In 1997, Josh Kornbluth made an incredible discovery: “When I shave, I look like Ben Franklin. That should be a show.” It occurred to him that he would need a director, so he asked some people who asked some others, and somehow ended up with renowned producer David Dower.
Finding amazing collaborators in untraditional ways has come in handy now that Kornbluth is curating the One for All solo festival at Marin Shakespeare.
“Josh was a natural choice to lead the festival,” says MSC’s artistic director Jon Tracy. “He’s a walking empathetic heart, who cares deeply about the world and his responsibility.”
“But, he didn’t say anything about how good I look?” Kornbluth asks jokingly. And he adds seriously, “I’ve never curated anything before. I’m a performer. But when Jon explained what this is: a festival of personal storytelling at a time when people’s stories, both culturally and politically, are being erased, I said yes. It’s part of the resistance.”
With a goal of bringing as many different stories as possible to as many different people, all tickets are pay-what-you-will.
“Marga suggested that we call it Pay-As-You-Like-It, but Jon said no,” Kornbluth says with a laugh.
Marga is Marga Gomez, one of Kornbluth’s close friends and one of the stellar artists that he has rounded up for the festival. Headliner Kathryn Grody joins Bay Area favorites like Dan Hoyle and the MSC’s own Returned Citizens’ Troupe alongside artists from across the country, such as Christopher Rivas, magician Christian Cagigal and many others.
“It’s a panoply of people telling stories from different cultures and different places,” Kornbluth explains. The average show runs 75 to 90 minutes, but the play structures are as different as the people telling them, from polished pieces like Kornbluth’s Ben Franklin to brand new works like ICU, by Leyla Mordizadeh and Domenique Lozano. Kornbluth is also offering storytelling workshops throughout the festival.
So, who’s this festival for? “We’re fighting fascism,” he says. “Everyone needs a space where the energy is focused on people, stories and diversity.”
Tracy agrees, saying, “These are all pieces of our community. We hope that by offering the ability to see so many shows at pay-what-you-will pricing, people will not only choose stories familiar to them, but also choose to see at least one show that is not. We just ask that people be curious.” Tracy pauses for a moment and then adds, “Marin Shakespeare Company is a space for curious people.”
The Marin Shakes ‘One for All’ solo festival runs March 6–22 at their Center for Performing Arts, Education, and Social Justice at 514 4th St., San Rafael. All tickets are ‘choose your price.’ 415.388.5208. marinshakespeare.org.
