Kate Robards Returns to The Marsh San Francisco with POLYSHAMORY

Writer/performer Kate Robards (Ain't That Rich) returns to The Marsh San Francisco with her latest hit PolySHAMory. Kate has everything she's ever dreamed of...but so does Kate's husband's girlfriend. With a polyamory therapist and sex-positive ethos, Kate begins a polyamorous marriage that goes wrong. A story of his and her. And hers. And his. And sex. And therapy. And love. The show, which was previewed as a Marsh Rising last year, has received accolades from media across the country, calling it "hilarious and heartbreaking" (The Washington Post) and "an audience-grabbing confessional" (DC Theatre Scene). PolySHAMory will be presented January 3 - February 8, 2020 (press opening: January 11) with performances at 8:00pm Thursdays & Fridays and 8:30pm Saturdays at The San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. For tickets ($20-$35 sliding scale; $55 and $100 reserved) or more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call The Marsh Box office at 415-282-3055 (open Monday through Friday, 1:00pm-4:00pm).

PolySHAMory was first workshopped at the 2018 FRIGID New York Festival, where it was named a "Best Bet." That same year, PolySHAMory was also produced at the Tampa International Fringe Festival, Atlanta Fringe Festival, Capital Fringe Festival, Providence Fringe Festival®, and at The Marsh San Francisco as part of its Marsh Rising series. In 2019, the show appeared at the Maui Fringe Festival and the Montreal Fringe Festival. PolySHAMory has been welcomed by critics, who called it "a remarkably cohesive narrative" (The Washington Post) and "a rich portrait of a complex life" (DC Theatre Scene), while Robards was praised for her "warm and friendly personality" (Montreal Rampage) and her ability to "create a comfortably comedic atmosphere" (DC Metro Theater Arts). Robards's previous appearance at The Marsh in Ain't That Rich was praised as "sophisticated and surprising" (Theatrius) and "an insightful look at the meaning of impact and money" (SF Theater Blog).

Kate Robards (Actor/Writer) lives in New York City and is an award-winning writer, comic, and actor from Orange, Texas. She recently wrote jokes and monologues for the 2019 Shorty Awards and Bustle, and has written for Kathy Griffin, Stacey Abrams, and Busy Phillips. Robards has performed with Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory, The San Francisco Olympians Festival, EXIT Theatre, Shanghai Repertory Theatre, Urban Aphrodite International, and The Cutting Ball Theater. Her solo play trilogy (Mandarin Orange, Ain't That Rich, PolySHAMory) has racked up awards and performances across both the country and abroad. In 2014, Mandarin Orange premiered at the Capital Fringe, where it was named a "Fringe Festival Highlight" by The Washington Post. With assistance from both Solo Stages at Stage Werx and The Marsh, Ain't That Rich was developed and went on to a seven-week run at The Marsh San Francisco. In 2018, PolySHAMory made its debut at The Marsh as part of its Marsh Rising series, and will return for a full run in January 2020. Robards was a company member of FOGG Theatre Company and served on the board of directors at FOGG and The Cutting Ball Theater, both in San Francisco. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts in writing from the California College of the Arts, is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and is a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Robards currently performs stand-up and improv regularly in New York City.

Maureen Monterubio (Director) is a New York based director. She focuses on developing new work for theatre and film. She also directs audiobooks for Penguin Random House. Maureen made her Off Broadway premiere with Across The Park produced by The Araca Project. She directed Pregnant Pause at Planet Connections which garnered NYIT nominations for outstanding solo performance and outstanding original short script . This summer she directed a workshop of a new play Voyagers based on the NASA mission of the same name at ACT in Seattle, Washington. Maureen directed Parker Posey narrating her audiobook You're On An Airplane. Her audiobook work received an Earphones award for Her Daughter's Mother. Her work has been seen at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, United Solo Festival, The Tank, Capital Fringe, Manhattan Theatre Club, 14th Street Y, Wide Eyed Productions, Peculiar Works Project, Rorschach Theatre, and The Kennedy Center. Maureen's short film Emma On The Roof will premiere this winter. Maureen interned at New York Theatre Workshop. She is a proud Tennessee Volunteer.

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."

WHAT:

Writer/performer Kate Robards (Ain't That Rich) returns to The Marsh San Francisco with her latest hit PolySHAMory. Kate has everything she's ever dreamed of...but so does Kate's husband's girlfriend. With a polyamory therapist and sex-positive ethos, Kate begins a polyamorous marriage that goes wrong. A story of his and her. And hers. And his. And sex. And therapy. And love. The show, which was previewed as a Marsh Rising last year, has received accolades from media across the country, calling it "hilarious and heartbreaking" (The Washington Post) and "an audience-grabbing confessional" (DC Theatre Scene).

WHEN:

January 3 - February 8, 2020
Press opening: January 11

SHOWS:

8:00pm Thursdays & Fridays
8:30pm Saturdays

WHERE:

The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco
(between 21st & 22nd Streets)
Parking is available at New Mission Bartlett Garage
(21st St between Mission & Valencia)

Bart Station (closest): Mission & 24th Street

TICKETS:

$20-$35 sliding scale; $55 and $100 reserved

INFO:

For information or to order tickets visit themarsh.org or call (415) 282-3055 (Monday through Friday, 1:00pm-4:00pm).