The Marsh Presents Lynne Kaufman's SUSAN SONTAG: THE SMARTEST WOMAN IN AMERICA

The Marsh brings to life the fascinating mind and heart of Susan Sontag with Lynne Kaufman's solo play Susan Sontag: The Smartest Woman in America, starring Julia Brothers, directed by Warren David Keith, performed live on MarshStream. Sontag was considered by many the fiercest American intellectual of the 20th century, devoting her life to art, ideas, and an unstinting critique of the times. In this captivating work the writer wittily examines everything from the origins of "camp," to taking a deep dive into "illness as a metaphor." As she begins facing her own mortality, this brilliant theorist also wonders if she made the right choices in her own life.

Lynne Kaufman (Playwright) is the author of 20 full-length plays that have been produced in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Louisville at such theatres as Magic Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and many more. Two of Kaufman's works, Acid Test and Two Minds, have premiered on stage at The Marsh, while two of her other works, Exposing Margaret Mead and Who Killed Sylvia Plath, have appeared on The Marsh's digital platform, MarshStream. Who Killed Sylvia Plath was one of the two winners of the Best Full-Length Performance in The Marsh's MarshStream International Solo Fest in 2019. Her plays have won many awards including the Glickman Award for Best New Play (The Couch), the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays Award (Speaking in Tongues), and the Neil Simon Festival New Play Award (William Blake in Hollywood). Kaufman has published three novels and her short stories have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and McCall's.

Julia Brothers (Performer) has a passion for developing new work and has originated many roles over the last three decades. Recent projects include A Peregrine Falls by Leegrid Stevens at New York City's wildproject, playing God in the world premieres of Kilbanes' rock opera Weightless at the Z Space in San Francisco, and appearing as Col. Sandra Eden in Walter Anderson's The Trial of Donna Caine at George Street Playhouse in New Jersey. Brothers has appeared on stages throughout the Bay Area including TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Marin Theatre Company, and Aurora Theatre Company. Since her playwriting debut with her solo show, I Was Right Here, Brothers has started writing a full-length play. She is an Artistic Associate at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and a company member of The B Street Theatre and SF Playground. Along with her acting, Brothers has performed stand-up at many New York City comedy clubs.

Warren David Keith (Director) returns to The Marsh after directing Lynne Kaufman's Who Killed Sylvia Plath starring Lori Holt. As an actor, he has performed in extended runs portraying the late Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) in Kaufman's Acid Test: The Many Incarnations of Ram Dass at both The Marsh Berkeley and San Francisco. Recent appearances on stage include As You Like It and Macbeth at California Shakespeare Theatre, Widower's Houses at the Aurora Theatre, and The Nether at SF Playhouse. Keith's film credits include Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, A Serious Man, Haiku Tunnel, Death and Taxes, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. He has directed shows for the nationally acclaimed Young Conservatory and has taught acting for 25 years.

Susan Sontag: The Smartest Woman in America will be streamed 7:30pm (PT), Saturday July 10 & 5:00pm (PT), Sunday, July 11.Julia Brothers and Lynne Kaufman will participate in a live Q&A immediately following both performances. For more information or to purchase viewing access ($0-$35 sliding scale, $50, $100), the public may visit www.themarsh.org/marshstream.

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