amara Tabor Smith and Deep Waters Dance Theater entitled “House/Full of Black Women” a large scale site specific dance theater ritual of a series of episodes created and performed through-out the city of Oakland, CA. She served fourteen years as Creative Director and Teaching Artist for The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program (TWAICB) an outgrowth of a series of successful initiatives carried out since 2006 to inspire people of all ages to take actions, large and small, that lead to equality, justice and dignity for all. These initiatives use the creative arts to deepen learning about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); they give participating youth the voice to teach their peers and adults about the importance of the UDHR principles. Ms. Sebastian Chang was a cofounder and artistic director of LIFE ON THE WATER, a national and internationally known presenting and producing organization at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center. Ms. Sebastian Chang began her career as a lighting designer and technician. She served as the technical director and lighting designer for The Blake Street Hawkeyes from 1979-1983. Her directorial work is highly influenced by this love of and affinity with the movement, color and temperature of light and shadow. In 1982 her directorial and writing debut called “Your Place Is No Longer With Us” was created in a Victorian mansion and told the story of the coming of age of a ten year old biracial girl; a meal of black-eyed peas, mustard greens and cornbread cooked throughout the performance and was served to the audience at the end of the play. “Your Place Is No Longer With Us” is published in West Coast Plays and won a Bay Area Critics Circle Award for New Directions in Theater. This work was the beginning of Ms. Sebastian Chang’s interest in children, as well exploring dialogues in regard to race, in particular mix-race-identity and strong female identified images. “Your Place…” was also one of many location/environmental works created by Ms. Sebastian Chang. Her most recent works include: Episode 14 of House/Full of Blackwomen project New Chitlin Circuit: a reparations vaudeville; “How to Fall in Love in A Brothel” interactive installation, performances and short film with Sunhui Chang and Maya Guarantz commissioned by Catherine Clark Gallery; “Candlestick” by Ben Fisher Producers Campo Santo ACT Costume Shop Theater, “A Hole In Space(Oakland Redux) created with Maya Guarantz connecting to Oakland neighborhoods via 24 hour video portal; “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley” for HBO.

About the Host

Stephanie Weisman founded and has been the Artistic/Executive Director of The Marsh since its inception in 1989. Under her leadership, The Marsh has grown from a one-night-a-week performance series to producing 600-700 shows annually on its four stages. In addition to its developing work performance series, The Marsh’s programs include: artist-in-residencies, after-school and summer workshops for youth both onsite and in 5 SFUSD, and performance development classes, workshops and Performance Initiatives. In 1996 Stephanie spearheaded the drive to successfully buy their 12,000 sq ft facility on Valencia Street in San Francisco. This increased The Marsh’s programs four-fold as well as provided for a stable Bay Area arts organization. In 2010, The Marsh added a second venue in Berkeley. In 2020, Stephanie initiated MarshStream. She is currently at work developing her opera, Aphrodisia, with dancer, Wei Wang.