March 24, 2025
For immediate release

Contact:
Andrew Wood: 415-399-9554 (o) 415-305-1102 (c) [email protected]
Lucho Ramirez: 415-425-0445 [email protected]

Canada's Duane Forrest Makes Bay Area Debut with US Premiere of Solo Tribute to Bob Marley

Calendar Editors Please Note
Who: Duane Forrest
What: Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World
Where: Fingersnaps Media Arts, 3527 20th St. SF
Dates: Thu - Fri May 1-2 8:30pm. Sat May 3, 3:00pm
Tickets: $20 - $28 Gen Adm
Box Office and Information: https://www.sfiaf.org/2025_duane_forrest or 415-399-9554

Photos Available on Request

March 24, 2025, San Francisco: San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) is pleased to present the Bay Area debut of Duane Forrest of Toronto, Canada with the US premiere of his solo theatre performance titled, Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World written by Forrest and directed by Ins Choi.

In this performance, Duane welcomes the people of San Francisco to join him on an acoustic journey through the roots of reggae to understand the global influence of Bob Marley.

Duane invites the audience to experience renditions of legendary reggae songs that have reshaped countless lives, including Duane's own. From the origin of reggae to Marley's transcendent legacy, we are immersed in the soulful melodies and transformative power of this iconic music. Audience members are invited to sing along and get involved in this interactive musical experience.

Awarding the show five stars during its sold out run at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Broadway Baby wrote, "Duane shares the roots of reggae, Bob Marley's life, and the personal significance of his music, creating a historical lesson and a love letter to cultural heritage... Doctors should prescribe it as an antidepressant"

The play has since been performed around the world. It will have its San Francisco debut as part of the Festival in the intimate setting of Fingersnaps Media Arts hosted by DJ Lamont.

Read Andrew "Boots" Hardy's Interview with Duane Forrest HERE.

Artist Biographies

Duane Forrest
Duane Forrest is a Toronto-based professional playwright, singer-songwriter and multimedia artist. He drives to push artistic boundaries as he explores the intersections of music, theatre, history, and storytelling. Over the past decade, he has released two full-length albums, staged multiple theatre shows and toured extensively across Canada, Europe, and Central America. His first theatrical show, Climb, developed in conjunction with a music album of the same name, received glowing reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in both 2019 and 2022. At the 2023 Milan Fringe Festival, it was named runner-up for "Show of the Festival."

Ins Choi
Ins Choi is the creator of Kim’s Convenience, which won Best New Play at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011. Kim’s Convenience subsequently toured, was nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Award and is now in its fourth year on CBC. Ins worked closely with Duane in fine-tuning the look, choreography, and pacing of Climb and Bob Marley: how reggae changed the world, and has been invaluable in advising on each iteration of the respective productions to provide a powerful show under varied technical conditions.

Apple in the Tree Productions
Founded by Jamaican-Canadian artist Duane Forrest, Apple in the Tree is dedicated to creating transformative musical and theatrical experiences that explore themes of cultural heritage, social justice, and human connection. With roots in reggae, acoustic soul, and storytelling, our productions blend live music, personal narratives, and audience interaction to create immersive, heartfelt performances.

In 2017, Duane debuted his first theatrical production, The Climb, a live album experience based on his concept album of the same name. The show premiered to acclaim at the Toronto Fringe Festival and has since evolved into a signature style of combining music, movement, and storytelling.

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