Marin Center Partners with Award-Winning Actor, Comedian & Author Brian Copeland

Marin Center and the Marin Cultural Association, in partnership with Brian Copeland, are thrilled to present The Best of San Francisco Solo Series. For the first time ever in Marin County, Brian Copeland will present FIVE of the Bay Area's most critically-acclaimed, award-winning, and beloved solo shows for an exclusive run at Marin Center. Featuring performances by Copeland, Will Durst, Marga Gomez, Josh Kornbluth and Don Reed. The series runs from October, 2017 through April, 2018.

Performances take place at the Marin Center Showcase Theater, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903. Ticket prices are available by series subscription only. Early bird special (July 25-30): $198; Full subscription: $258; Senior/student with valid ID: $216. Note: Due to mature language and themes, this series is recommended for ages 15 and up. For tickets and information visit www.marincenter.org or call the Marin Center box office at 415.473.6800.

"We're so excited to partner with Brian Copeland and to bring these incredibly talented Bay Area performers to the Marin Center," said Gabriella Calicchio, Director of Cultural Services for Marin County. "We are celebrating diversity with this new series and we hope that people from all different walks of life will embrace it."

Performance Schedule:

Sunday, October 8, 3pm

Marga Gomez: LATIN STANDARDS

"Latin Standards" is Marga Gomez's new solo piece about fathers, entertainment, wealth, poverty and café Cubano. Marga revisits the triumphs and demons of her father Willy Chevalier: comedian, producer, songwriter, Café El Pico spokesperson, and a prominent figure in the golden era of New York's Latino culture. His influence spurred Marga on her journey as a performing artist and micro-manager. It's a loving, humorous and poignant story of perseverance and creative addiction passed down from immigrant father to lesbian daughter. "Latin Standards" is Marga's twelfth solo show. It

has been presented at The Public Theater in New York, the Brava Theater, the Off Center Festival in Costa Mesa, and The Douglas Morrison Theater's "One For All Festival."

Sunday, December 17, 7pm

BRIAN COPELAND: THE JEWELRY BOX

In this hilarious and heartwarming prequel to his hit show "Not a Genuine Black Man," beloved actor-playwright Brian Copeland recounts two memorable weeks in his youth when he took to the "mean streets" of Oakland to buy his mom the perfect Christmas gift. Rife with references to 1970s Oakland, "The Jewelry Box" follows six-year-old Brian's adventures as he scours the help-wanted ads, applies for jobs and collects bottles, inching his way toward the coveted present, a jewelry box at the Hegenberger White Front store.

Sunday, January 28, 3pm

Don Reed: E14th STREET

The first installment in Don Reed's hilarious coming-of-age trilogy, this Off-Broadway hit invites audiences to 1970s Oakland, when Reed's stepfather tried to force him to be a straight A, God-fearing teenager - but Reed wanted to be just like dear old Dad. Too bad he didn't know dear old Dad was a pimp.

Sunday, February 11, 3pm

Will Durst - BOOMERAGING

The man the New York Times calls "quite possibly, the best political comedian working in the country today," Will Durst, proudly takes to the road with his acclaimed show that has run for 3 years in the Bay Area. "BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG" is an uproarious tribute to the joys, achievements, frustrations, and looming doom of the Baby Boom Generation. In this rollicking 90-minute monologue, Durst explains why his chronologically gifted brothers and sisters should refuse to grow old in the face of gravity no matter how many times they forget their password retrieval question. It's what happens when acid flashbacks meet dementia. A celebration of the maturation of the Boomer Nation: culminating in an extra, added special treat the Meaning of Life.

Sunday, March 3, 3pm

BRIAN COPELAND: NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN

In 1971, Fair Housing advocates considered San Leandro was named one of the most racist suburbs in America. CBS aired a special in the situation. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights conducted hearings. The next year, eight-year-old Copeland and his African-American family moved in. In an evening of laughter, tears and sociology, "Not a Genuine Black Man" is a hilarious and insightful look at Bay Area history, and at the ways in which our upbringings make us who we are. "Not a Genuine Black Man" broke records as the longest-running solo show in San Francisco history and brought Copeland critical acclaim as one of the city's most talented and engaging solo performers.

Sunday, April 15, 3pm

Josh Kornbluth: LOVE & TAXES

"Love & Taxes" is a riveting comic tale of seven years of tax avoidance. Josh, a hapless slacker who hasn't filed his tax returns in seven years, meets Sara, a beautiful public school teacher. When Sara Gets pregnant, she insists that they be married by the time their baby is born, but she won't marry Josh until he solves all his terrible tax problems! As Josh scrambles to get out of his tax mess, his problems only get bigger and bigger, until an unexpected twist. "Love & Taxes" is a middle-aged coming-of-age story -- a tale showing that even those on the fringes of our political and economic system long to become providers. It is also, quite possibly, the first ever pro-tax romantic comedy. Above all, Love & Taxes is the perfect comedy for our troubled political times and now a major motion picture from the Kornbluth Brothers!

Marin Center performances and exhibits have delighted Bay Area audiences for over 27 years. As the major performing arts, events center, and fairgrounds in Marin County, Marin Center serves the community by presenting and expanding a variety of multi-cultural theater presentations, affordable rental venues, and professional expertise. Bringing art, music, dance, and performance of all kinds to audiences around the Bay, attendees also enjoy visiting the beautiful Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium inspired by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

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