Rebecca Fisher's MEMPHIS ON MY MIND Opens Saturday

Acclaimed solo performer Rebecca Fisher returns to The Marsh with her 2013 SF Best of Fringe solo show, MEMPHIS ON MY MIND, a lilting look at the hometown she shares with Elvis, Beale Street, barbecue, the mighty Mississippi and those gawd-awful hot summer days. An evening that combines theater with food and music, MEMPHIS ON MY MIND, developed with and directed by Charlie Varon, plays October 25 through November 23 at The Marsh Berkeley (2120 Allston Way), Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00pm (press opening Saturday, October 25), with every ticket including a Memphis-style meal from favorite Berkeley artisanal restaurant Grégoire, plus live blues music following each show. For tickets ($25-$30 open seating; $60-$100 reserved), the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

In MEMPHIS ON MY MIND, Fisher describes a moment most have experienced at some point —when a look, a smell, an ineffable feel in the air suddenly transports an unsuspecting adult back to the land of their childhood. In Fisher’s case Memphis, Tennessee is not only home of the blues and birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, it is the domain of Sarah Mackey, the maid who raised Fisher’s mother and with whom she shares both a violent loss and a profound connection. Rebecca portrays Ms. Mackey, as well as her hustler grandson and a dozen other characters, in a performance that transports audiences to the steamy, dreamy, reckless streets of her youth.

After the performance in the Berkeley Mainstage, audience members are invited to join Rebecca in the Marsh Cabaret to hear live blues music and enjoy a Memphis-themed picnic dinner from the Berkeley artisanal restaurant Gregoire. Audience members are also welcome to return to the theater and join Rebecca for a hosted Writing Cabaret on Tuesday, November 4 or December 2, with writing prompts inspired by material from the show.

The San Francisco Chronicle described Rebecca Fisher’s first solo show, The Magnificence of the Disaster as “smart, challenging, disarmingly funny, and unmistakably affecting.” In 2007, Magnificence enjoyed an extended run at The Marsh San Francisco and then went on tour to Memphis, where the Memphis Commercial Appeal called it “a marvel...her portraits are hilarious and loving” and on to East Coast colleges. Rebecca is a vibrant member of the Bay Area solo performance community, co-producing the long-running storytelling series Tell it on Tuesday and directing shows at The Exit, The SF Fringe Festival, and most recently Mark Kenward’s NANUTCKET at The Marsh Berkeley. Rebecca has also performed as an actress with Bay Area One Act Festival, New Conservatory Theater, and Shotgun Players. For more information, please visit www.rebeccamfisher.com.
Charlie Varon is an artist-in-residence at The Marsh, where he has been writing, performing, directing and teaching for over 20 years. As collaborator/director, Varon has worked with performer Dan Hoyle since 2004, on his solo shows Circumnavigator, Tings Dey Happen, The Real Americans and Each and Every Thing. As playwright/performer, Varon’s award-winning shows – all created in collaboration with David Ford – have enjoyed extended runs at The Marsh and traveled around the country. These include Rush Limbaugh in Night School (1994), The People’s Violin (2000), Rabbi Sam (2009), and Feisty Old Jew (2014).