Saving the holidays is up to the audience in PianoFight’s A Merry FORKING! Christmas

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 16, 2009 – A year ago, San Francisco playwright Daniel Heath and local production company PianoFight caused a sensation when they came up with the novel idea of a fully scripted play in which the audience votes on how the plot will proceed. The result was FORKING!, which opened to rave reviews and played to sold out shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles. On December 16th, Heath and PianoFight are at it again, this time pitting audiences against the holidays in A Merry FORKING! Christmas, a choose-your-own-adventure play making its world premiere December 17th through January 2nd, 2009, at the Off-Market Theaters, 965 Mission St. Tickets are $20 at the door and online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90610 or (800) 838-3006. See www.pianofight.com for specific dates/times as schedule varies.

Christmas Eve is the most magical night of the year, unless of course you happen to be working at the mall. A Merry FORKING! Christmas chronicles the final hours of the Christmas shopping frenzy through the eyes of a pot-dealing Santa and his cookie-stand partner in crime, a mall security guard on his last legs, a bride-to-be deserted by her would-be fiancé, and a bored mortician who’s got nothing to do while those near death hang on until Christmas Day before they get back to the business of dying. The fates of these five characters and whether Christmas can be saved for each is left up to the audience who will vote at crucial forks in the plot to determine the final outcome.

SF’s Devin McNulty hops into the director’s chair for A Merry FORKING! Christmas and returning from the first FORKING! are cast members Christy Crowley, Nina Harada, Jeremy Mascia and Ray Hobbs. Joining the cast this time around are PianoFight regulars Derricka Smith, Gabi Patacsil, Duncan Wold as well as Eric Reid, who directed the first FORKING!. Bay Area piano sensation Arlen Hart also returns to play a new original score live each night with Logan Andrews and Nova Parrish designing the set and lights. Rob Ready and Dan Williams will produce.