The Marsh San Francisco Presents Dan Hoyle’s THE REAL AMERICANS, 1/21-3/6

The Marsh is proud to announce the world premiere of Dan Hoyle's new solo show, THE REAL AMERICANS. After traveling the globe for his first play, "Circumnavigator," and studying Nigerian oil politics for his third, "Tings Dey Happen," this time Hoyle is back in the United States, turning his eye and ear on America's culture wars. Fleeing the liberal bubble of San Francisco and his hipster friends, Hoyle spent 100 days traveling through small-town America in search of some tough country wisdom and a way to bridge America's urban/rural divide. Instead, Hoyle found himself immersed in the populist anger of the people whom Sarah Palin famously described as 'The Real Americans' and awed at the disconnect between Obama Nation and Palin Country. Portrayed with humor, sympathy, confusion, angst and song, this vivid performance challenges the audience to move beyond their bafflement and engage with the future of a politically polarized America.

Developed with and directed by Charlie Varon, THE REAL AMERICANS plays from January 21 – March 6, 2010 on Thursday and Friday at 8:00 pm and Saturday at 5:00 pm (press opening February 6.) All shows are on , 1062 Valencia Street in San Francisco. For tickets, the public may call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006 or visit www.themarsh.org.

THE REAL AMERICANS brings into contact two worlds that usually prefer to stay apart: the liberal, achingly hip, moral-relativism of gentrified city life and the conservative, absolutist, and often hostile populism that Hoyle found overflowing in small-town America. Living out of his van and sleeping in people's yards and Walmart parking lots, Hoyle shared meals and conversation with cowboys, coal miners, soldiers, farmers, rural drug dealers, itinerant preachers, gun salesmen, closeted gay fundamentalists and creation theory experts. Frequently grateful for their hospitality, often perplexed by their beliefs, he sought to see the world through their eyes and understand their anger.

Hoyle plays all the characters in his new play, as well as himself. A mystified and somewhat helpless stranger in his own land, he finds salvation neither in the dying cafes of small-town America, nor in the twice-infused tea houses of his hometown. Frequently at a loss, he found his task made only more complex, as he, like all Americans, was directly implicated in the answer.

A native San Franciscan, Hoyle is the creator of his own unique form of journalistic theater. He won the prestigious 2007 Will Glickman 'Best New Play' Award for "Tings Dey Happen," which enjoyed extended runs at The Marsh and also Off-Broadway, where it was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show. In October 2007, "Tings Dey Happen" toured Nigeria, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, before enjoying a final month's run at San Francisco's Marines Memorial Theater.

SHOWTIMES: Thursday and Friday at 8:00 pm
Saturday at 5:00 pm

WHEN: January 21 – March 6, 2010 (press opening February 6)

WHERE: The Marsh Mainstage, 1062 Valencia Street (@ 22nd Street) in San Francisco

TICKETS: Thursday: $15-35 Sliding Scale
Friday: $20-35 Sliding Scale
Saturday: $25-35 Sliding Scale
Reserved Seats: $50
For tickets, call 800-838-3006 or visit www.themarsh.org.

For more information, call 415-826-5750 or visit The Marsh website at www.themarsh.org.

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