Don Reed's East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player
The Marsh San Francisco Mainstage Theater (1062 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA 94110)
- Full Price:
- $10.00 - $20.00
- Our Price:
- $10.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Don Reed's East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player have expired.
The last date listed for Don Reed's East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player was Saturday January 16, 2010 / 5:00pm.
Currently at The Marsh San Francisco Mainstage Theater:
Brian Copeland's New Solo Show The Waiting Period at The Marsh
- Full Price:
- $15.00
- Our Price:
- SOLD OUT
The Marsh presents a workshop performance of Brian Copeland's new solo show, The Waiting Period. Copeland, a multi-talented actor, playwright, author and talk show host, has basked in the glow of both public and critical acclaim for nearly a decade. However, like many other well-known figures, he suffers from debilitating bouts of depression. This show gives an unrelenting look at a ten-day period in his life: the mandatory waiting period before he could lay hands on a new gun with which he planned to commit suicide. Even in the throes of such tragic plans, though, his sense of humor does not desert him (how much should he spend on the gun?), and in fact protects him from the grim reality of his intention. There is laughter in the darkness. Interspersed with interviews with other people suffering from depression, the play also offers outsiders an insider's view, thereby expanding the audience's understanding and, hopefully, humanity. Learn More
Goldstar Member Tips
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Goldstar Member on What to Wear
Casual
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Goldstar Member on What to Wear
Bay Area casual, i.e., your choice.
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Ella on Other
The Marsh is very unassuming. Look really careful for the location.
Goldstar Member Reviews
Ulysses Dalton
If you haven't seen any shows this year, it's not too late. This is the show you have to see. It was funny, irreverent, witty and insightful. Don Reed relates to the audience and draws them into his experience. I've been 3 times and hope to get in another show while it is still here.Written on Nov 05 2009
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debn
I loved the show, performer was great, set simple. Grew up in the streets of Richmond and visited Oakland often and knew of the references that he made.Written on Nov 30 2009
Very intimate seating, around 100 seats, some plush auditorium style and some metal folding chairs and some cushioned benches but difficult to get in and out of the seats farthest from the entrance, surprised it isn't a Fire Marshall/egress issue.
Drinks sold inside and next door in their cafe. Women's restrooms, small, two stalls.
Sat. show started at 5pm, w intermission, out around 7pm.
Street/metered parking available for the 5pm show but parked in the Mission Parking lot, 90 Barlett Ave., around the corner from the theater. Stairway on 22nd street, lets you out practically across the street from the Marsh Theater. $2 an hour. Reasonable compared to SF parking lot prices.
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Jerry D.
Obviously a lot of work went into this life story. However 100 minutes without an intermission is stretching it. At times (sorry) it was a drag. The moral at the end was alsmost worth waiting for but not quite. I did'nt enjoy every minute of it. It was OK the acting was fine but a little too much 'in depth' discriptions without a point untill the very end brought it together. By that time I was just too tired and a little board to enjoy it fully.Written on Aug 24 2009
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Ingenue
This guy is a brilliant performer. I loved how he highlighted moments of his childhood with classic funk of the 70s; the music I grew up with as a child in Oakland. His characterizations of members of his family were hilarious!Written on Aug 10 2009
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Member Photos
More Information About Don Reed's East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player
Description
The Marsh, a breeding ground for new performance, is pleased to present Don Reed’s East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player. In the spirit of John Leguizamo’s Freak, Sarah Jones' Bridge and Tunnel and Whoopi Goldberg’s Whoopi comes this hilarious solo show chronicling the true tale of a young man raised by his mother and ultra-strict stepfather as a middle-class, straight A, God-fearing church boy. The boy, however, wanted to be just like his dear old Dad. Too bad he didn’t know dear old Dad was a pimp. Very funny, definitely poignant – a ride down a street you won’t soon forget.
The play is set in Oakland, CA in the 1970s. Reed’s father was super talented, cool as hell and very funny. He would say the most outrageous stuff, whether it was sexually charged or just a good old-fashioned diss. He played the congos and was offered to travel with well-known bands. But he had never learned to read and felt he might be required to interpret a hotel bill or something – thus risking his “cool.” So he let his dream pass. And for a while – got caught up in “The Life.”
He had three sons. Darrell was really focused on digging women. He LOVED women. ALL of them, and he became a beautician – a very good one - so he could be around them all the time. “You know somethin’ - every guy doin’ hair in that shop is gay” he used to say. Then he smiled like a wolf in a hen house and said, “But, I’m not.” Although a womanizer, he was deeply generous. Darrell would literally give anyone in need his very last dollar. His other brother, Tony, was a study in effeminate elegance and assassin level self-defense. Tony could whoop ANYBODY in the neighborhood and accordingly stomped the stereotype of “the weak gay man” to bits.
Reed himself was called Blinky because he had the habit of blinking his eyes. He remembers doing it on the bus ride all the way over to visit his father on Sundays. Sometimes his father wouldn’t be there – but he’d leave the door unlocked and Reed would get one of Darrell’s jackets out of the closet. Then he’d walk to the corner store, get a pint of Carnation Strawberry Ice Cream and coolly walk “The Stroll,” pretending to be older. And the street walkers would ask, “Why you blinkin’ like that?” then interject —“Wanna date baby?” And he’d say, after taking a spoonful of the delicious strawberry magic: “I could buy some if I wanted to – but I don’t want to.”
East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player ran the entire summer of 2008 Off Broadway in New York City. It was a double nominee - Best Actor and Best Playwright - for the 2008 NAACP Theatre Awards - as well as a nominee for 2008 Best Solo Performance for the Audelco "Viv" Awards.