World Premiere of TOBACCO, ZIGZAGS & GUM Comes to the Marsh Berkeley

The Marsh Berkeley will present the world premiere of a stunning new work by film, television, and stage actor/writer Algiin Ford, Tobacco, Zigzags & Gum, developed and directed by David Ford.

 Created by Algiin through the Formerly Incarcerated Peoples Project (FIPP) and developed in The Marsh Rising series, Tobacco, Zigzags & Gum takes audiences through the harrowing journey from the urban nightmare of addiction, incarceration, and despair to becoming a contributing member of society. By turns heart-wrenching and captivating, this persuasive solo showhonors the timely, unlikely heroes and events that shaped Algiin’s path from pain to redemption, offering a must-see experience to anyone who has experienced a dark night of the soul or questioned their own future. 

Tobacco, Zigzags & Gum will play Fridays at 7:30pm, March 1-April 12, 2024, with performances at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley and streaming online. For information or to order tickets ($20-$35 adult general admission sliding scale; $50-$100 reserved), the public may visit themarsh.org.     

ABOUT ALGIIN FORD 

From his childhood in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, Algiin Ford’s youthful search to find himself took a dark turn through hustling, incarcerations, and addiction, into recovery, where he was introduced to a life in the arts. British movie director Karl Francis gave Ford his first role, in the movie Murder in Oakland, launching him on a new career in film, television, and on Bay Area stages, working with theater companies including TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, EXIT Theatre, the San Francisco Playwrights Festival, and others. He has appeared in the films What Dreams May Come, EDtv, Getting Even with Dad, Follow Me Home, Yours and Mine, Consequences, and Murder in Oakland as well as the television series Underground. During the pandemic, Ford discovered writing and solo performing, creating several pieces with David Ford and Formerly Incarcerated People's Performance Project (FIPPP). Ford resides in Berkeley with his wife and children, and for the past 20 years has been the owner/director of a thriving hot yoga and meditation studio. 

ABOUT David Ford 

David Ford (no relation to Algiin Ford) has been collaborating on new and unusual theater for three decades and has been associated with The Marsh for most of that time. The San Francisco press has variously called him “the solo performer maven,” “the monologue maestro,” “the dean of solo performance,” and “the solo performer’s best friend.” A week rarely goes by when residents of the Bay Area cannot enjoy one of his productions. Collaborators include Geoff Hoyle, Brian Copeland, Charlie Varon, Echo Brown, Marilyn Pittman, Rebecca Fisher, Wayne Harris, Jill Vice, and Marga Gomez. Ford’s work has been seen regionally at The Public Theater, Second Stage Theater, Theatre at St. Clement’s, Dixon Place, Theatre for the New City (New York), Highways Performance Space (Los Angeles), and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. (Washington, D.C.). His work has also been featured in most of the fringe festivals in North America, and at theaters around the Bay Area including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Magic Theatre, and Marin Theatre Company. Ford’s directing has garnered several “Best of Fringe” Awards and a Goldie Award.  

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