John Fisher Extends A HISTORY OF WORLD WAR II At The Marsh

Multi award-winning actor/playwright and Theatre Rhinoceros Artistic Director John Fisher's acclaimed solo show A History of World War II: The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin will be extended at The Marsh Berkeley. Offering a compendium of facts about WWII from the bungled plot to assassinate Hitler ("A mess! Organized by a bunch of loser bureaucrats!") to the big secret - how the Russians won the war for us ("They did all the work!"), this lauded production also surveys the best books on the topic, as well as the most attractive generals who fought the battles and the hottest actors who played them in the movies.

Capturing the Best Actor award from the 2017 United Solo Festival, this highly entertaining work also demonstrates how WWII helped Fisher win boyhood battles with his older brother. A History of World War II: The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin will be extended through September 28, 2019 with performances 8:00pm Fridays and 8:30pm Saturdays at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley.

For tickets ($20-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved) or more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call The Marsh Box office at 415-282-3055 (open Monday through Friday, 1:00pm-4:00pm).

Described as "A one-man fireworks display. Contagious, edifying and as theatrical as a circus" by the San Francisco Chronicle and "Top-notch solo theater" by For All Events, Fisher's versatility as a writer, actor, and director is on display in this new work. Critics' acclaim has been unanimous, with the show hailed as "unforgettable, unique, and hilarious" (Theatrius), and The Daily Californian extolling Fisher's "passion and enthusiasm."

A History of World War II: The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin was developed at Theatre Rhinoceros, the world's longest-running continuously producing professional queer theater, and the United Solo Festival in New York City, the world's largest solo theatre festival. In 2017, Fisher was named Best Actor at New York's United Solo Festival for his performance of this show. Before opening at The Marsh San Francisco, Fisher performed A History of World War II: The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin at the Pangea in New York City, one of the premiere venues for solo performances in Manhattan. Both a rollicking ride and a cautionary tale, this vivid work offers a deeper look into obsession with violent things and where that can lead.

Since 2003, John Fisher (Writer/Performer/Director) has been the Executive/Artistic Director of the GLAAD Media Award Winning Theatre Rhinoceros. His recent playwriting includes Shakespeare Goes to War (nominated for six 2016 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards) and To Sleep and Dream (2014 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award Winner for Best Script). Fisher is a two-time winner of the Will Glickman Playwright Award, and a recipient of a GLAAD Media Award for Best L.A. Theatre, two L.A. Weekly Awards, a Garland Award, two Cable Car Awards, a San Francisco Bay Guardian Goldie Award, and five Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle Awards.

Jerry Metzker (Director) is a playwright, dramaturg, and theater creator. In addition to A History of World War II, he co-directed Deathtrap with John Fisher at Theatre Rhinoceros. Metzker has written several long and short ensemble and solo plays, such as Mercy Buckets (San Francisco Fringe Festival, September 2011), Queerification and His Heart Belongs to Me (co-produced by Theatre Rhinoceros), Oh Fuck, You're Old (LGBT Writes! at The Marsh Café, San Francisco), and three one-page plays produced by ABYDOS/The Directors Theater. He created, produced, and performed in Sign Theatre, a series of performance installations at Oakland's First Fridays Art Murmur. As a dramaturg, he was worked at Circle Repertory Company, the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Theatre Rhinoceros, and was a co-creator and administrator of the Artists Development Lab. He is also a static trapeze artist.

The Marsh is known as "a breeding ground for new performance." It was launched in 1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman, and now annually hosts 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."

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