Solo performance legend Brian Copeland presents new and proven monologues on life in the Age of Trump in THE GREAT AMERICAN SH*T SHOW. After a successful and highly-praised run in 2020, Copeland is bringing the show back to multiple locations in the Bay Area.
Copeland is a legend in the Bay Area’s solo performance scene, known for his hit solo shows Not a Genuine Black Man, The Waiting Period, Scion, Grandma & Me, and The Jewelry Box. All of Copeland’s monologues in THE GREAT AMERICAN SHT SHOW* were developed with and directed by noted solo performance director David Ford.
In 2020, Brian Copeland and Charlie Varon conceived THE GREAT AMERICAN SHT SHOW* during an evening of laughter and, more importantly, deep reflection. Audiences described the show as “a therapy session for progressives quietly going insane.” The response was electric, with one audience member calling it “much-needed catharsis. Finally, someone saying all the things we’ve been feeling during this sh*t show.”
The show features two new monologues by Copeland, along with updated versions addressing the political climate since the show’s original run in 2020.
Monologue Topics:
- Brian discovers a long-time mentor has been sucked into MAGA. Does he jettison the friendship?
- When was America last “great”?
- #MeToo and the reckoning of four years ago—is it dead? Why?
- Brian searches for rays of hope from ordinary people doing ordinary things that collectively make a big difference.
Media Quotes from Four Years Ago:
“Smart, funny, provocative, and at times unexpectedly moving, this is theater as a welcome dash of hope in dark times and a much-needed call to arms. GASS packs a bracing punch into 90 highly entertaining minutes. Created by three of the most accomplished solo theater artists in the Bay Area—exceptional playwright-performers Brian Copeland (Not a Genuine Black Man, The Waiting Period) and Charlie Varon (Rush Limbaugh in Night School, Rabbi Sam), along with their director/co-developer David Ford—GASS presents four beautifully crafted and oh-so-timely monologues. They run the gamut from responding to the rising tide of racism and cult-like denials of facts to psychiatrists coping with Trump-induced nightmares. This may be the perfect piece of theater for our times.”
– Robert Hurwitt, Longtime Chronicle Theater Critic
“Brian Copeland spellbinds the audience with personal monologues and razor-sharp delivery. Incredible storytellers!”
– Cari Lynn Pace, Marinscope Newspapers
“Funny and provocative stories, told with skill by masterful tale-spinners.”
– George Powell, ForAllEvents
“…the power is in showing members of America’s disenfranchised majority that they’re not alone.”
– Julie Motz, KWMR Arts Desire
BIOS:
Brian Copeland has been in show business since age 18. He quickly rose to headlining comedy clubs and concerts across the country, opening for Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Ringo Starr, and Aretha Franklin. Copeland branched into TV, appearing in comedy programs on NBC, A&E, and MTV. He spent five years as co-host of SF FOX affiliate KTVU’s Mornings on 2 and two years hosting SF ABC affiliate KGO’s Emmy Award-winning 7Live, which later premiered THE BRIAN COPELAND SHOW.
Copeland made his theater debut in 2004 with his first solo play, NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN, a critically acclaimed exploration of race and identity. Blending laughter, tears, and sociology, the show became the longest-running solo play in San Francisco theatrical history. It enjoyed successful runs in LA and Off-Broadway, and Copeland adapted it into a bestselling book. His other solo shows include THE WAITING PERIOD, GRANDMA & ME, THE JEWELRY BOX, and SCION.
David Ford (collaborator and director) is one of the nation’s leading directors of solo theater. He has collaborated with Charlie Varon for 28 years, Brian Copeland for 15 years, and has worked with dozens of other performers, including Geoff Hoyle, Marilyn Pittman, and Echo Brown.
