The Marsh Unveils New Daily Programming On Marshstream 

The Marsh brightens the holiday season with an array of joyful, thought-provoking, hilarious, and engaging offerings 7:30pm nightly on MarshStream, its popular broadcast platform.

Programs through December 31 include: a visit with world-famed magician Kevin Spencer who delves into the power of "magic as medicine;" Unique Derique with his family-friendly Fool La La: Home for the Holidaze; a special "ugly holiday sweater" edition of game night hosted by Josh Kornbluth and Don Reed; stories by a variety of artists including an aspiring comedian finding her way in Hollywood, a performer wrestling with her excess clutter, a former child reflecting on holidays in a sprawling family; plus Brian Copeland discussing his holiday hit The Jewelry Box and performing his lauded The Waiting Period; and much more (see latest schedule below).

The program launched in April and has received overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, with hundreds flocking to view and participate each night. MarshStream programming varies daily, with Monday Night MarshStream (short performances by a variety of artists), Wild Card Tuesdays (everything from book/writer discussions, sing-a-longs, Tell It On Tuesday, to Sound Healing and Restorative Yoga), Wednesday Solo Arts Heal (offering stories of health, advocacy, and inspiration), Stephanie's MarshStream on Thursday nights (interview, bantering, Q&A, and performance excerpts, moderated by Marsh founder Stephanie Weisman), BINGO! hosted by Josh Kornbluth and Smartest Person in the Room hosted by Don Reed, and weekend Solo Performance Spotlight featuring live full-length performances. MarshStream also offers performance development classes, as well as a noon series that includes CJ's FitnesSing weekly singing lesson and fitness class, plus a Zoomba Room. Content is typically offered at 7:30pm nightly, and mid-day throughout the week via Zoom and YouTube LIVE. MarshStream viewers are asked to contribute whatever they can afford. Donations can be made by joining The Marsh's membership program and via a virtual "tip jar" both on the website, with funds going to support and sustain The Marsh and its artists. For more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org/marshstream. NOTE: Most performance streams from earlier MarshStream dates are also available on the website for viewing.

Monday Night MarshStream

7:30pm, Monday, December 21

Monday MarshStream featuring three short story performances by Jen SluMac, Jonathan Young, and Jacqi Bowe

• Jen SluMac's Looking for Stagetime follows an aspiring comedian in Hollywood, CA who makes her way around the scene to pursue her dreams. SluMac's debut novel, soulnotskin: becoming the me I was meant to be, was inspired by true events. As a queer woman longing for a faith community, her road has been complicated but never deterred. As an educator and counselor, SluMac has worked and volunteered inside of jails, prisons, churches, and schools.
• Jonathan Young's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year tells the story of a former child reflecting on the elements of a memorable holiday in a sprawling family. Young is a storyteller who has appeared in festivals in the US, Australia, and Scotland. He is featured in several documentary series, mainly on the History Channel. Young is a psychologist and professor in Santa Barbara who also trains therapists in clinical uses of stories.
• Jacqi Bowe's Emotional Garage Sale! is a hilarious hybrid of comedy, song and dance centered around a clutter nut wrestling with her junk. While the big trend nowadays has been to watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, Bowe takes a different approach, exploring mindful downsizing. Bowe is an actor, writer, stand-up comedian, showrunner, singer, dancer, producer, and ukulele player. She earned a degree in MP/TV at UCLA, and has been busy on stage, in television, film, and commercials ever since. Bowe's solo show Emotional Garage Sale was a selection in the White Fire Theatre Solo Fest 2020.

7:30pm, Monday, December 28

Special Edition of Monday MarshStream featuring three interwoven stories performed by Natacha Ruck, Janet Thornburg, and Sarah Matsui

Please check themarsh.org for updates.

Wildcard Tuesdays

7:30pm, Tuesday, December 22

Joshua Raoul Brody's Holiday Sing-Along

Lovable accompanist Joshua Raoul Brody will play some of his favorite holiday songs before pointing the microphone at the camera and inviting audience members to take over.

7:30pm, Tuesday, December 29

Replay of Tell It On Tuesday (TIOT) featuring Jane Gire, Kevin Rolston, and Bennet Caffee

• After studying theater at the University of Michigan, Jane Gire moved to Chicago to "make it big" in comedy. Upon arrival, she was side-tracked by her involvement in Greenpeace and falling in love. Gire recently came back to performance and has been enjoying her opportunities to share her points of view on life with live audiences.
• Kevin Rolston is the writer/performer of Deal with the Dragon, which enjoyed a world premiere production at ACT's Costume Shop. The play was named by KQED Arts as one of the six "brilliant and startling theater performances" of 2016, eventually going on to win the 2018 Theater Bay Area Award for Outstanding Solo Show.
• Bennet Caffee began sharing his misadventures with bipolar mood disorder by taking solo performance classes at The Marsh. After years of performing short pieces, Caffee eventually developed enough material for My First Miracle, a full-length show that he has been performing at Fringe Festivals. Caffee has also appeared in You Don't Know Me, a group show dedicated to reducing the stigma of mental illness.

Solo Arts Heal

7:30pm, Wednesday, December 16 - Special guest Lance McGee

Hosted by Gail Schickele.

Prior to performing Fool La La: Home for the Holidaze on December 27 as his alter ego Unique Derique, Lance McGeespeaks with Solo Arts Heal host Gail Schickele about his approach to bringing joy as a performer and professional therapist/coach. Off the stage, Lance McGee is a Trauma-Informed Wellness Consultant, Drama Therapist, and Mindfulness Coach providing support to Oakland middle school educators, administrators, staff, and students. McGee's work also includes training SFJazz teaching artists and other educators who work with middle school youth, as well as leading workshops on recognizing trauma-informed care practices and mindfulness for non-profit organizations, health clinics, colleges, and educational systems throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. His past also includes school-based counseling for the East Bay Agency for Children, as well as work with the Mindful Life Project.

7:30pm, Wednesday, December 23 - Special guest Kevin Spencer

Hosted by Gail Schickele.

Kevin Spencer is an award-winning performing artist who toured the world with one of the largest and most successful theatrical illusion productions in the US for more than 25 years. At the pinnacle of his career, Spencer stepped away from the stage and into classrooms and hospitals. In 2016 he produced Powerful Medicine: Simply Magic, a short documentary that showcases individuals of varying abilities who overcame physical, developmental, and intellectual challenges through the art of magic. It has earned 18 international film festival awards and continues to inspire audiences around the world. Currently, Spencer is on the faculty in the Department of Education at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, a research consultant for the Occupational Therapy department and Arts in Medicine program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a subject matter expert and Fulbright Specialist on arts integration for special populations for the US Department of State, and an Approved Provider of Continuing Education for the American Occupational Therapy Association. As an educator, artist, consultant, and cultural entrepreneur, he works to create inclusive communities where everyone experiences an authentic sense of belonging.

7:30pm, Wednesday, December 30 - Special guest TBA

Hosted by Gail Schickele.

Please check themarsh.org for updates.

Stephanie's MarshStream

7:30pm, Thursday, December 17

Special guest Brian Copeland. Hosted by Stephanie Weisman.

Stephanie's MarshStream will feature an exclusive interview, performance excerpts from the critically acclaimed Christmas classic The Jewelry Box, and Q&A with writer/performer Brian Copeland. From an early career headlining clubs and concerts across the country, to acting as host of long-running television and radio shows, to appearing on comedy programs on NBC, A&E and MTV, Copeland has mastered all mediums of entertainment. His works also include the hit solo show Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest-running one-man show in San Francisco history, and his widely-acclaimed The Waiting Period, describing his personal battles with depression, among many others.

7:30pm, Thursday, December 24

No programming (taking a night off for Christmas Eve!)

7:30pm, Thursday, December 31

No programming (taking a night off for New Year's Eve!)

Game Night
Friday, December 18

7pm BINGO! hosted by Josh Kornbluth

8pm Smartest Person in the Room hosted by Don Reed.
In this special holiday edition game night, audience members are invited to don their favorite ugly Christmas sweaters and play FREE games of BINGO! hosted by actor/writer/performer Josh Kornbluth. This riotous event offers an all-inclusive improv performance with Kornbluth free associating and riffing with players at home. It is followed by Smartest Person in the Room, a fast-paced, quiz format game created by Don Reed (NBC, HBO, The Tonight Show, NPR's Snap Judgment) and Bob Ettinger (The Tonight Show, Comedy Central, Jeopardy Special Project Coordinator), and hosted by comedian and actor Don Reed. Once contestants miss an answer, they are eliminated from the game but not to worry, they are invited back for the second game. A rib-tickling session with multiple choice questions covering a world of arcane information, this free-wheeling, brainteasing gathering is a lighthearted way to end the week. Marsh memberships and other prizes are awarded to the winners, while fun is had by all.

7:30pm, Friday, December 25

No programming (taking a night off for Christmas!)

Solo Performer Spotlight

7:30pm, Saturday, December 19

No programming (taking a night off!)

5:00pm, Sunday, December 20 - Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period, with LIVE post performance Q&A.

During the holidays, when depression is rife for many - exacerbated this year by added isolation due to COVID-19 - actor Brian Copeland makes a timely return with his deeply moving and surprisingly funny work that outlines his own struggles with depression and suicidal thought. Written by Copeland and directed by David Ford, The Waiting Period is presented at no cost to remove all barriers for those who may be struggling with depression themselves. This captivating drama provides an unrelenting look at a key turning point in Copeland's life-the mandatory ten-day waiting period before he could lay his hands on the newly purchased gun with which he planned to take his own life. Laced with surprisingly funny moments that serve as a buffer against the grim reality of his intentions, Copeland hopes this very personal, and ultimately redemptive, story will reach people who struggle with depression-often called the last stigmatized disease-as well as their families and loved ones.

Saturday, December 26

No programming (taking a night off!)

2:00pm, Sunday, December 27 - Unique Derique's Fool La La: Home for the Holidaze, with LIVE post performance juggling and hambone workshop

The Bay Area's favorite Clown Prince of Fools, Unique Derique presents Fool La La: Home for the Holidaze, inviting audience members of all ages to get connected with some much-deserved holiday laughter. Full of brand new, mindfully comedic mishaps, Fool La La is a family-friendly show featuring a kooky "clown-u-copia" of innovative, digital delight. After the show, Unique Derique invites audiences to join in a free 20-minute juggling and hambone workshop for the whole family.

In addition to nightly program offerings on MarshStream, The Marsh also presents Marsh Youth Theater (MYT) MarshStream, classes offered at 4:00pm daily taught by MYT instructors. From Creative Dramatics to Storytelling, Dancing, and more, class types, instructors, and age levels vary for each class. For weekly class schedules and additional information, please visit themarsh.org/mytmarshstream.