CLICK ON DATE FOR SCHEDULE
CLICK HERE FOR A RUNNING DESCRIPTION OF ALL FRINGE PLAYS CLICK ON PLAY FOR INFO ABOUT THAT PLAY
22
Minutes Remaining
A
(Bearded) Lady
BLESSING
HER HEART
Break-Upocalypse
Carnival
Of Chaos: "Survival Tips For The Reckless"
Cemetery
Golf
Cockroach
De
Rerum Natura; Or, Love The One You Whip
Eat,
Pray, Laugh!
Fists
of Funny
FOOL
FOR A CLIENT
The
Fox
The
Frank Diary of Anne
The
Godling
Hell,
The Musical
I
Prefer Fur
Inside
Private Lives
J.Lo.Hew
JESUS
IN MONTANA: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult
Knitting
LandEscape
Legs
and All
Marriage:
a queer institution
MISSING:
fugue #9: wear a warm coat
No
Ordinary Nut
Open
Season, A Queer Performance Spectacular
Play
4 Play
Poste
Restante
PUBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Comedy and Justice for All
Pulp
Scripture
Recess
Searching
for the Voice of the Third
Show
No Show
Spider
Baby the musical
Suicide
Me!
The
Surprise
The
Tao of Everest
Tater
Stew
tempestuous(ness)
or HIStory is Told by the Victors
The
Texas Chainsaw Musical!
Theatre
of the Battle
Ticonderoga
The
Unbearable Lightness of Raya
22 MINUTES REMAINING eavesdrops on Myriam and Gilad, unwilling adversaries caught up in the tides of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War. With the clock ticking down on a literal deadline, twenty-two minutes will decide the fates of one soldier's conscience and one woman's life. "Plunges us deep into the farce of warfare...playwright Ignacio Zulueta mines the absurdity of abiding by polite codes of behavior, while sirens shatter the ear." - Karen D'Souza, The Mercury News
A (Bearded) Lady After more than a century on the carnival circuit, the Bearded Lady comes to the San Francisco Fringe to perform what may be her final show. Now with the privilege of death, she in a tell-all tale, once again gives her audience fright and delight. Step up, step up, Ladies and Gentleman, and see for yourself! Written by Billie Cox and presented by Larissa Garcia, A Bearded Lady pays tribute to the carnival life, its deviance and its dignity
BLESSING HER HEART What happens if you put Marian Anderson, a culturally-challenged matron with more dollars than sense, an unassuming aged opera diva and an unequivocal Daughter of the South together on a railroad car heading in all directions? All aboard! Take a ride on Southern Railroad Company's BLESSING HER HEART, the Bay Area Critic's Circle Award-winning journey of three beguiling, unrepentant Southern Women spanning l939-2007. Tom Kelly of the Bay Times writes: "Blessing Her Heart" by Susan Jackson packs a lot of emotional power into this play..the appropriately economical onstage action is boosted by the amazing emotional journey."
Break-Upocalypse!
Two exploding relationships in under twenty five minutes.
Runners [funny :)]
In the middle of a marathon, recent exes Hunter & Liz have one last
knock down, drag out fight. While running. The whole time.
The Ugly City Game - [sad :(]
"The thing about cities is- you feel like they love you back…"
After a colossal heartbreak, Paul takes solace in the parts of Chicago others
overlook.
Carnival of Chaos: "Survival Tips For The Reckless" Carnival of Chaos Comedy Productions presents "Survival Tips For The Reckless". A tongue in cheek, semi-autobiographical examination of how two professional goofballs attempt to deal with the onslaught of life and the curveballs it throws. What do you get when you combine the fiery feminine presence of a gifted singer/song writer/comedian with a world class juggler who holds a master degree in psychology? A wickedly funny, intelligent show about adapting to life's changing moments with live music, sketch comedy and dangerous stunts. All designed to unravel the mysteries of surviving yourself. "It's Saturday Night Live meets the X-Games!" Marin Independent Journal "..they're funny, go see them!" San Francisco Chronicle
Cemetery Golf SHOW CANCELLED
Cockroach Shards of broken glass on a deserted block in the warehouse district. Inscrutable, acrobatic beings that cover a lonely man's body in red brushstrokes. A soft-spoken disciplinarian who seems to show up everywhere. In COCKROACH, the weird poetics of Martin Schwartz's texts react with the volatile physicality of Margery Fairchild's choreography and mise-en-scene to create a vision of contemporary urban life that is as exhilaratingly theatrical as it is unsettling. A virtuosic performance from Nathan Tucker as a man mistreated by fate beats at the center of this chilling hybrid-theatre exploration of the missing pieces of everyday life.
De Rerum Natura; Or, Love The One You Whip Sex, skydiving, television commercials from ancient Babylon, musical numbers performed by troupes of dancing pigs, action/adventure cliffhangers, Scottish yoga, new religions, terrorism teambuilding exercises, job interviews and police interrogations, and loud bars and louder sportscasters are only many of the even manier things you'll find mashed cheek-by jowl into this sketch comedy program. It is widely credited as humorous. Live musical performance and an original animated short round out this production by veteran San Francisco performers and heavy drinkers Marc Wilson, Phillip T. Nails, and all the friends, associates, and sidewalk strangers they could guilt into helping them out.
Eat, Pray, Laugh! Winner of "Best Female Solo Act" and "Best of the Fringe" in the 2008 SF Fringe for her show, The Punchline, comedian Alicia Dattner is back with her newest theatrical show, Eat, Pray, Laugh! Eat, Pray, Laugh! is about Alicia's solo trip across India searching for spiritual salvation--and what she finds instead... Alicia dishes on everything from seductive French yoga teachers to scary Indian toilets. Hear about her stowaway train adventures, laughing flower gurus, the Italian fashion exporter with a Krishna fetish, meditating in mountain caves, temple-hopping on the backs of motorcycles, pony-sized mosquitoes, dubious palm readers, Chabad Jews on the Ganges, and the true meaning of masala chai.
Fists of Funny OPM (Opening People's Minds) unleashes FISTS OF FUNNY, a new ass-kicking, non-stop, 1-hour melee of sketch comedy! OPM is L.A.'s multicultural, award-winning sketch comedy troupe whose topical and edgy sketches have garnered numerous awards here at the San Francisco Fringe Fest ("Best Sketch Comedy" last year and in 2006, "Best of the Fest" in 2002, and "Best Box Office" for 5 years) and multiple wins at Vancouver's Sketchoff Competition (1st place three years in a row). They are also staple performers at the semi-annual L.A. Comedy Festival.
FOOL FOR A CLIENT A story as powerful, funny and relevant as it is true, Fool For A Client, Mark Whitney's high-energy, award-winning, one-man political dramedy, deftly and hilariously explores the inherent tension between the Golden Rule, Rule of Law, tolerance, zero tolerance, fear and freedom. This tale of individualism and risk versus bureaucracy and control, centers around the ten year battle between a lousy student who makes $50,000 his first year out of high school selling vacuum cleaners and the United States Government, represented by an endless array of bankers, lawyers, tax collectors, FBI agents, politicians, judges, prosecutors, prison guards and probation officers.
The Fox The homeless tarot reader played solitaire on the sidewalk while the young man thought it not such a bad idea to have a drink before his interview. But thoughts don't get you jobs, and jobs need be had when your roommate pays for your life and lets you know it every minute of every day. Action must be taken. But for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The Frank Diary of Anne One girl's thoughts on past love, family tragedy, and YouTube. Anne couldn't control who she fell in love with, but should her mother be allowed to? As a child Anne played make-believe and hide-and-seek in her attic. Now, on the eve of her wedding, in her favorite hiding space, she discovers something that has been hidden for years that changes everything. Through her memories and video diaries Anne pieces together the answer to the question, "was it all real?" Sometimes playing pretend is the only way to live the reality you want.
The Godling New York City based, Endtimes Productions, winner for Best Production, and Best Director, for "Knuckleball", at last year's San Francisco Fringe, return to the Bay Area, with their critically acclaimed production, "The Godling". In this modern Guignol, "realized with unrelenting gore, and tension" (Martin Denton, nytheatre.com), a pregnant girl, a clown and a torturer get caught up in a mad carnival owner's dream of manufacturing his own freaks, with horrific results.
Hell, The Musical A mean bull dyke, a vapid party girl, and a cowardly journalist walk into a room...in Hell. K.S. Haddock (Best of Fringe winner for 'Thanatics, A Rock Opera', 2006) presents a contemporary retelling of Sartre's 'No Exit' -- set to music. Ilene's a cruel Valencia Street dyke who badgered her lover to death. Yvonne is a Marina chick with infanticidal tendencies. Joseph is journalist-turned-rebel, shot in the back by his Kurdish comrades. Shown to a room in Hell by a smarmy Valet, the three slowly take each other apart as they wait for their final fiery destination.
I Prefer Fur A man. A woman. Their cat. An unlikely love triangle full of off-kilter passions and misplaced affection. Sylvie: An opportunistic young woman given to coat check pilfering and talk radio, thinks she knows how to take care of herself. Sven: Buff, well-intentioned, with odd speech patterns, falls hard for Sylvie and wants to father her children. Buttercup: Blonde tabby, is addicted to doing happy paws in Sylvie's hair and dreams of bird hunts. Add a mysterious neighbor and this ménage à trois becomes dangerously unstable. A one-woman show, with accordion accompaniment.
Inside Private Lives LA Times "Critics' Choice!" LA Magazine "Pick of the Month!" Edinburgh Festival Fringe "Pick of the Fringe!" Come experience the show Angeleno Magazine calls "the latest craze to take over the stage" and Flavorpill NYC says "Inside Private Lives turns the traditional theater-going experience on its head!" Challenge cult leaders, celebrities, political operatives, sports figures and other notorious newsmakers. You'll meet the likes of Branch Davidian David Koresh, baseball's Marge Schott, transgendered pioneer Christine Jorgensen,abdicated royal King Edward,Billy "Beer" Carter and many other controversial headliners. Every show is different! Don't miss your chance to emerge from the theater "thrilled and thirsty for more!" (Fest Magazine, UK)
J.Lo.Hew SHOW CANCELLED
JESUS
IN MONTANA: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult A disillusioned dishwasher
from Aspen, Colorado, thinks he has overcome his fundamentalist upbringing,
until he discovers Jesus has returned and is living in Montana! He quits
his job, packs his bags and hitchhikes to meet this Jesus guy, eventually
joining the small cult. A true story! This autobiographical, multi-media
fringe hit won Outstanding Solo Show at the 2005 NY Fringe Festival!
"Five stars! ...a devastatingly significant work...a scintillating
sense of humor, a magnificent turn of phrase and a way with a punchline
that is jaw-dropping. You must see Jesus in Montana!" - Montreal Gazette
Knitting Bits of woman's dailiness. Bits of history and memory. Bits of life, here and now. This theater does not want to be an answer, it is no longer a mirror., but rather a state of things. Our binding is the life itself. We hammed, knotted, knitted and wove stories. We composed, arranged and sewed them., and then tear them apart again. We swam into countless roles which we have been playing every day, here and now. Our work is but one attempt at the mystification of the figure of woman, redefinition of icons and verification of the state of things.
LandEscape LandEscape tackles disturbing environmental trends with a mix of humor and horror. The first act features Vaudeville-like skits, including a queen bee rap. The second act examines the shadow side of the separation between humans and nature, with scenes taking place behind a backlit screen. The text borrows from the work of author Michael Pollan who said of the performance, "It was a real trip to hear my words/ideas interpreted with such wit." LandEscape was created by Rowena Richie, director of "Lost and Found in the Mission," winner of the 2008 SF Fringe Best Ensemble Performance
Legs And All Starring "sexy clown" Summer Shapiro and Peter Musante of Blue Man Group. "I was entranced...Shapiro conspired to make the entire audience fall at her feet...a masterful, sweetly-scathing performer." - Chloe Veltman of SF Weekly. Legs shoot out from a box, dinner times turn to drum brigades, and fights turn to tango dancing. This, paired with live original music by classical percussionist Brandi Brandes and sound-scapes by Jeremy Shapiro, peaks at human loneliness, roots in physical comedy, and hits up against reality's glass ceiling to poke about in the breathing space beyond. The world premiere of Legs And All takes a magical look at the mundane. In a world looking similar to ours two people stumble into the extraordinary.
Marriage: a queer institution California is in the midst of an ideological war over Gay Marriage. The battle lines are clear, but as always innocent civilians are caught in the middle. How does the moderate middle fight for equality, how does a son or daughter question his/ her parents' beliefs, how does the next generation break away from centuries of "tradition"? These are the questions, now you the audience provide the solution. Watch the play, and then come onstage to try something new. Bring your ideas, bring your passion and come fight for what you feel is right. All viewpoints welcome.
No Ordinary Nut From the depths of a haunted mansion converted into an insane asylum within a dense thicket of dynamic, foreboding trees, comes a quintet of players. A caregiver, sado-masochist, animal hater, multiple personality, and photographer (who shoots more than the seven colors of the rainbow) scheme, cavort and scream in this interesting take on the one who flies into a cuckoo's den's wall of interchangeable players. Compulsive gesture, physical crises and violent fragmentation rule the day in this homage to Antonin Artaud, the father of the 'Theatre of Cruelty'.
Open
Season, A Queer Performance Spectacular The Garage (SF Magazine's
Best of the Bay) and the Queer Cultural Center present a 90 minute rollicking
performance showcase with some of the Bay Area's most provocative queer
performance artists. Each show will feature a rotating roster of spoken-word,
music, drag, cabaret, experimental theatre and contemporary dance. Check
out 975howard.com to see a complete list of performers.
Play 4 Play CANCELLED
Poste Restante Poste Restante: the Post Office Never Looked So Sexy. What will The Secret Agents do with an anonymous package, cardboard box bikinis, a few handwritten letters, a bicycle with wings, and one mysterious vinyl record? Could it possibly involve inanimate object domination, acrobatic knots, full-throttle origami and a cocoa pop? There is something for everyone at a Secret Agents show.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Comedy and Justice for All Song, dance, and social change. Comedy and justice for all. Live, prude girls. The Public Service Announcement ensemble brings you a site-specific smorgasborg, dispensing enlightenment, redemption, systematic disregard for the laws of physics, and free cheese.
Pulp Scripture Sisters get Dad Drunk, have Sex with him!... Human Sacrifice at Father-son Camping Trip!... Widow Becomes Hooker, Tricks Father-in-law into Getting her Pregnant!... Strongman Sold to Rival Gang by Girlfriend, Eyes Gouged Out!... Crowd of Horny Sodomites Demand Sex with House Guests! Ripped from the tabloids? Try the Good Book. Pulp Scripture: Bible stories they didn't teach you in Sunday school. "Brow-raising, funny!... Challenges the broader culture's sense of feminine sensuality." -Sean McConnell, DioCal.org
Recess Described as "heartbreaking and fascinating" by New Theater Corps and " winning performance" by NYtheatre.com, Recess is Una Aya Osato's latest one woman show, an impassioned response to her experiences attending and teaching in NYC's public schools. A performer whose presence demands attention, Una seamlessly untangles silences and ultimately weaves together voices of one school teacher and five youth to conjure a collective narrative of hope despite the very overwhelming and very adult bureaucracy of the NYC public schools. Recess has inspired sold-out audiences from NYC's Frigid Festival to South Africa with its tender portrayal of an often, brutal system.
Searching For the Voice of the Third Cynthia Weyuker and JoJo Razor are two story-telling vocalists who use various instruments and loop boxes to create garden theater. The story of the VoxMaids is an experimental neo-folk tale, played out in moments of insanity and beauty. Using their vocals, musical saw, instruments, performance and film they seek to create fertile ground for the source, or what they like to call Searching for the Voice of the Third. With the precision measurements of alchemists, Cynthia and JoJo aim to create a soundscaped foundation on which the Voice of the Third may not only be heard but seen.
Show No Show Spankin' new alternative comedy from the demented mind of Cirque Du Soleil performer/creator John Gilkey. John and his fellow Nudes, Donny Divanian and Alec Jones-Trujillo team up to deliver a show that ought never to be allowed on stage. These guys are dangerous, absurd and subversive. And complete f***ing idiots. Praise for Gilkey's previous contributions to Cirque Du Soleil: "Brilliant" LA Times; "Fierce" Chicago Sun Times; "Extraordinary" Rocky Mountain News; "Inspired" SF Chronicle; "Astonishing" Dallas Morning News; "Explosive" Houston Chronicle; "Extremely funny, yet a little bit creepy" Washington Times.
Spider Baby the musical Spider Baby the musical. A horror rock show guaranteed to titillate and disturb. Based on the cult classic by Jack Hill (Foxy Brown, Coffey) Spider Baby the musical tells the story of the Merrye family. Each member suffers from the same degenerative mental disorder which causes a loss of impulse control. Some distant relatives want to institutionalize them and sell their land. Spider Baby the musical deals with the extreme measures the family takes to stay together. Come see the hard rocking horror fest that the Bakersfield Californian described as "Sexy, scary, fun."
Suicide Me! Mathematics: F, Geography: D, Biology: D, German: F........a disastrous report card, a frustrated single mother, a boyfriend who dumped her.....All of this is just too much for beautiful but depressed puppet-girl Luna. She is fed up with her life and determined to commit suicide. After several attempts, she faces unexpected obstacles. However, these plans do not derail her from her plan! Will she succeed....? Suicide Me! is a deeply emotional and darkly humorous one-woman puppet show for adults. It is performed with few words, using minimum decor. It invites the audience to identify with Luna's quest for liberation from the manipulative forces in her life.
The
Surprise Set amidst the ruins of Angkor Wat, The Surprise is the
true and comic story of an uncertain girlfriend, an enigmatic father, and
a most epic game of emotional chicken. It is the tale of a family rife with
secrets, and clueless as to how to reveal them. "Truly vivid."
The New York Times
"Funny, entertaining… superlative." nytheatre.com
"Travels, girlfriends, ecstasies and disappointmnts are masterfully
layered with his own brand of neurotic, self-effacing humor." nytheatre-wire.com
The Surprise was awarded the 2009 soloNOVA Breakthrough Performer of the
Year, and the 2009 NYC Frigid Fest Audience Choice Award.
The Tao of Everest While attempting Everest Ian stopped just below the summit to help a dying American friend. Her first words were, 'Don't leave me'. Yet Ian had to leave her for the safety of his own team. Nine years later Ian returned to bury his friend. After wrapping her in the Stars and Stripes he slid her gently down the North Face to join her husband lying somewhere below. Triumph, tragedy, storms and summits. Embark on an emotional and uplifting storytelling experience to the top of the world! 'One hell of a storyteller' (Times Herald-Record) 'Funny, exciting, and truly inspirational' (Hospital Trust)
Tater Stew TATER STEW is a dark comedy following the adventures of Stewart, a young schoolboy attempting to overcome the abuses of his maniacal schoolmaster. Aiding Stewart in his quest are Seamus, a foul-smelling homeless man, and Schmaing, a repulsive lunch lady. TATER STEW is certain to keep audiences riveted as they witness a high energy display of frayed nerves, strained interactions, and raw, uncompromising language. TATER STEW is signed, sealed, and delivered by SLOP HOG PRODUCTIONS of Missoula, Montana.
tempestuous(ness)
or HIStory is Told by the Victors tempestuous(ness), or HIStory
is Written by the Victors--is a cautionary tale. Artistic Director Scott
Baker employs one of Shakespeare's more psychologically complex works as
a point of departure. His concept asks why Sycorax, former mistress of The
Tempest's island, is missing from the Bard's play. A witch, single mom,
and female ruler of a magical place, commanding monsters and fairies, yet
Shakespeare reduces this fascinating character's life to a rambling expository
monologue! Is this the Patriarchy asserting itself in post-Elizabethan England?
An oblique comment on the rise of Colonialism against native peoples? Our
investigation of these knotty political issues will be made vivid in a multi-disciplinary
performance uniting magic, water in a processional performance.
The Texas Chainsaw Musical! A coming of age story about a handsome serial killer, his overly affectionate momma, the woman he loves, and the pantywaist runt that ruins everything. Set to music. Not even loosely based on the movie, this original musical will leave you in stitches - especially if you sit too close to the stage! If you see only one comedy-horror musical with a ventriloquist in it this year, make it this one
Theatre of the Battle Sri Lanka, 1983. Six people sitting at the dinner table. A platter in the center with one boiled egg. All eyes watching as the host slices the egg into 6 pieces. A gunshot rings out. Not the first. Not the last. The writer/performer of last year's sold out "Taste of Enlightenment" returns with a gripping world premiere about her experience as a young American woman caught in the beginning of the Sri Lankan civil war. Best Play, Best Actress, Best Director Awards for "Taste of Enlightenment": Marin Fringe 2007. "…a depth and universality most playwrights never achieve. A writer/performer to follow."
Ticonderoga Ticonderoga is an eclectic mix of sketch and provocative cultural commentary presented as a backdrop to the most amazing, and yet forgotten story of the Revolutionary War. Forget everything you forgot in high school, because this challenging new show will re-write the history you never knew we had. Rise up armchair patriots across the land and begin your pursuit of happiness at Ticonderoga!
The
Unbearable Lightness of Raya At a very young age, Raya Light was
destined to be the greatest star that ever was. Well, at least in her mind!
See Raya as a precocious 10 year old girl at her very first audition, foaming
at the mouth for her first morsel of fame! Marvel at her meteoric rise from
Tween Queen to Oscar winner! Fasten your seatbelts for a wild ride of coke
lines, sex tapes, collagen lips and worst dressed lists ...Hooray for Hollywood
indeed!
Leave your panties at home!