I say support local theater...no matter how challenging it may be to experience. So I was watching this episode of "That Girl" on DVD where struggling bouffant-challenged actress Ann Marie is in an experimental play called "A Bunch of Artichokes". She makes her Brylcreem-saturated boyfriend Donald come see her in it, which of course, forces him to confess he hated it. Donald was not an open-minded fellow, at least artistically, and well, I have to admit I may not be either... First, it's good to know theater is alive and kicking in all sorts of venues throughout the city. I like the big shows at the Orpheum, and I like the small ones like the spartan production I saw of Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins" performed by the Custom Made Theater Company. I even braved crossing 6th Street to see that one. So I came to this one with an open mind....really.... The Crowded Fire Theater Company is performing a ninety-minute play by Charles Mee called "Gone" at the SF Playhouse up on Sutter through March 2nd. I saw it last night, and from what I could tell, it was a meditation on personal loss using a variety of formats (song, monologues, performance art, etc.) and snatches of works from all sorts of writers to induce discussions about grieving. It follows an omnibus format without providing any single narrative thread. That may be the rub. Some people respond viscerally to such treatments. Others, like me, get easily confused despite moments of honest profundity. There are four in the cast, all quite talented (though the women definitely seem much more alive than the men), and the set is made up of a sandbox filled with dirt, lots of movable doors, a couple of lamps, and things to tape on the wall. The props are used in an expressionistic manner, and the actors alternate moments of whimsy with scenes of poignancy. The bits are so brief and often confusing in nature, that the irony of the comments went over my head. At the same time, the emotional disconnectedness of Mr. Mee's piece is probably intentional since we are meant to react to the abyss into which each character is afraid to fall. Of the cast, Mollena Williams is the standout since she conveys the currents of gravitas and humor much more fluently than the others. Constantly flouncing around in her gauzy dress, Marilee Talkington bears such a striking resemblance to Molly Shannon that I was afraid she was going to hurl herself through a wall. The energy of this production is rewarding even if the play itself is rather questionable. Here's a promo video for the production... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2UY_EG2ea4 read more

I went to see CFT's performance of "Gone," by Charles Mee. I still have Montgomery Gentry in my head and the smell of fresh dirt in my short-term memory... I really liked the creative use of lamps and the set design, and enjoyed watching the cast puttering around when it wasn't their turn to speak. I also enjoyed being able to visit with the cast after the show and learn more about how they put the production together. I didn't mind the seemingly random tributes to grief and loss. In fact, it was refreshing to see others experiencing it instead of doing so myself (holla, 2007). Some of the moments were so raw, honest, and touching that I found myself nodding and saying "mmm hmm" to myself. The insomniac character simultaneously bugged and bored me, but I liked that actor in other roles and thought the cast as a whole was very talented. I recommend this show to those folks that appreciate subtle, lyrical, poignancy and don't require a linear plot. read more

Avant-garde theatre. Doesn't that term just make you want to run screaming for the hills? And yet, when the right play is done well, it's incredibly powerful. Like Last Planet Theatre (one of my other favorites), Crowded Fire is a daring small company that does fantastic work with new plays that are experimental, nonlinear, abstract, etc. I've seen four CF shows, and each has featured excellent directing, acting, and production values, especially for a company on a limited budget. The shows are lyrical, beautiful, poignant, transcendent. They bring up dormant emotions; they make you look at things in new ways -- or even old ways you'd forgotten. You will most likely leave the theatre astonished at what's possible on stage. read more

Ok. I'm not cheating. I'm just an actor with no ties to this company. The bottom line is that I trust Kent N. He is one of the co-artistic directors. Hold onto your butts, here come the new Crowded Fire. read more

OK OK OK... so I am cheating a little bit here. I am one of the artistic directors of this fiesty little company. But, I have only been in this position for a month and the company has been around for 10 years. I have seen most everything they did in that time and I must say, that's the reason I wanted the job. This little theater company has helped change the landscape of small professional companies in the Bay Area. We do contemporary work which is smart, political, and independent minded. If you like Independant film you will Love Crowded Fire. Check us out... read more

I went to see The Shipment, and the show was very good. But afterwards, an interaction with an employee was very difficult and painful. After the show had gotten out I was in the lobby talking with one of the actors and a couple other people. We were standing in proximity to the food/drink stand and ticket counter, where an employee was listening to us. One of the people in the group made a comment about one of the actor's fashion sense, at which point the employee interjected, looking right at me, and saying that I had "terrible" fashion sense compared with said actor. (There had been a misunderstanding, but basically, the employee thought that I was being complimented [rather than said actor], and had felt compelled to interject and say that I had terrible fashion in comparison.) I am extremely sensitive about how I look, and feel often awkward and uncomfortable and shy in public. I do as much as I can to stave this off, but hearing this employee unapologetically say this was mortifying. I left the group immediately and went to the bathroom to cry. I don't remember much about said employee except that she was white and I think had dyed black hair. I have never had such an embarrassing public encounter. She never apologized. I will never go back here unless they fire this employee or she apologizes to me. I don't go to the theater to be bullied and belittled. I feel bad about myself constantly because of my own insecurities and it is so painful to have other people reify my own negative thoughts. read more

Crowded Fire consistently raises the bar with their bold, imaginative, powerful productions, e.g. Anna, Bella, Eema; Slow Falling Bird; and Wreckage. One of the few theatres in the Bay Area that regularly produces new and exciting work by contemporary playwrights, CF isn't afraid to take risks. If you're wondering what's the difference between television/film and theatre, go see a Crowded Fire show. I'm a big fan of their work, of the company members, and can't wait to see what they produce next. read more

Crowded Fire is one of the best small theater companies around. Creative, daring, playful, and hardworking, they never shy away from challenging material, but they never overlook the audience either. After each performance, the audience is invited to have a glass of wine and talk about the show with the cast and director. A collage of found language and scenes from his other plays, Charles Mee's "Gone" is a moving and funny tribute to loss and memory, loosely threaded together through music, movement, lamps, and a whole sandbox full of dirt. Sources of the texts range from Sophocles, to Proust, to contemporary blogs, to NYT obituaries, to poet Philip Larkin, but it all seems to make sense in some bittersweet and intangible way that mirrors our experience of letting go. read more

In addition to serving as a breeding ground for mono, teenage pregnancies, and future douchebags of the world, my high school was one of the few schools in Hawai`i to have an actual repertory school of the arts. And since I'm in the business of CONFIRMING STEREOTYPES, it shouldn't surprise you to hear that -- along with pining over straight boys and spending a lot of time in the library -- I was QUITE the active theater student, though I never did MUSICAL theater, I'm not THAT fucking gay. Maybe it's because I could apply makeup with abandon...or because I had entire rooms filled with costumes and clothes at my disposal...or because all the hot boys like George, Kaleo, and Bill were also theater kids...or because I got the opportunity to pretend to be someone I'm not, I mean, aside from pretending to be STRAIGHT...but the theater was the sole, shining beacon in my otherwise drab and depressing adolescence. I felt the pull of Shakespeare, of course; I had a turn as "Thomas" in Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You; I had my 'triumvirate' of favorite playwrights: Beckett ("...I can't go on..."), Pinter ("...I'll go on..."), and Mamet ("FUCK YOU, YOU GOY MOTHERFUCKING COCKSUCKER"). What happened? Well, I realized I couldn't make ends meet as an actor. Let's face it: unless you're a martial arts master or fancy playing the Dragon Lady, there aren't a lot of roles for Asians. It's total bullshit of course, because have you seen ME play King Lear? WELL HAVE YOU?!? I FUCKING OWN THAT ROLE!! But NOOOOO, no one ever stages an ASIAN King Lear, nuh-uh! Oh you are men of stones! Had I your tongues and eyes I'D KICK YOU IN THE BALLS. So until I went to see the Crowded Fire Theater Company production of "Gone" by Charles Mee a few days ago, it had been YEARS since I watched a play and yes I am a VERY BITTER PERSON. Performed by an ensemble cast, "Gone" is a non-narrative, 'bricolage' play of different texts drawn from both traditional (Sophocles, for example) and contemporary (blogs and obituaries) sources. What brings these discrete materials together is the theme of evanescence, of disappearance, and of the strong human desire to hold onto these moments even as they slip through our fingers. As a play, I thought Gone was compelling in some respects and flat in others. I enjoyed the rendition of Philip Larkin's "Aubade" in a dramatic context, and I thought the 'blogger' moments were hilarious if only because I could relate SINCE YELP IS MY BLOG. On the other hand, there's a REALLY GOOD REASON why Proust isn't PERFORMED, despite the valiant efforts of Marilee Talkington -- with his interminable sentences, subordinate clauses, and liberal use of the subjunctive it's fucking BORING, and I say this as someone who LOVES Proust. Tom Stoppard says somewhere that the "theatre is a pragmatic art form," at least I think it's Stoppard, but what the fuck do I know, well at any rate I'm sure it wasn't Andrew Lloyd Weber, who has but TWO registers -- trite and platitudinous -- and the profundity of a puddle. ANYWAY, the point is that all plays are mediated by the performers and the director: it is less a decree issued from the pen of the playwright and more a collaboration between author, performers, and the audience. On this score, Crowded Fire Theater Company is faultless. They get it. Every aspect of the performance had the patina of decay: from the props (the dirt pit, discarded rickety doors, an antique lamp) to the costumes (disheveled and seemingly pulled from a trunk) to the lighting, everything evoked a sense of lost time in the tiny crucible of the SF Playhouse. They also held a discussion after the performance where the audience was allowed to ask questions and, in a sense, become more involved with the production. Also, I unequivocally applaud them for taking a risk in choosing to stage this play and not kowtowing to the incessant demands of "accessibility." Perhaps they will produce a play from one of my favorite playwrights in the future. Five stars for eroding MY BITTERNESS towards the theatre! I encourage you to check out "Gone" and future productions of Crowded Fire. Maybe I'll see you there, just don't expect me to say hello. Look, I said "MAYBE," fuckers. read more

On February 14th I had a the wonderful opportunity to see "Gone." The images, sounds, sensations, words, and even smells of this production were extremely fulfilling. This production is a refreshing example of theatre artists exploring a piece of text on a stage unhindered by the "business" of entertainment. Marissa Wolf's directorial attention to detail made moments riveting for me, even when the text's meaning strayed from linear sense. For 90 minutes, "Gone" invited me to relax my obsession with order and answers and invited me into a world of emotion. Charles Mee's script is not meant so much to be followed, but to be felt. Lighting, sound, and set came together to create visceral images, as oppose to purely realistic ones. One of my favorite moments was when each actor was involved in some sort of transient creation: a man writes with chalk on the walls, another tapes post-cards to her bedroom door, and a third digs grooves into a sandbox of dirt. I left the theatre that night rejuvenated -- Awed and blessed to have witnessed difficult material made so immediate, beautiful, and powerful to me. read more

Five stars for Good Goods. Christina Anderson creates the world of a small southern town haunted by its past and by its present. Stacey Good and the other inhabitants of Good Goods general store struggle with demons left behind by Stacey's father's recent departure and by their own absences and separation. Filled with humor, music (although it is not a musical), sorcery and vividly drawn characters and place, Good Goods gave me a wild and fascinating ride. Get your butt to 505 Natoma! There are four more performances as of this review, Wednesday through Saturday, June 20 through 23. read more

An amazing theatrical experience! Absolutely unique and engaging! Elana McKernan is a writer/director to watch! The Lysistrata Project is an extremely innovative and ultra creative way to tell a great story. Crowded Fire's Matchbox productions have a long history of success; the Lysistrata Project stands out among them! The amazing cast and crew created a magical experience; more than the most intimate small theatre. This production is in a house. The audience, in small groups, is "guided" from scene to scene by silent masked guides. At the risk of giving away too much: plan to see this show more than once to get the full story from all perspectives... and the pie is delicious! read more

This is a witty, delicious, beautifully acted and directed satire by the experimental and politically savvy collective of women playwrights, The Five Lesbian Brothers. This all-out, gorgeous production of "The Secretaries" is a bold, dark, and often hilarious comedy about a pool of secretaries worried about their weight and their status in this office of women. A poignant, disturbing thread travels through the play, layering the comedy and opening out into questions about gender, sex, and power. This production is precisely and richly stylized (the look of the secretaries reminding me sometimes of Cindy Sherman's photographs), yet with a careful infusion of genuine humanity throughout. This fractured reflection of cultural anxieties about women makes brilliant use of physical theater, musical interludes, and a constantly changing space, as the five women characters vie with each other for love and power. The acting and direction are superb and incredibly layered. Sound, lights, design, all gorgeous. I am an avid fan of Crowded Fire, and I'm related to one member of the company, yet I'm also a lifelong theater goer and a writer, who loves the energy, intelligence, vision, and courage this ensemble has brought to this production. This is such a smart, raucous, delightful, comical and yet challenging play that touches on nerves and toes, and hearts. read more

Crowded Fire does consistently good, interesting, challenging, affordable theatre. CF is now co-run by Kent Nicholson, who is one of the most gifted directors (and coolest people) in the Bay Area theatre scene. Like at Impact Theatre, you *can* drink beer at CF shows-- or at least all the ones I've been to. Quality theatre + beer + affordable ticket (which means + more beer) = good times. read more

Anna Bella Eema was refreshing, intriguing, riveting. For some reason with plays I often go in a little apprehensive about how I'll like it because there's often one little thing that will be off (i.e. overacting or it's too long)...but this one is a must-see There are only 3 women actors. It's set in a trailer home that's going to be demolished. The creative, natural sound effects, stark stage set and costume and the poetic writing set an eerie and emotional tone. The ending made my eyes tear up. The actors had a wide range of talent. Go see it! read more

Just saw "Drip" over at the Boxcar Playhouse. Wow! Leave it to Marissa Wolf to bring you stunning and evocative theater. The choreography and acting of Rami Margron are also particularly impressive. The play is surreal without being so conceptual that it leaves one scratching their head. Instead, it made me consider the true meaning of "reality" and "perception," which I think means that the dramatic form worked to its highest calling. read more

Anna Bella Eema is just a great play I recommend to everybody who likes a good theater play. Phenomenal actresses that entertein you from the beginning to the end. Highly recommended. read more

The raw material in the script of Anna Bella Eema is rich and fascinating to begin with, and Crowded Fire hasn't so much produced it as incubated and birthed it as its own creature with a startling and independent aliveness (much like the play's title character, a girl who is created out of mud). The cast of three women infuse their performances with astonishing vitality. The music (singing) in this play is its own completely original force. The sounds that comprise each "song" seem rich with meaning and power, and together, these "songs" (which I must put in quotes since they are so different from the traditional songs one encounters in more usual types of play) combine with the play's rich palate of language and the cast's striking palate of gesture to draw you directly into a wondrous variety of deeply emotional and animal realms that could only be skirted and pointed at otherwise. (The cast wield their powerful, exquisitely honed, soloist-quality singing voices with impressive aplomb.) The sets and lighting are also evocative and beautiful and add their own dimensions to the mix. My only disappointment was with what I felt as an incongruous tone during the opening of the play, which proceeds while the audience is arriving and taking their seats, and which for me seemed strangely off key in the context of the rest of the play. Probably there are people who like this part, but if you're mystified by the opening as I was, don't worry: it gets much better. I haven't seen all that many plays, but this is the first time I've been so taken with one that I had to see go it again--which I recommend since there's so much going on. This was easily among the most powerful works of art I've been lucky enough to experience. Anna Bella Eema truly rocks! Don't miss it. And, if you have time, stay for the "fireside chat" too. The director and cast are very friendly, and skillful at leading a lively discussion. read more

I love Crowded Fire, but I didn't love this play. First the good stuff. tThe acting was excellent and the direction superb. The set really worked too, considering how small the space was. The ideas this play was dealing with were all interesting, particularly the religious parallels drawn between Junk City and Christianity, but the play itself came across as slightly hokey in presenting these ideas. I feel it might have worked better as a one-act. I think it's hard to present apocalyptic visions without sounding cliched, and this play hasn't overcome that. Perhaps it's a work-in-progress? But it's always interesting and stimulating to attend a Crowded Fire Production. Keep on taking risks! read more

the acting and production were really first rate. If any weaknesses, had to do with script, which covers somewhat overworked post apocalyptic environmental disaster science fiction themes. A bit like Wall-E except with some people in it. The acting was engrossing, and I enjoyed the question and answer session at the end. The theater is a nice space, the seating is comfortable. I had fun. read more

Just got back from seeing "I call my brothers" , the current production at Crowded Fire Theater ! It is a riveting psychological tale on the problem of being " Muslim" in these Donald Trump days. Yeah they're watching you .... Go see. Only on through two more days. read more

I absolutely loved this play. The acting and actresses are beautiful and completely mastered the craft of their performances. This is exactly what I miss from NYC theater scene. Fantastic. read more

Crowded Fire Rocks! Yes, I am biased. But they still rock.