The Marsh Unveils Upcoming MARSHSTREAM Programs Added Through November 15

The Marsh continues to offer a wide variety of new programming at 7:30pm nightly on MarshStream, its popular broadcast platform. Offerings through November 15 include: an exclusive look into activist/urbanist Margie O'Driscoll's perspective on urban life in the era of COVID-19; heartening stories from the Formerly Incarcerated Peoples Project (FIPP); the highly-anticipated return of BINGO! with Josh Kornbluth; additional performances of Brian Copeland's captivating drama, 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), plus Bingo! hosted by Josh Kornbluth, live full-length performance concert readings, archived performance streams, performance development classes, and more. A noon series includes CJ's FitnesSing weekly singing lesson and fitness class, plus a Super Slow Weight Training and Zoomba Room. Content is offered at 7:30pm nightly, and mid-day throughout the week via Zoom, YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and iTunes. 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 performances. For more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org/marshstream. NOTE: Most past shows from earlier MarshStream dates are also available on the website for viewing.

Monday Night MarshStream

7:30pm, Monday, November 2

Monday MarshStream featuring special guests Ruth Kurschner, Lori Shantzis, and Claire Arnie Warshaw.

Ruth Kurschner's The House of Misery follows Kurschner's self-discovery journey. Despite being an introvert with social anxiety, Kurschner finally felt at home when she began helping individuals at San Quentin.

Lori Shantzis's Morning, Doves et. al gives a middle-aged woman's account on the eve of the election. Wondering what she can bring to this moment, the woman recalls the morning of September 9, 2020, when the sky was dark from wildfire smoke and she was full of fear - but is reminded that something can always be done to make a better world.

Arnie Warshaw's Fat Man off the Port Bow invites audience members to enjoy a brief ride on the bouncing, ballooning belly of a large man - from a dive into his refried psyche to his cholesterol clogged dreams. A House Manager at The Marsh, Warshaw also writes and performs from time to time. While his job at The Marsh has been on hold since the start of the pandemic, Warshaw continues to Zoom into the homes of students as an English tutor for City College of San Francisco.

7:30pm, Monday, November 9

Special Edition of Monday MarshStream featuring short story performances from the Formerly Incarcerated Peoples Project (FIPP). Directed & Produced by Mark Kenward, Rebecca Fisher, and Wayne Harris with Consulting Producer Toni Weingarten. Performers TBA.

Please check themarsh.org for updates.

Wildcard Tuesdays

7:30pm, Tuesday, November 3

No programming (taking a night off for the Election!)

7:30pm, Tuesday, November 10

Sound Healing and Restorative Yoga: Healing from Within.

MarshStream's final sound healing event, Healing from Within, presents the combined musical talent of Ward Spangler and Jeannie McKenzie. Valerie Jew will join alongside with guided restorative poses.

Solo Arts Heal

7:30pm, Wednesday, November 4 - Replay of Fred Johnson

Hosted by Gail Schickele.

Fred Johnson is recognized globally for his work in the health and wellness community and was instrumental in establishing the inspiring "HeArts & Hope" program at the University of Florida. His presentations on the healing power of music have caught the attention of internationally recognized holistic health practitioners and the medical community. Johnson presents lectures and seminars all over the world re-accentuating the importance of creative expression as a catalyst for personal and communal empowerment, health and healing, and giving voice to the voiceless.

7:30pm, Wednesday, November 11 - Special guest Melissa Bangs

Hosted by Gail Schickele.

A storyteller at heart, Melissa Bangs hopes that by sharing her lived experience boldly, with a dose of humor and self-love, others will be inspired to shed their shame, find their forgiveness, and tell their own true stories. In September 2012, at 40 years old, Bangs gave birth to her beautiful daughter Adelaide. A month later, dramatically hormone depleted and sleep deprived, Bangs is admitted to the Providence Psychiatric Facilities in a complete manic state. After nearly a month, she is sent home on lithium with a bipolar diagnosis. What comes next is an extraordinary journey back to wholeness and love. Bangs has worked as a labor organizer, Development Director of an international human rights organization, a Spanish teacher, and a nonprofit consultant with an emphasis on strategic planning, fundraising, board development, and facilitation. Since 2015, she has drawn on her comedic roots with the Upright Citizens' Brigade in New York City and shared her story with over 7,000 people. Bangs has also led storytelling workshops for moms who have struggled in the perinatal period.

Stephanie's MarshStream

7:30pm, Thursday, November 5

Special guest Margie O'Driscoll. Hosted by Stephanie Weisman.

Stephanie's MarshStream will feature an exclusive interview and Q&A with Margie O'Driscoll, offering a perspective on urban life in the era of COVID-19. A nonprofit leader who works with global creative arts and social movements, mother, activist and urbanist, O'Driscoll has been active in the creation of affordable live/work and studio spaces for artists, founding and leading one of the largest architecture festivals in the US, and developing design competitions to respond to sea level rise and zero net energy. O'Driscoll has gained an international following since the Corona virus shut-down, with her Instagram account which captures the changing streetscape of San Francisco with photos of graffiti and plywood murals, many unsigned, by artists seeking an outlet for the range of emotions the community has endured during the pandemic.

7:30pm, Thursday, November 12

Special guest TBA. Hosted by Stephanie Weisman.

Please check themarsh.org for updates.

Game Night

7:30pm (Game One) & 8:00pm (Game Two), Friday, November 6

Smartest Person in the Room. Hosted by Don Reed.

Smartest Person in the Room is a fast-paced, quiz format game with each multiple-choice question having three possible answers. Once contestants miss an answer, they are eliminated from the game. (Not to worry: players eliminated prior to the final four of the first game are invited back for the second game.) With plenty of room to riff with fellow contestants, host Don Reed creates hilarious moments in this freewheeling test of arcane information.

7:30pm, Friday, November 13

BINGO! Hosted by Josh Kornbluth
Audience members are invited to play five FREE games of BINGO! with prizes for the winner of each round.

Solo Performer Spotlight

Saturday, October 31 - Joanna Rush's Kick, with post performance Q&A (replay)

When dancer Bernie O'Connell is on her way to her first big New York audition, she is tricked into a car and attacked in a vacant lot off the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.a??Joanna Rush's Kick follows O'Connell - from a kickline toa??A Chorus Line, Hollywood, and back - as she picks up the pieces and finds the glue to put herself back together.

Sunday, November 1 - Joanna Rush's Kick remains available for streaming.

7:30pm, Saturday, November 7 -Judith C's Welcome to the Cancer Café, with post performance Q&A (replay)

A PT Clinical Specialist in Chronic Pain, Judith C. never imagined being on the opposite end of treatment -until she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable blood cancer with a limited life expectancy. Judith's journey from diagnosis to stem cell transplant unfolds in her hilarious and heartbreaking solo show Welcome to The Cancer Café. Enlightening, elevating, and deeply personal, Judith brings audiences on her unexpected journey from provider to patient, sharing the profound lessons this role reversal offers. Using actual conversations with providers, Judith portrays her interactions with the medical establishment, bringing keen insight and offering a better understanding of the journey and choices faced by people of similar circumstances.

Sunday, November 8 - Judith C's Welcome to the Cancer Café remains available for streaming.

7:30pm, Saturday, November 14 - Melissa Bangs's Playing Monopoly with God, with LIVE post performance Q&A

Playing Monopoly with God shines a much-needed spotlight on the often-unspoken traumas of postpartum experience. In September 2012, at 40 years old, Melissa Bangs gave birth to her beautiful daughter Adelaide. A month later, dramatically hormone depleted and sleep deprived, Bangs is admitted to the Providence Psychiatric Facilities in a complete manic state. After nearly a month, she is sent home on lithium with a bipolar diagnosis. What comes next is an extraordinary journey back to wholeness and love.

5:00pm, Sunday, November 15 - Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period, with LIVE post performance Q&A

Written by Brian Copeland and directed by David Ford, The Waiting Period is a deeply moving and surprisingly funny work that outlines Copeland's own struggles with depression and suicidal thought, and 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.

In addition to nightly program offerings on MarshStream, The Marsh has also launched 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.