Therapists, Astrologers, More Talk Finding 'Love' This Summer At The Marsh

Steve Budd, who returns to perform Thursdays and Saturdays July 19 - August 18 at The Marsh San Francisco, has added a special one-afternoon-only performance of his hit show What They Said About Love at 2pm, Sunday, August 12. He also announces a line-up of post-show events including visits from relationship and sex experts, astrologers, and more, who will help audiences explore whether love is in their stars, and how people really connect. What They Said About Love will play from July 19-August 18, 2018 with performances at 8:00pm Thursdays, 5:00pm Saturdays, plus one 2:00pm, Sunday, August 12 at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. For tickets ($20-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved), the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call The Marsh box office at 415-282-3055 (open 1pm-4pm, Monday through Friday).

In What They Said About Love, audiences meet a cast of characters including a New Age couple who could swear they met before they met, a couple who met on Craigslist, and a pair of metal heads who thought it would be a hoot to get married on 6-6-6 (June 6, 2006), as well as others. Budd's solo show made its Marsh Berkeley debut in February 2018, and enjoyed an extended run until April 2018. It has been a hit with audiences and critics, who have called it "a heartfelt, crowd-pleasing gem" (The Visitorium), "truly a jaw-dropping audience experience" (Joint Forces Journal), "hilarious and poignant" (East Bay Express), "a sweet and bittersweet exploration" (Berkeleyside), and noted "Budd's versatility is entirely commendable" (Daily Cal).

Free talkback engagements following performances of What They Said About Love are:

Saturday, July 21: "Steve Gets Shrunk: Live Therapy Session" with Psychotherapist Dr. Barbara Anderson. A licensed clinical social worker and certified sex therapist with more than 40 years in practice, she has been in private practice in San Francisco since 1993. Specializing in issues of relationships, parenting, unproductive behavior patterns, depression, anxiety, and concerns around sexuality, Dr. Anderson brings a broad perspective and practical approach to her work with individuals and couples.

Thursday, July 26: Relationship experts Kimi Avary and Carol Jones join Steve Budd to explore many aspects of a relationship. Avary, a relationship coach, educates men and women about gender differences, the interaction of masculinity and femininity, and the principles of a partnership. Her Masters Degree in Counseling and Bachelors Degree in Family Studies and Human Development provide her with a foundation to help men and women who have challenges relating with each other both personally and professionally. Working as a licensed couples therapist for more than 25 years, Jones now specializes in coaching men and women over 40 in San Francisco who want to meet, attract, and date people worthy of their time. She has a Masters Degree in Counseling and has completed five years of post-graduate training in couples therapy.

Saturday, July 28: "The Making of What They Said About Love" with David Ford, who 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, Mr. Ford has directed both solo and ensemble work regionally at The Public Theater, Second Stage, St. Clement's, Dixon's Place, One Dream Theatre, and Theatre for the New City (NY), Highways Performance Space (LA), and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (DC), as well as at theaters around the Bay Area including Magic Theatre and Marin Theatre Company. He is also a published playwright.

Saturday, August 4: "Is Love in Your Stars?" with Astrologer David Young. Although Young has a Masters Degree and PhD from Saybrook Institute, a postgraduate program that focuses on humanistic psychology, he claims his real training occurred in his own therapy. Through his own personal growth, studying astrology for more than 40 years, spiritual practices, teaching astrology classes and a wide range of graduate level psychology courses, ongoing consultation, and from decades of listening to clients struggle for inner peace, Young developed a firm grasp on how to assist those willing to face the troubling aspects of life and who seek a richer, authentic life. Young unpacks the significance of client's birth charts, which has proven to be an excellent tool for self-awareness and forms a deep sense of community.

Thursday, August 9: "We've Got Your Number" with Enneagram expert Beatrice Chestnut sheds light on why we do - and don't - connect. With its ancient roots and accurate, in-depth character descriptions, the Enneagram system of personality is a uniquely powerful growth tool that helps people develop the self-awareness and emotional intelligence that is the foundation of real change. In addition to her PhD in Communications and Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, Chestnut has been studying and working with the enneagram for more than 25 years.

Previous versions of this riotous and touching documentary theater piece - What They Said About Love - appeared in the September 2016 San Francisco Fringe Festival, as a Marsh Rising in November 2016, the June 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival, and is currently appearing at the 2018 Ottawa Fringe Festival. Talkin' Broadway hailed the San Francisco Fringe production of What They Said About Love as "theater at its best. Funny, poignant, thoughtful, and revealing about the search for love." This solo show was also developed with assistance from David Ford, John Coppola, and Slater Penney; Skye Pelicrow served as script consultant.

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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