Happy Friday!
Hard to believe it's October already! Tomorrow night, I'll be performing THE WAITING PERIOD at the Douglas Morrison Theater in Hayward. If you are someone who struggles with depression or mental illness or if you care about a loved one who does, come join me for an evening of entertainment and intervention.
Got a few things to tell you about this week:
READS
SHE SAID: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement
by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey won a richly deserved Pulitzer Prize for breaking the story that put an end to film producer Harvey Weinstein's decades of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of woman in and around his companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company.
Written in a style reminiscent of ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, the journalists lay out the step by step trials they faced in first hearing about the allegations, then locating the woman and finally getting them to talk despite the fact that most had signed non-disclosure agreements with hefty financial penalties for ever discussing with anyone (including in some cases their spouses) what Weinstein had subjected them to.
This is a book that I couldn't put down. It reads almost like a police procedural. What I think is even more important is how well it illustrates the importance of top notch journalism during these troubling times.
DEFINITELY READ.
FILM
Went to the press screening of JOKER the other night. Everything you've heard about the brilliance of Joaquin Phoenix's origin story of the clown prince of crime is true. It's one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen on film.
Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a clown for hire and aspiring stand up comic who is literally beaten down by life as well as a mental illness he's previously been hospitalized for. After budget cuts force the end of the supply of medications he's been taking to keep the illness under control, he descends into homicidal madness.
Forget the 2020 Oscar Ceremony and just give Phoenix the Best Actor Academy Award now.
GO GO GO.
I'm gonna see it at least once more. Probably twice.
By the way, for those who’ve been asking, I’m back on the hunt for the best burger in the nine Bay Area counties. If you’ve got a place for me to check out, send it and the particular burger you want me to try to me at copie@briancopeland.com.
Here's where you can catch me performing in the coming days:
The Waiting Period:
OCTOBER 5: Douglas Morrison Theater, Hayward, CA, 8 PM
OCTOBER 12: El Cerrito High School, El Cerrito, CA, 1 PM (FREE!)
OCTOBER 26: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 8:30 PM (FREE!)
OCTOBER 27: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 5:30 PM (FREE!)
Grandma & Me: An Ode to Single Parents:
(Workshop performances of my newest play)
OCTOBER 19 & NOVEMBER 2: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 8:30 PM
NOVEMBER 16 & 23: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 5 PM
The Great American Sh*t Show: Monologues on life in the era of Trump:
NOVEMBER 7: Castro Valley Center for the Arts, Castro Valley, CA, 7:30 PM
NOVEMBER 14: Marin Center, San Rafael, CA, 7:30 PM
The Jewelry Box:
NOVEMBER 30: Douglas Morrison Theater, Hayward, CA, 8 PM
DECEMBER 1: Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, CA, 5 PM
DECEMBER 6: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 8 PM (Tickets on sale soon)
DECEMBER 7: Castro Valley Center for the Arts, Castro Valley, CA, 7 PM (Tickets on sale soon)
Have a GREAT weekend!
Copie
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