run of show
FRIDAY
8-9-24
SATURDAY
8-10-24
FRIDAY SHOW
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BETH CUSTER - 6:45 PM
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LESSER MORTALS - 7:15 PM
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FATHERS' DAY - 7:30 PM
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SF '82 - 8:30 PM
SATURDAY SHOW
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WORKSHOP:
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Your Story Matters: Write Your Life
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10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
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BETH CUSTER - 6:45 PM
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LESSER MORTALS - 7:15 PM
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FATHERS' DAY - 7:30 PM
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ANN RANDOLPH - 8:30 PM
SUNDAY SHOW
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BETH CUSTER - 5:45 PM
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LESSER MORTALS - 6:15 PM
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FATHERS' DAY - 6:30 PM
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RICHARD MONTOYA
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VARIETY EXTRAVAGANZA:
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Sebastian Boswell III
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Connie Champagne
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Cyndy Fujikawa
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Erin-Kate Whitcomb - Kurt Reinhard
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Rëzzin
2024 lineup
Beth Custer
Beth Custer is an Emmy Award-winning, San Francisco-based composer, performer, bandleader, and the proprietor of BC Records.
Beth has created scores for the contemporary chamber ensembles Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Zeitgeist, Earplay, Turtle Island, and Kronos String Quartets; for the theatre productions of Campo Santo Theatre, Berkeley and San Diego Repertory Theatres, Magic Theatre, California Shakespeare, Overtone Industries, and Cornerstone Theatre; for the dance troupes Joe Goode Goode Performance Group, AXIS Dance Company, Roco Dance, Flyaway Productions, Ledoh, Harupin Ha, and Osseus Labyrinth; for the films of William Farley, Judith Ehrlich, Cathy Lee Crane, Melinda Stone, KQED, CBS/Film Roman, and Koohan Paik. Beth has created four musicals with award-winning writer Octavio Solis and two with writer Joy Cutler.
Her collaborative scores with inventor and MacArthur Fellow Trimpin led her to compose Vinculum Symphony, a site-specific, large-scale work that unites chamber musicians with experimental instrument builders. She has over fifty recordings out with her ensembles Eighty Mile Beach, Clarinet Thing, Trance Mission, The Beth Custer Ensemble, and Club Foot Orchestra. Her numerous awards include a six-week artist residency in an Italian castle at Civitella Ranieri.
Beth lives to play music.
Lesser Mortals
Performing their new four-song mini-opus.
Who are/ what are lesser mortals?
LESSER MORTALS creates new theatre works invoking a wide array of disciplines and aesthetic approaches. Founded in San Francisco in 1984 by Amy Brosnahan, Ann Fajilan, Tom Ford, and Roger Nieboer (all former drama students at UC Davis), they immediately gained acclaim and recognition for their production of The Ballad of Johnny & Abduhl at Intersection for the Arts. Since then they have performed at venues ranging from the Winnipeg Folk Festival to New Dramatists in New York. They have created site-specific works for train stations, art museums, and vacant lots.
Most recently they created and performed a five-part series of large-scale, audience-interactive pieces (existentia, folkalopolis, marketopia, energia, and arboreous) in partnership with Northern Spark, a Minnesota-based, all-night arts festival. Each piece lasted 8-9 hours and involved hundreds of participants.
What about the music?
Music has been an essential component of their theatre work from the very beginning. Described by some as “Folk-punk” or “punkabilly” and derided by others as “mish-mash”, their music aims to capture the vocal stylings and instrumentation of folk music and infuse it with the high energy and urgency of punk. As for the mish-mash, they take that as the ultimate compliment, as they consider themselves pioneers in the wide world of mash-ups.
Amy Brosnahan works as a judge in Minnesota’s 10th Judicial District and is enthusiastically devoted to Irish music.
Roger Nieboer began his theatre career at the Magic Theatre in 1983. He continues to write plays and conduct experiments in organic horticulture.
Fathers' Day
This is the story of what happens when the patriarch of the family shows up after an 11-year trip to the corner store.
SF '82
A rollicking romp through San Francisco in the 1980s from doorman to cab rides and dive bars to all-night hamburger joints.
Geoff Shields lived in San Francisco for ten years, from 1982-1992. He was born and raised on The Jersey Shore, working in gas stations and on horse farms before finding his way to New York City during his senior year of High School. He found his way into the rock and roll scene of the time, along the way working for The Ramones, Blondie, and Shrapnel. Upon the advice of Debbie Harry, who knew an inept roadie when she saw one, he enrolled in Junior College, studying theater. After a particularly vivid dream during an afternoon nap on a New Jersey sofa, Geoff transferred to San Francisco State University, where lots of great stuff happened. He remained in SF after graduating, co-forming a theater company and sealing his fate. This is a show about fate. Mostly the good kind. Some of the other stuff. As Kurt Vonnegut said; “Hold onto your hat…We could end up Miles from Here!”
“SF ‘82” is the latest chapter of Geoff’s one-man show, “JunkDrawer.” The action moves back and forth between his ten years in San Francisco (1982-1992) and the mad New Jersey/NYC upbringing that prepared him to be in that place at that time. A World War Two, AA Dad whose body was still pushing out shrapnel in the 70s; A Medical emergency in the middle of a play staged in a South of Market abattoir; Working for Blondie and living with The Ramones; Hack actor day job alliances between San Francisco Doormen and Cab Drivers; Conversations at eighteen with Warhol; Living in The Castro at the height of the AIDS epidemic; L’amour in Calaveras County, The Earthquake, Four babies in a 18 months and The San Francisco Breeders Ball Fundraiser that fed us. They all tie in, and they all lead us to This Night.
Inappropriate in All the Right Ways
"Wickedly hysterical." - Los Angeles Times
"She's a genius!" - Mel Brooks
"I cried, laughed, spit up my drink, and had my ego obliterated. I am a forever fan!" -Alanis Morissette
"A show like no other. Part stand-up hilarity, part therapy and 100% fun!" - Huffington Post
Ann is an accomplished playwright, performer, and trailblazer in the realm of interactive theater. Join her for an outrageously funny evening with her latest production, "Inappropriate in All the Right Ways” where she explores it all, from the sacred to the profane, in her hilariously and deeply moving journey to find what really matters. A show unlike any other, as audiences to delve into their own life stories inviting them to write and share their stories on the stage.
Ann's previous production, "LOVELAND," recently concluded its successful run at the Arena Stage in Washington DC. Before that, it captivated San Francisco audiences for two consecutive years, earning the esteemed SF Weekly Award for "Best Solo Show" and the SF Bay Critic's Award for "Best Original Script." "LOVELAND" also played to sold-out crowds in Los Angeles, where it received the LA Weekly Award for "Best Solo Show." The show delved into themes of grief, and following each performance, Ann facilitated a writing workshop on loss, offering a healing space for the audience to collectively express their emotions.
Ann's impact extends beyond the stage and screen, as she is widely recognized as a national educator and keynote speaker. She tours across the United States, captivating audiences at universities, conferences, and mind/body/spirit centers with her engaging performances and thought-provoking talks. Her immensely popular "Write Your Life" workshops are held in cities throughout the U.S., with annual stops at renowned retreat centers like Kripalu, the Omega Institute, and Esalen. In addition to her performances, Ann is deeply committed to empowering others to embrace their unique and powerful stories, guiding them in bringing these narratives to life on both the page and the stage.
Jerry Garcia in the Lower Mission
Filmmaker/Playwright Richard Montoya (Culture Clash) explores the early childhood of an American icon and hero: Jerry Garcia in the Lower Mission unpacks the twin tragedies of a young boy that would not define or hinder one of the greatest songwriting talents of the 20th century. Montoya will curate excerpt's with legendary composer/performer Joshua Raoul Brody with this new work commissioned by the historic Magic Theater in SF. Long live Jerry!
RËZZIN
Original ‘70s stoner-rock that celebrates 12-packs, tube tops, skipping school, flippin’ off cops, rollin’ j’s, and kickin’ ass! The band’s blistering set at the 1974 Day On the Asphalt outdoor festival in Dayton, Ohio is still considered a classic by rock historians, as the force of Rëzzin’s power prompted headliners REO Speedwagon to set down their instruments and walk away. Legends like Alice Cooper, Golden Earring drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk, and James Gang keyboardist Phil Giallombardo have all cited Rëzzin as being the only legitimate successor to the Throne of Rock. The band’s surviving members—bassist Rod Manley, guitarist Billy Galaxy, drummer Hott Flash, vocalist Svetlana, and keyboardist Bob—effortlessly drift from classic headbangery to delicate power ballads, and their unique cheeze-rock chemistry leaves audiences both transfixed and deliriously ashamed. This show marks Rëzzin's triumphant return to the public stage, their first in over nine years, and they are ready to blow you through the back wall of the venue!
For corporate bookings (payment in cash required), please contact Kim Teevan.
https://myspace.com/rezzinrocks
https://www.facebook.com/rezzinrocks
Cyndy Fujikawa
J. Raoul Brody
Joshua Raoul Brody has been helping and hindering the Fringe of the Woods Festival musically since its onset. This year he will be accompanying Richard Montoya and Rëzzin (although you wouldn’t know that from looking at their pages) as well as sticking in his musical two cents here and there as he sees fit. He’s done a lot of other stuff. You could read about it on his website if it hadn’t been hacked about 8 years ago. Talk to him — he’s approachable!
Erin-Kate Whitcomb
Erin-Kate Whitcomb (SAG-AFTRA/AEA/AGVA): Erin-Kate has been acting professionally for over 30 years and has won Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and other regional awards for acting and playwriting. She works regularly in voice-over, commercials, industrial films and on stage. She has performed several times with 42nd Street Moon, and has also has appeared in plays and musicals with Berkeley Rep, TheatreWorks, Theatre Rhinoceros, Best of Playground and other Bay Area theatres. Erin-Kate performed in the US/Canadian tour with Dame Edna in “Dame Edna: My First, Last Tour” as her disappointing daughter Valmai, and in the star studded San Francisco revival of “Ruthless: The Musical”.
Connie Champagne
Connie Champagne began her eclectic career with roles at San Francisco's Magic Theatre and Theatre on the Square, and holds an MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre. She was recruited by Vegas In Space director Phillip R. Ford to portray the cult heroine Neely O'Hara in his long-running stage adaptation of Valley of the Dolls, which inspired her interest in drag as a theatrical form. Connie was a big fan of the art-rock band The Mutants as a teenager and has been recruited to join their reformed ranks! Recent gigs have included the Bottom of the Hill and opening for Flipper at Great American Music Hall.
Champagne has toured extensively with swing band The New Morty Show, and recorded a CD, Morty-fied, on SlimStyle Records. She continues to sing with the group to this day. In addition to NMS, Champagne has shared the stage with a variety of artists and groups including: Romeo Void (supporting Cindy Lauper), Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, the Magnum Brutes, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and Royal Crown Revue. The San Francisco Examiners' Readers Poll, compiled by staff writer Julian Guthrie, rated Connie #30 among “...the Top One Hundred Best Things About San Francisco,” (ten notches above the Golden Gate Bridge!) Robin Eisgrau of New York's THE PAPER magazine listed Connie among her top ten faves, and Research Magazine creator V Vale devotes a chapter to Connie's unique life and career in his book Swing! The New Retro Renaissance (V Search Publications).
Well-known for her roles portraying Judy Garland, Champagne first appeared as the legendary star in the Off-Broadway production of Christmas With The Crawfords. New York Times critic Neil Genzlinger described Champagne’s performance as “a subtle masterpiece of parody and homage.” Champagne again received rave notices for her performance as Garland - this time on the other side of the rainbow - in the Los Angeles production of Judy's Scary Little Christmas directed by Broadway legend Kay Cole, for which she won the Ovation Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Inspired by Harry Lit of Castrobear Presents, Champagne, along with director F. Allen Sawyer and musical director Joseph Collins, created iMAGINE Judy Garland: An Evening with Connie Champagne, which played to sold-out audiences at the Empire Plush Room. The show was subsequently the recipient of the Dean Goodman Award for Outstanding Cabaret show. With Collins and Sawyer again on board, Champagne revisited Garland at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. As she did in iMagine, Champagne assembled the repertoire Garland might sing today - ballads from the likes of Rufus Wainwright and Elton John, show-stoppers from Peter Allen and John Cameron Mitchell, and some improbable rock tunes that take on a whole new meaning, once they've been Judy-fied.
In her spare time, Champagne also sings with the Mood Swing Orchestra, performing traditional big band tunes in the style of the 1940s.
Connie Champagne currently lives in San Francisco.
Sebastian Boswell III
Sebastian Boswell III is considered by many to be one of the most distinctive performers in the field of mentalism, the art and entertainment of EXTRAORDINARY MENTAL POWERS. His signature style, quick wit, and ability to connect with an audience, has him in demand for events of every description. As an INTERNATIONAL PERFORMER, his career spans the distance from the theaters of Helsinki, Finland to the country music stages of Norman, Oklahoma, and almost everywhere in between. He has yet to perform in Qatar or Newfoundland, but the century is still relatively young.
Your Story Matters: Write Your Life
Embark on a journey of self-discovery with award-winning writer/performer Ann Randolph as your guide! Join us for a powerful workshop focused on uncovering the power of your story. This is your chance to dive deep into your personal narrative and witness the profound transformation that comes from sharing it aloud. Learning to embrace your creative instincts and become the author of your own life. Ann creates a supportive and dynamic atmosphere where you can playfully explore without judgment. No writing experience required, just a spirit of willingness.
CLICK HERE for more information and to register.
Reservations strongly recommended.