Fil-Am’s solo play skewers mishandling of rape cases

Heather Marlowe

SAN FRANCISCO, California – A provocative new autobiographical play by Filipino American writer and performer will explore the bizarre aftermath of being drugged and raped after attending a San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers marathon.

“The Haze,” a play by Heather Marlowe will be performed 12 times in September at the new Costume Shop Theater at the American Conservatory Theater on 1117 Market Street.

The sharp-witted solo play follows Marlowe’s effort to have her rape kit, which sat unattended for two and a half years, processed by the San Francisco Police Department. It also illustrates the absurdity of how poorly the crime of rape is handled even in enlightened cities like San Francisco.

Marlowe’s piece has already generated local and national attention for the issues it raises about how rape cases are handled by law enforcement authorities.

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

“In the Asian community there is a cultural stigma in reporting sexual assault and talking about things that are uncomfortable. By performing my story, one of my hopes is that it will let other women know they are not alone,” says Marlowe.

Directed by Berkeley Repertory regular Jean-Michele Gregory (“The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” “The Last Cargo Cult,” “21 Dog Years”), “The Haze” spotlights the absurdity of current systems for dealing with the crime of rape.

“The Haze” began its development in 2012 at W. Kamau Bell’s Solo Performance Workshop. It is a 2013-14 recipient of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts grant in San Francisco.

Says director Gregory, “While this story is sadly all too common, Heather Marlowe is not: Thanks to her talent and wit, she’s able to get past the grief to shine a light into our silence around rape on a personal, social, and political level. Her story is daring and astonishing—and funny, because part of Marlowe’s gift is her ability to find the absurd and the beautiful in the midst of the banal and the horrible.”

Playwright Marlowe has been on stage as an actress/performer, dancer and musician since 2007. She has studied theater and performance with Kristin Linklater, Gabrielle Roth and at Berkeley Repertory and American Conservatory Theater. As a violinist and vocalist she has performed with San Francisco-based bands “Thee Landlords” and “Winchester Revival.” She is currently working on “Girl Scout Cookies,” a screenplay about a porn star on the lam who must confront her dark past.

“The Haze” will be presented Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturday at 8 p.m. in September. Dates: September 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27. Tickets are $20 (CASH ONLY at door). Pay what you can night is Thursday, September 18. The Costume Shop at ACT is located at 1117 Market Street, 94102. Tickets: https://bit.ly/thehazeplayACT