SAN FRANCISCO FRINGE FESTIVAL. EXIT Theatre presented the 33rd annual San Francisco Fringe Festival from August 9 through August 25 with 40 performances by 14 indie theater companies.
The Big Snap, solo show by Jeremy Julian Greco, Pullover Productions, CA. On March 17th, 2020, a lockdown was announced in San Francisco, Jeremy Greco decided to document each day by taking a picture. From these pictures, Greco conducted a series of interviews of people from all walks of life: head of the SF Republican party, John Dennis, author Nicole Galland, and many others. All of whom discussed their year of COVID, Trump and their hopes for the future – without Snapping. SAT AUG 10 6:00 PM, SUN AUG 18 3:00 PM, SAT AUG 24 SHOW CANCELLED The Big Snap TICKETS $12: https://the-big-snap.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Language, TIME OF SHOW: 55 minutes
Evening of Illusion: A Night of Mischief & Magic, magic & comedy by Sean Francisco, Street Light Entertainment, San Francisco, CA. Part magic show, part stand-up comedy. Evening of Illusion will leave your sides split! (Maybe by laughter maybe by sawing you in half. Probably both?) Our show features the top up-and-coming names throughout the bay area and promises to be a great time! SAT AUG 17 4:30 PM, SAT AUG 24 7:30 PM, SUN AUG 25 1:30 PM Evening of Illusion TICKETS $15: https://evening-tix.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Our typical show would be for mature audiences only, TIME OF SHOW: 45-60 minutes
Gags, solo performance of comedy and musical performance by Kuang Lee, Satellite Films, Oakland, CA. Chinese American writer and performer Kuang Lee brings you Gags, a one-man musical comedy about grief and the complexities of father-son relationships. Inspired by his grief counselor’s remark that he showed “no signs of grief” after his father’s death, Kuang embarks on a journey to navigate his emotions through humor and song. In GAGS, Kuang defies cultural norms and dives deep into his personal story, offering audiences a heartfelt and hilarious exploration of his relationship with his “Baba”. SUN AUG 11 3:00 PM, SUN AUG 18 6:00 PM, SAT AUG 24 9:00 PM, Gags TICKETS $9: https://gags-tix.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Asian American Mental Health – Anxiety / Depression / Suicide, TIME OF SHOW: 30 minutes
Happened Change, structured improv by food, wine & song, Oakland, CA. by Nan Busse, Tobey Kaplan, Heikki Koskinen, Cindy Webster, plays with changes fueled by words, harmony and heart. Stripped down like an old onion —layer by layer — in the end, at the core, what is left? What do you hold in your hands as you peer through the onion tears? Imagine a friend. Up the stairway, you walk into the house. Your mind is as empty as air filled with poems, movement and haunting music Breathe! SAT AUG 10 4:30 PM, SUN AUG 11 1:30 PM, FRI AUG 23 8:30 PM Happened Change TICKETS $10: https://happened.eventbrite.com TIME OF SHOW: 35 minutes
Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela?, comedy by Pamela H. Leahigh, Washington DC. A two person show where the second person changes each night. That performer is given the script 24 hours before and is told on stage which part they are playing. Part scripted, part improv, mostly comedy where we explore the two sides of a person. and the struggle to sometimes balance the two. FRI AUG 16 8:30 PM, SAT AUG 17 3:00 PM, SUN AUG 18 12:00 PM Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela? TICKETS $10: https://hey-pamela.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: PG-13, TIME OF SHOW: 45-50 minutes
Homage, solo performance with drama and comic moments by Suzanne Freed,directed by David Ford, Mt Pleasant, SC. Mother, daughter and granddaughter come to life in HOMAGE with these questions asked and answered. What role can a dented old milk can play in the lives of feisty and loving survivors of generational trauma? Can smoking Tareyton cigarettes, or taking the pills the doctor generously offered, ease parenting stress? Can cooking blintzes heal the heart broken by the Holocaust of WW2? Can dignity remain when life rips up the ground you stand on? Witness and celebrate with Suzanne 3 generations of a family held together by humor, almost fractured by anger, triumphant in loving. SUN AUG 11 4:30 PM, SAT AUG 17 6:00 PM, SUN AUG 18 1:30 PM Homage TICKETS $15: https://homage-tix.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Mental illness; references to the Holocaust; swear words; yelling, TIME OF SHOW: 55 minutes
The Infinite Wrench, experimental, non-illusory performance art by The San Francisco Neo-Futurists, San Francisco, CA. The Neo-Futurist ensemble races against the clock to perform 30 original plays in 60 minutes. In this theatrical smorgasbord with no fourth wall, audiences are invited to be active participants in the unreplicable, ephemeral reality of The Infinite Wrench. SUN AUG 18 4:30 PM, SAT AUG 24 4:30 PM, SUN AUG 25 7:30 PM The Infinite Wrench TICKETS $15: https://the-infinite-tix.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: TBD/flexible content (we usually say ages 16+), TIME OF SHOW: 60 minutes
I wish I’d Said That: A Standup Comedy with Hecklers Presented by the Family of Chaos,comedy by Cathy Zhao, Frank Zhao, and Fiona Zhang, Laugh It Out Hub, San Francisco, CA. Standup comedian Cathy Zhao, with her Chaos Family visiting from China, presents you a once-in-your-life Heckler comedy show. Cathy will navigate through a series of anecdotes and reflections, addressing topics she has always wanted to discuss with her parents but never quite found the right moment. From career choices, dating choices, to cultural differences, nothing is off-limits as they bravely tackle the challenges of communication within a family. Through laughter, playful banter, and plenty of arguments in English, Chinglish, Chinese Mandarin, and Dalian dialect, the audience witnesses the universal struggles of familial relationships and the enduring bond between parents and child. SAT AUG 10 12:00 PM, FRI AUG 16 7:00 PM, SUN AUG 18 7:30 PM I Wish I’d Said That TICKETS $15: https://i-wish.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Do not come here with your parents. It’s too real, TIME OF SHOW: 45 minutes
Lesbo Solo, A Gay History Play
, solo performance by Terry Baum, Lilith Theater, San Francisco, CA. Baum brings Lesbo Solo, created for her South African tour, back to her hometown. She begins this theatrical collage by entering through the audience, pouncing on various women and falling in love, repeatedly. She leaps onto the stage to sing a duet with her mother (a hand puppet), who demands that she leave her lively lesbian life in order to tend to her comatose dad. She recalls crashing the mayoral forums that refused to invite her to speak. These and other scenes are part of Lesbo Solo, where Baum lays before the audience her theater, her loves, her politics, her journey. SAT AUG 10 7:30 PM, SAT AUG 24 12:00 PM, SUN AUG 25 3:00 PM Lesbo Solo TICKETS $15: https://lesbo-solo.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Not for Children, TIME OF SHOW: 60 minutes
My Uncle Sam, My Military Family and Me, solo performance by Herbert F. Mintz II, San Francisco, CA. A series of interconnected nonlinear memories that lay bare the personal and institutional arrangement between my Uncle Sam, my military family and me. My piece is a coming out of the footlocker monologue from the point of view of an aging military dependent who is willing to share difficult moments from the regulated subculture of his childhood and youth. SUN AUG 11 6:00 PM, FRI AUG 23 7:00 PM, SAT AUG 24 1:30 PM My Uncle Sam TICKETS $8: https://my-uncle-sam.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Mature Content – PG 13, TIME OF SHOW: 30 minutes
Oy, What They Said About Love, solo performance by Steve Budd, What They Said Productions, Oakland, CA.In “Oy, What They Said About Love,” Steve Budd wonders why other people can tie the knot and he can’t. Oy, does he wonder! So he asked a bunch of couples what brought them together and keeps them from pulling apart. Meet a Jewish couple who met on Craigslist, an interfaith pair who met in costume, and more. Budd plays close to a dozen characters, using their own words taken from hours of interviews, and weaves in his relentless, heartfelt, and hilarious search for “the one.” SAT AUG 10 9:00 PM, SAT AUG 17 1:30 PM, SUN AUG 25 6:00 PM Oy, What They Said About Love TICKETS $14: https://oy-what.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: audience participation, death (I mention my mother passing away and there’s a scene at her funeral), domestic violence (a brief reference to it) mature language, TIME OF SHOW: 60 minutes
Perversity, Equity, And Inclusion: A Comedy Show, comedy showcase by Weyam Al-Ghadban, Ted Donatelli, Rea Kapur, Binya Koatz, The Perversity Hires, Oakland, CA. Meet your diversity goals at this filthy stand-up show by Weyam Al-Ghadban, Ted Donatelli, Rea Kapur, Binya Koatz – featuring an all-queer lineup of comedians with diverse identities like trans, Arab, Jewish, Italianx, white bisexual, and whatever Rea is. Let’s drill down on your unconscious bias, baby. FRI AUG 9 7:00 PM, SAT AUG 17 9:00 PM, SUN AUG 25 12:00 PM Perversity, Equity, And Inclusion TICKETS $10: https://perversity.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Mature Content, TIME OF SHOW: 60 minutes
Pross and Confluence ALL SHOWS CANCELLED
PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement, comedic one-woman show with original music, characters, and videos by Amy Veltman, New York City, NY. When a “know-it-all” NYC comedian and middle-aged mom of two sought help for her pelvic floor problems, she learned just how much she didn’t know about life’s most basic functions! In this hilarious autobiographical romp, Amy shares her hard-won education through original songs and portrayals of the people and parts she met along the way.FRI AUG 9 8:30 PM, SAT AUG 10 3:00 PM, SUN AUG 11 12:00 PM PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement TICKETS $15: https://psa-pelvic.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: Probably best for people 14 and up. Minimal swearing, discussion of bodily functions, TIME OF SHOW: 60 minutes
Singing the Songs of Whoredum, Solo Performance of musical theatre by Zoe Mork, Storm Productions, San Francisco, A 40 minute show with sung songs from Broadway talking about sex work and a story telling vinette that reasserts the songs themes. SAT AUG 24 3:00 PM, SUN AUG 25 4:30 PM TICKETS: $10 https://singing-tix.eventbrite.com WARNINGS: mature content, explicit language, not for children, TIME OF SHOW: 45 minutes