Marsh Berkeley to Present Mark Kenward's NANTUCKET, 5/3-6/14

Veteran solo performer Mark Kenward (Riding From Normal, The Yoga of Moby-Dick), returns to The Marsh with his most ambitious work yet. NANTUCKET, a haunting yet hilarious memoir about Kenward's years growing up on the fabled island, is a unique solo performance event featuring guest artists presenting music, video, and fine art photography inspired by Nantucket. Audience members will enjoy a New England picnic dinner from the East Bay premiere artisan takeout restaurant Grégoire (included with admission). NANTUCKET will play May 3 - June 14, 2014 at The Marsh Berkeley (2120 Allston Way), with performances Thursdays and Saturdays at 7pm. (Press opening is Saturday, May 10.) For tickets ($25-$30 open seating; $50-$100 reserved), the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

It occurred in an instant. On a gray winter's day, on an island thirty miles out to sea, 16-year-old Mark Kenward witnessed his mother commit a violent act that would shatter his family and shock the local community. Thirty years later, Kenward has shaped his family's story, of their migration from Normal, Illinois to island "paradise," into the riveting drama NANTUCKET. Taking audiences on a fast-paced ride full of big laughs and haunting vignettes, Kenward delves past the iconic summer images into the off-season, when the tourists are gone, the winters are gray and challenging to the psyche, and life is as "far from Normal" as can be. Lauded as "a commanding storyteller" by the SF Weekly and "an astonishing word-slinger" by the Contra Costa Times, Kenward peppers his tale with dashes of humor and history, exposing both the light and dark sides of island life. Each performance will feature a New England picnic dinner from the East Bay premiere artisan takeout restaurant Grégoire, served during intermission.

Mark Kenward is the creator of seven full-length solo shows. The San Francisco Examiner called him "a warm, wonderful storyteller who establishes an instant rapport with his audience" and the San Francisco Chronicle praised him for "comic timing as sharp as his punch lines are well honed." He has performed his work in over thirty cities throughout the US and Canada, including a reception for The House of Representatives in Washington, DC, and several runs at The Marsh (San Francisco's premiere venue for solo performance). Past shows include Riding From Normal, The Yoga of Moby-Dick, and Towle's Hill. He is also an award winning director of several successful solo shows, including Kurt Bodden's runaway hit Steve Seabrook: Better Than You. For more information, please visit www.markkenward.com.

Nantucket is directed by Rebecca Fisher, a performer, director, and producer of solo work. Her first solo show The Magnificence of the Disaster had a successful run at The Marsh in San Francisco as well as a tour to Memphis and East Coast colleges. The San Francisco Chronicle describes her work as "smart, challenging, disarmingly funny, and unmistakably affecting." She also works as a director of solo pieces, including recent runs by Elaine Magree at The Exit in San Francisco and Laura Wiley at the SF Fringe Festival. As an actress she has performed with Shotgun Players, New Conservatory Theatre, and the Bay Area One Act Festival. She co-produces Tell it on Tuesday, an East Bay solo performance series at The Marsh now heading into its 10th year. For more information, please visit www.rebeccamfisher.com.

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