Lisa Rothman's DRAGON IN THE DROP-OFF LANE At The Marsh Berkeley

This holiday season, The Marsh Berkeley brings Lisa Rothman's Dragon in the Drop-Off Lane to the Marsh Discovery Series, which showcases work under development. After her kids dodge bullets at the local park, Rothman seeks respite by bringing them to a Winter Solstice Carnival in the ritzy town where she grew up. Holding the acorn pouch she purchased for $30, Lisa can't wait to use the acorns to pay for the pagan caroling, the gingerbread man decorating, and the puppet show. But now finds she's dodging a sanctimonious parent-volunteer in Lululemon yoga pants, a fire-breathing dragon, and - the most formidable opponent of all - her father. The stage is set for a heartfelt farce in which Lisa must reckon with what her parenting choices have cost her children. Dragon in the Drop-Off Lane will be presented November 29-December 22, 2018 with performances 7:30pm Thursdays and 5:00pm 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, 1pm-4pm).

Described as "a natural-born storyteller" (The Bay Area Reporter), Rothman's first solo show, Date Night at Pet Emergency, was extended three times at The Marsh in Berkeley and San Francisco. Lisa Rothman (Playwright/Performer) spent a decade at KPFA Radio in Berkeley, working her way up from News Department Intern to Executive Producer of The Morning Show, when Andrea Lewis and Philip Maldari were the co-hosts. Along the way she anchored the Morning News, helped produce the annual KPFA Crafts Fair fundraiser, and did investigative reporting that resulted in closer oversight of Oakland businesses that do metal plating. Her work has garnered awards from the California Teachers Association, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the National Educational Media Network. In addition to raising her children, Rothman's other adventures most recently include ballroom dancing in China and hosting a nationally distributed radio show, Chew On This, at a food truck park in San Francisco.

To get in the spirit of the holidays, there will be special themed nights throughout the run of Dragon in the Drop-Off Lane:

November 29: Wear yoga pants and receive a discount to a future show at The Marsh at "Yoga Pants Night." Special drink of the night: The Mom's Night Out

December 1: Fairy Godmothers and Fairy Godfathers attend for free when accompanied by their client. Special drink of the night: The Make Over

December 6: Share the magic of the season! Bring a friend and get half off the second ticket. Special drink of the night: The Magic Potion

December 8: Dress up like a fairy tale character and receive a discount on a future show at The Marsh at "Fairy Tale Character Night." Special drink of the night: The Snow White

December 13: Bring one of your parents and get half off the second ticket at "Parents Night." Special drink of the night: The Job Well Done

December 15: Winter break is almost here! Bring an educator and get half off the second ticket at "Teacher Night." Special drink of the night: The Shiny Apple

December 22: Fairy Godmothers and Fairy Godfathers attend for free when accompanied by their client. Special drink of the night: The Make Over

David Ford (Director) has been collaborating on new and unusual theater for three decades and has been associated with The Marsh for most of that time. The San Francisco press has variously called him "the solo performer maven," "the monologue maestro," "the dean of solo performance," and "the solo performer's best friend." Collaborators include Geoff Hoyle, Echo Brown, Brian Copeland, Charlie Varon, Marilyn Pittman, Rebecca Fisher, Wayne Harris, and Marga Gomez. As a director, Ford has directed both solo and ensemble work regionally at The Public Theater, Second Stage, Theatre for the New City (NY), Highways (LA) and Woolly Mammoth (Washington, DC) as well as at theaters around the Bay Area including Magic Theatre and Marin Theatre Company. He is also a published playwright.

Each year, in addition to main season runs, The Marsh presents several limited runs to showcase a wide range of exciting new work emerging from The Marsh community. The Marsh Discovery Series includes shows by emerging up-and-coming talent, established Marsh all-star performers experimenting with a unique story or concept, as well as people from all walks of life who have developed powerful stories at The Marsh. Shows produced as part of this series are not "workshop runs," rather, they represent the culmination of a dedicated and lengthy creative process, and offer the audience an opportunity to discover some of the most exciting, new, and unique work The Marsh has to offer.

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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