Dan Hoyle's Riveting TALK TO YOUR PEOPLE Extended At The Marsh Through August 27

Since debuting his newest work in March 2022, acclaimed actor/playwright Dan Hoyle has used the stage of The Marsh to shed light on social inequality in America.

This summer, Bay Area theatregoers will get another chance to view this riveting look at how male white America has been coming to terms with the current racial reckoning when Hoyle brings Talk To Your People back to The Marsh San Francisco for a limited run from July 30-August 27 (dates/times below).

This comic, nuanced, and thought-provoking work has been applauded by critics, with TheatreEddys calling it "Entertaining. Intriguing. Insightful," while TheatreStorm hailed it as "Vibrantly entertaining. Nothing short of magical." Noting Hoyle's ability to morph into different characters on stage, Theatrius said, "Dan Hoyle delivers with genius, curiosity, and intelligence. Don't miss!" Talk To Your People was developed with and directed by Charlie Varon, with lighting design by Jeff Rowlings, directing consultant Erin Gilley, and additional consulting from Mark Kenward and Wayne Harris. Talk to Your People has been extended July 30-August 27, with each showing at 7:00pm at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. For tickets ($25-$35 sliding scale; $50 and $100 reserved) or more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org.

This new solo show was sparked during month four of the COVID-19 crisis, June 2020, when protests over the death of George Floyd were being held across the country and a pandemic-exhausted, shell-shocked America was confronting issues related to race, privilege, masculinity, and power. Stuck at home in Oakland, Hoyle spoke to a Black theater colleague in New York who suggested that he consider delving into how liberal white folks were dealing with these reckonings. "Go talk to your people," she urged. This seemed impossible at first given COVID, as many people were leading a mostly digital, isolated life at that time. Hoyle began working on this pandemic piece of art, striking up spontaneous conversations with strangers and drawing out people's stories wherever he could in parks, beaches, and backyards. A show began to emerge: a comedy, an inquiry, a meditation on how society got to this moment, and how humanity might move forward. Talk To Your People showcases a portfolio of characters that are unique, funny, and searching - all brought to the stage in Hoyle's signature style. Together, they illuminate and juxtapose a varied slice of white liberal America. The show is punctuated by songs that explore Hoyle's thoughts on these issues, and by video footage shot by Hoyle in Oakland and the Bay Area during the pandemic.

The Marsh has been home to Dan Hoyle's (Writer/Performer) World Premiere shows Border People (2019), Each and Every Thing (2014), The Real Americans (2010), Tings Dey Happen (2007), and Florida 2004: The Big Bummer (2004). These shows have all received critical acclaim, with The Huffington Post praising Hoyle's brand of journalistic theater for its "emotional depth and intellectual breadth." The 2019 World Premiere of Border People was greeted with unanimous critical acclaim, earning the highest rating from the San Francisco Chronicle, which noted "This is what it is to witness a master of his craft. Dan Hoyle is one of our theatrical gems," and praised the production as "A testament to the core-to-nerve ending commitment and courage" of those living on borders of any kind. After its closing run at The Marsh San Francisco, Border People made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres, where The New York Times called it "a master class" and applauded Hoyle for his "empathy and cultural border crossing." The critically-acclaimed Each and Every Thing debuted at The Marsh in 2014, and was praised as "smartly constructed and highly entertaining" by the San Francisco Chronicle and a "poignant, funny comment on the digital age" by The Mercury News. The show's run was extended several times due to popular demand. The 2010 World Premiere of The Real Americans was an instant hit, and went on to receive critical acclaim from major news outlets, with The New Yorker praising his performance as "smart, entertaining, funny, insightful and surprising." In 2007, Tings Dey Happen was awarded the Will Glickman Award for Best Play, while The New York Times called it "funny and poignant." When discussing his work at The Marsh with East Bay Times, Hoyle proclaimed "The Marsh is to me the best place in the country to develop new work...there's nothing else like it."

Charlie Varon (Director/Co-Developer) is an artist-in residence at The Marsh. He has collaborated with Dan Hoyle on his solo shows Circumnavigator, Tings Dey Happen, Each and Every Thing, The Real Americans, and Border People. As a playwright and performer, Varon has collaborated with David Ford to create hit shows including Rush Limbaugh in Night School (1994), Rabbi Sam (2009) and Second Time Around (a duet performed with cellist Joan Jeanreaud, 2016). He also teaches creative writing classes online.

The Marsh is known as "a breeding ground for new performance." It was launched in 1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman, and pre-COVID hosted more than 600 performances of 175 shows across the company's two venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. A leading outlet for solo performers, The Marsh's specialty has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "solo performances that celebrate the power of storytelling at its simplest and purest." The East Bay Times named The Marsh one of Bay Area's best intimate theaters, calling it "one of the most thriving solo theaters in the nation. The live theatrical energy is simply irresistible." Since its launch in April 2020, the theatre's digital platform MarshStream has garnered more than 100,000 viewers. Notable MarshStream moments include the debut of MarshStream International Solo Fest 1 and 2, The Marsh's first-ever digital festivals, and the U.S. premiere of The Invisible Line, a new documentary about one of the world's most famous social experiments gone wrong. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic MarshStream has hosted over 700 LIVE streams, providing some 300 performers a platform to continue developing and producing art. The Marsh will continue to offer digital content on MarshStream, as well as in- person performances.

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