Author: Alfredo Casuso

 media contact:  David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

THE GARBOLOGISTS Wraps up 15^th Season for Dezart Performs
April 14 – 23

“A ride of sadness, joy, anger, disbelief & understanding.”- Grid Magazine

17 February 2023 – Palm Springs: Lindsay Joelle’s “finely crafted play, laced with wit and wisdom” (Broadway World) THE GARBOLOGISTS rounds out the 15^th Season for Dezart Performs (www.dezartperforms.org) April 14 – 23.  As the lives of a white conservative and a Black liberal working together in a New York City garbage truck become more entwined, they discover some things are easier to toss than others. It is a play that is a hopeful story about finding common ground in uncommon times. The play runs 90 minutes without intermission and is a “delightfully intimate, surprising, and profound, filled with sometimes unexpected laughter and even tears.” — onStage Pittsburgh.

“As the old adage goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” said Dezart Performs founding artistic director Michael Shaw who is directing the play. “Lindsay Joelle’s beautifully written and perfectly pitched dialogue is itself something to be treasured.  In a world of great economic and social disparity, Danny and Marlowe show us the true meaning of friendship and that our ‘jobs’ are not always a reflection of our rich inner lives.”

Danny (Jacob Alden Roa), a nine-year veteran of DSNY (The City of New York Department of Sanitation) is matched with Marlowe (Devereau K. Chumrau) on her first day as a garbage collector. Danny is world weary, gruff and more than a little politically incorrect with a degree from the school of hard knocks. Marlowe is a Columbia graduate who did her “Master’s Thesis on the proliferation of Anglo-Indian intaglio travel printmaking as a byproduct of 19th century colonialism.” The chances of a friendship, or even a chance meeting, at a Manhattan bar would be unlikely. Daily intimate conversations over rancid trash bags during a NYC winter even more so between two such radically different people. Both Danny and Marlowe have secrets. Both have things in their lives they wish they could have kept, and both have thrown much away. The result is a moving and memorable “buddy play” that will stay with the audience for a long time.

THE GARBOLOGISTS runs April 14 – 23,. All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Ticket prices are $39 – $50. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org, or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm.

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

15th Dezart Performs’ Season Listing

THE GARBOLOGISTS

April 14 – 23, 2023

Written by Lindsay Joelle
Directed by Michael Shaw

New comedy/drama

“THE GARBOLOGISTS takes us on a ride of sadness, joy, anger, disbelief, and understanding.” –Grid Magazine

“Lindsay Joelle’s finely crafted play is laced with wit and wisdom.” – Broadway World

“[THE GARBOLOGISTS] is delightfully intimate, surprising, and profound, filled with sometimes unexpected laughter and even tears..” – onStage Pittsburgh

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media contact: DP&A, Inc. / David Perry /  (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

20th Annual celebration features 33 films from 11 countries
about marine life, the ocean, coastal cultures and conservation 

April 13 – 16, 2023 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre Fort Mason
and the Smith Theatre San Rafael

Festival Highlights Include
Deep Rising (Opening Night), Collision and Patrick and the Whale. 

www.intloceanfilmfest.org 

17 February 2023 —  San Francisco, CA:  San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) has announced its slate of films for the 20^th annual Festival, April 13 – 16 taking place at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason: 33 films representing 11 countries. Especially anticipated is the Festival’s opening night offering Deep Rising, a Sundance Film Festival winner. This up-to-the-minute tale of geopolitical, scientific, and corporate intrigue that exposes the machinations of a secretive organization empowered to greenlight massive extraction of metals from the deep seafloor that are deemed essential to the electric battery revolution. Other Festival highlights include Collision, an eye opening film about the main cause of death in large whales, and Patrick and the Whale in which stunning underwater footage explores the fascinating nature of the Sperm Whale and its intriguing and complex intelligence and relationship with humanity.

“After 20 years we’re still making waves and saving our world’s oceans one film at a time,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival. “In an era when climate change is topic number one, and the state of our oceans is a daily priority, never has the work of our filmmakers and activist been more vital, or more newsworthy.”

The Festival accepts films of all genres that focus on any of the varied aspects of our big, blue ocean. Subject matter ranges from, but is not limited to, marine wildlife, conservation efforts, ocean environments, coastal cultures, ocean sports and exploration, ocean heroes, and innovative technology designed to help protect the ocean. Films can be documentaries, narratives, shorts, animation, and full-length films from around the world. A number of finalists from the main film festival program will be selected to participate in the world-renowned International Ocean Film Festival Traveling Program. This year’s film categories include Environmental, Marine Sciences/Wildlife, Exploration & Ocean Sports, Coastal Island Culture. Animation, Conservation, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Shorts and Female Directors.

Sponsors for this year’s festival include RingCentral, Jenga Ocean, Hapag Lloyd, SSA Group and the Consul General of Canada in San Francisco. Note: Additional sponsorship opportunities are available through March 1^st.Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented over 815 films from 40 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Below is the full list (in alphabetical order by title, followed by director, country of origin and running time) for this year’s 20^th Anniversary Festival. 

And yet, I remain, Rick Wall (South Africa) 8 min
The Arctic Halocline, Amy Lauren (USA) 21 min
Big Wave Guardians, Luke Stirtz (USA) 90 min
Blue Carbon, Paul Nicklen (USA) 3 min
Bottle Cap, Marie Hyon & Marco Spier (USA) 5 min
Changing Seas: Vanishing Whales, Alexa Elliott (USA) 27 min
Cold Refuge, Judy Irving (USA) 79 min
Collision, Philip Hamilton (London, UK) 80 min
Deep Look: Barnacles Go to Unbelievable Lengths to Hook Up, Josh Cassidy (USA) 4 min
Deep Look: Skeleton Shrimp Use 18 Appendages to Feed, Fight and… Frolic, Mike Seely (USA) 5 min
Deep Rising, Matthieu Rytz (USA) 98 min
Fishing Into the Future: A San Diego Story, Lindsay Bauman & Andrea Sanchez Davidson (USA) 5 min
Gender Outlaw, A Bodysurfing Story, Peter Williams (USA) 16 min
The Gift of Bathsheba, Zach Hellmuth (USA) 4 min
Havana Libre, Corey McLean (USA) 85 min
Horseshoe Crabs: Survival of a Living Dinosaur, Andrea Kramar (USA) 6 min
Huff, David Mangum (USA) 7 min
Hypnotise, Ste Everington (Australia) 4 min
I Want Sun, Manlio David Martinez (Honduras) 30 min
The Impossible Wave, Jessica Frankovelgia Johnson & Jay Johnson (USA) 40 min 2023 Female Filmmaker Award
Inseparable: Ava, Andrew Harrison Brown (USA) 11 min
Mediterranean LIFE UNDER SIEGE, Fred Fougea (France) 91 min
Molokai and the Frog, José Gerardo Flores Ruiz (Mexico) 19 min
New Boats, Lansana Mansaray (Sierra Leone) 50 min
Patrick and the Whale, Mark Fletcher (Austria) 72 min
Planting Coral Forests, Johann Vorster (Kenya) 27 min
PLSTC, Laen Sanches (France) 2 min
Restoring the Farallon Islands: A Critical Conservation Opportunity, Brandon Schilling (USA) 4 min
Rise of the Clambassador, Alexander Davidowski (USA) 8 min
Robots in the Deep, Leo Richards (UK) 13 min
SAGRES, José Eduardo Zuzarte (Portugal) 44 min
SB2508: A Death Threat to Everglades Restoration, Noah Alexander Miller (USA) 30 min
Seagrass for Sea Change, Whitney Beer-Kerr (Australia) 12 min
The Shark with a Thousand Names, Hendrik Sebastian Schmitt (Germany) 18 min
The Storm Chaser, Jack Pirie (UK) 7 min
Tangled in the Tides, Henk Ekermans & Barend van der Watt (South Africa) 50 min
Truluck, Matt Cannon & Jake Smallwood (UK) 20 min
Washed Ashore, Ley Heimgartner & Cameron Nielsen (USA) 16 min
Windshipped, Jon Bowermaster (USA) 39 min
VR Film: 360 Sea Plastic, Narrated by Tim Robbins (USA) 7 min
VR FIlm: Dive into Sipidan (Malaysia) 7 min
VR Film: Roots to Reef 360 (Singapore) 16 min

• www.intloceanfilmfest.org 
• https://www.facebook.com/intloceanfilmfest
• Twitter @oceanfilmfest
• Instagram @intloceanfilmfest

Media Contact:

DP&A, Inc . / David Perry (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Manny’s Commemorates Presidents’ Day with Live Reading of Final January 6th Report

Monday, February 20: 
6am – 10pm

17 February 2023 – San Francisco, CA: In a morning-to-night all-day event, Manny’s (3092 16th Street at Valencia, San Francisco / www.welcometomannys.com ) commemorates Presidents’ Day with a live reading of the final January 6th Report: Monday, February 20, 6am – 10pm. The full schedule of readers will be announced shortly but includes California State Senator Scott Wiener, San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and California State Assemblyman Matt Haney.

“I understand that while the memory of the insurrection on January 6th is still fresh in our minds it’s also easy to focus on the future versus the past, says Manny Yekutiel, 32, who founded and runs the eponymous community engagement space and café. “The problem is that most of the American public has not read, and will not read, the in-depth reporting on what happened and it’s important that we know. That’s why we’re reading it!”

The entire 16-hour reading will be broadcast live online at https://www.facebook.com/welcometomannys in addition to those who attend in person. Attendance is free and open to the public.

Since opening its doors on Election Night 2018, Manny’s has become an epicenter of community involvement, dialogue and civic engagement having served over 50,000 people, staged over 2,000 events, donated space to more than 500 area nonprofits and charities and become “the Iowa of California” (KCBS Radio) by hosting 17 presidential candidates. Also, besides receiving copious media and public attention, Manny’s was recognized for his above-and-beyond achievements by the California State Senate as “Small Business of the Year.” 

Manny’s is a people powered, community focused meeting and learning place in the heart of San Francisco that combines a restaurant, political bookshop, and civic events space. Manny’s goal: to create a central and affordable place to become a better informed and more involved citizen.

Manny’s offers its events space to nonprofits, activists and civic organizations to spread their message and do their work as well as hosting its own civic and arts related programming.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Thursday, February 9, 2023 

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org  

***PRESS RELEASE*** 

MAYOR LONDON BREED DELIVERS STATE OF THE CITY 

Mayor Breed announced the Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future and outlined her 2023 priorities including continued focus on public safety, creating more housing, attracting new industries, and restoring the City’s vibrancy 

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today delivered the State of the City Address to set forth her top priorities for 2023, consisting of broad set of strategies to support the future of Downtown, advancing the City’s creation of more housing, safer neighborhoods, and renewed efforts to respond to the City’s fentanyl crisis. The Mayor also provided an update on the progress made to current challenges San Francisco is facing. 

In her remarks, the Mayor focused on the opportunities and progress that lie ahead, despite the unprecedented challenges the City has faced since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. She called for collaboration among City leaders to support and implement new strategies that will address ongoing challenges, including housing and the City’s economic recovery, and deliver results for San Franciscans.  

“The last few years have been tough, we won’t solve all of San Francisco’s problems in a year, and we can’t fear trying new things. Because if we stand still, we fall behind. When we push forward, even if we stumble, we stumble forward,” said Mayor Breed. “I know we can overcome these challenges, in part because through four consecutive elections last year, our voters re-instilled every level of our government with a mandate to get the basics right, to put children before politics, to put results before posturing.” 

The Mayor reinforced her public safety priorities, which are vital components to the City’s economic recovery. She commended the work of the San Francisco Police Department, despite critically low officer staffing levels and retention challenges, and expressed a continued need for increasing incentives to advance recruitment efforts and retain existing officers. Mayor Breed highlighted ongoing support for police alternatives, to include the expansion of Community and Welcome Ambassadors, in addition to the City’s Street Crisis Response Teams. 

Mayor Breed also shared plans to introduce a $25 million budget supplemental later this month to help fund police overtime caused by the severe police staffing shortage. The supplemental will ensure that police officers are able to continue to respond to the basic needs and priority concerns while facing overtime challenges. 

“Our residents are demanding we build back the police force, and we need to deliver. The push for full staffing has to be consistent and it has to be sustained… Because public safety isn’t only about taking care of our residents – it’s also taking care of our economy.” 

Mayor Breed announced the Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future, a comprehensive plan that details ongoing and new strategiesthat set a new vision to reimagine Downtown’s economic recovery and role. The Mayor highlighted a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recruit new business sectors and companies to create a more diverse and resilient local economy. 

“We have our challenges, but this isn’t an end to Downtown. The truth is it won’t be any one thing that ‘saves Downtown.’ It will have to be many things. Our city’s unemployment rate remains at 2%. Our airport was just named the best in the country. This City is ready to foster a spirit of success.” 

The Mayor committed to reforming the City’s tax structure to make San Francisco more competitive and shared her plans to set forth new legislation, including protecting existing companies by pausing tax increases on San Francisco retail businesses, hotels, manufacturing sector, and arts and entertainment and attracting new businesses by offering tax breaks for three years for any company that comes to San Francisco.  

During the State of the City Address, Mayor Breed spoke of the San Francisco’s need for more housing, a critical component to growing San Francisco’s workforce base and the economic recovery.  Earlier this week, Mayor Breed rolled out her Housing for All Plan, which will advance a strategy to rework the City’s housing approvals and processes and allow for 82,000 new homes over the next 8 years as part of the State’s Housing Element.   

“To build the 82,000 homes the plan calls for, we need to approve and build homes three times faster than we did over the last decade. And that’s in a market where, right now, builders are struggling to make any project financially feasible.”  

She committed to bringing new legislation and policy forward to remove unnecessary barriers and open up the City’s stalled pipeline of more than 52,000 units of approved housing. 

The Mayor outlined other priorities for 2023, to include building on the momentum San Francisco’s parks and open spaces, supporting children and families, tackling climate change, providing world-class transportation, and delivering basic City services for San Franciscans more equitably, quickly, and efficiently. 

The State of the City Address was held at Pier 70 in the atrium of San Francisco-based company Astranis, a satellite technology company working to connect people who lack reliable, affordable internet access. The company plans to bring hundreds of manufacturing jobs to San Francisco as they scale up their satellite production capabilities.  

For the complete text of Mayor Breed’s State of the City Address, please visit this page. Video of the event may be found on the Mayor’s YouTube page.  

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