OPEN MIC NIGHTS With Ellen Hoffman Extends At Marsh Berkeley

Continuing its commitment to transformation, possibilities, and the community, The Marsh Berkeley announces monthly Open Mic Nights with Ellen Hoffman for 2018. Furthering The Marsh's mission of supporting new voices, Bay Area pianist, composer, and music arranger Ellen Hoffman will host a two-hour set offering five-minute slots to a variety of performers. Experienced singers, instrumentalists, poets, comics, actors, as well as novices will join Hoffman in an evening that presents eclectic entertainment for the adventurous. Those interested in performing will sign up at the door, and are welcome to provide sheet music or their own accompaniment for this celebration of the artistic community in the East Bay. Open Mic Nights with Ellen Hoffman will begin at 7:30pm on the third Tuesday of each month January 16-March 20 at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. For tickets ($8-$15 pre-sale, $10-$15 at the door), the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 between 1-4pm, Monday through Friday.

Ellen Hoffman is a pianist, and composer/arranger who has worked with the Oakland Symphony, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Berkeley Broadway Singers, and Jazz Camp West. She has appeared with many artists including Linda Ronstadt, Bobby McFerrin, Rita Moreno, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. She composed the musical Josephine the Pirate Queen. Hoffman has played at San Quentin Prison, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and even The White House. A lover of the adventure of the open mic, she has run open mic nights at Cazadero Jazz Camp, Jazz Camp West, Mr. E's Club, Anna's Jazz Cafe, Freight & Salvage, Berkeley City Club, and Stagebridge.

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."

January 16-March 20, 2018. 7:30pm, Third Tuesdays of every month. The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Parking: Allston Way Garage, 2061 Allston Way between Milvia & Shattuck. The Downtown Berkeley Bart station is one block away on Shattuck. TICKETS: $8-$15 pre-sale, $10-$15 at the door; for tickets, visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055.