Fil-Am’s provocative new play exposes national rape evidence backlog

• “The Haze” spotlights police’s inattention to processing of rape evidence

Fil-Am playwright Heather Marlowe CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

SAN FRANCISCO, California – Excerpts from Award-winning Filipino American playwright Heather Marlowe’s “The Haze,” will be presented by former State Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Fiona Ma and supporter Patricia Lurie on July 24 at 5:15 p.m. at The Open Square Space at Futures Without Violence, 100 Montgomery Street in the Presidio.

Marlowe’s play has been described as a “truthful, at times humorous and theatrical account” of her drug-rape and subsequent processing of her rape kit, which sat, unattended to, at the San Francisco Police Department for two and a half years.

The play’s debut comes at a time when Congress is expected to approve funding to examine untested DNA evidence from rape kits held by state and local police across the country.

“The Haze” exposes the prevailing injustices of rape on the personal, social and political levels, while inviting the audience to ponder the social and cultural constructs of victim-blaming and violence against women.

Marlowe’s story grapples with emotions experienced by all rape victims — shame, doubt, powerlessness, forgiveness and love. A panel discussion with ABC7 investigative reporter, Jim O’Donnell (other panel participants TBA), will immediately follow the performance.

Tax-deductible tickets are $100 and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/thehazeplay. Proceeds will benefit the production of “The Haze” in Fall 2014; 5 percent will go toward The Grateful Garment Project, so no victim of a sexual crime ever lacks clothing to wear home.

Writer and filmmaker Megan McFeely blurbed, “I saw this…and experienced, not only her bravery, but her commitment to present her authentic voice no matter how vulnerable she might need to be. I was very touched and think she is doing something powerful to start collective healing around these issues.”

“The Haze” was written in 2012 and is currently being work-shopped in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York. Development directors are Gabrielle Roth, Naisa Wong, and Jean-Michele Gregory.  The Haze has been work-shopped at The Phoenix Theater, Counterpulse, The Boxcar Theatre, and Stagewerx in San Francisco as well as private readings in New York City. https://www.thehazeplay.blogspot.com 

Heather Marlowe (performer/playwright) has been performing musically and as a solo theater artist at venues in Los Angeles and San Francisco since 2007. She has studied theater and dance with Kristin Linklater, Paul Binnerts, Gabrielle Roth, Nina Wise, Lisa Porter, Martha Rynberg, Simone Forti and Anna Halprin.

She also trained with Steve Gardner on violin, and vocally with Raz Kennedy. She has studied playwriting, screenwriting, poetry, and creative nonfiction with Carolyn See, Hal Ackerman, and Dee Caruso. Heather is half Filipino and has a B.A. from UCLA.

“The Haze” is a recent recipient of The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts grant in San Francisco. It has been featured several times on San Francisco’s ABC7 news: https://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/iteam&id=9101385.

Supporters of “The Haze” include: San Francisco Women Against Rape, Shalom Bayit – San Francisco, The Center For Investigative Reporting, Actual Films, and the Filipina Women’s Network.