The Marsh: A Breeding Ground for New Performance

The Marsh in San Francisco & Berkeley and Brian Copeland are trying to raise $50,000 so that they can present Brian's critically acclaimed show about depression, "The Waiting Period," weekly for one year (2025) free of charge to the public.

The reason is that the show has literally saved lives by getting people to seek help. Suicidal people have changed their minds and reached out after seeing the show.

We want young people in high school and college who can't afford the $30 to $100 tickets to have access to the show and its message, which is "You're not alone. If you're struggling, Tell Someone."

The Marsh is a registered 501(C)(3) nonprofit and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

About "The Waiting Period"

This show is an unrelenting look at a ten-day period in Copeland’s life—the mandatory ten-day waiting period before he could lay his hands on the newly purchased gun with which he planned to take his own life. Even in the midst of this tragedy, however, his wonderful sense of the comedy of life does not desert him (how much should he spend on the gun?), indeed serves him insidiously well as a buffer against the grim reality of his intention. Copeland hopes this very personal, and ultimately redemptive, story will reach people who struggle with depression—often called the last stigmatized disease—as well as their families and loved ones. Interspersed with interviews with other sufferers, the play also offers outsiders an insider’s view, thereby expanding our understanding and, hopefully, our humanity. As critic Sam Hurwitt put it in The Idiolect: “It’s a play I’d strongly recommend to anyone who is now or has ever been depressed or who knows someone in that situation. But honestly, it’s such a strong piece that I’d recommend it just as heartily to anyone who’s ever been human.”

About Brian Copeland

Brian Copeland has been in show business since he first stepped on the comedy stage at the tender age of 18. Soon he was headlining clubs and concerts across the country and opening for such artists as Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Ringo Starr, and the Queen of soul Aretha Franklin, in venues from The Universal Amphitheater to Constitution Hall in Washington DC. Soon, Copeland branched off into television, appearing on comedy programs on NBC, A&E and MTV. He spent five years as co-host of San Francisco FOX affiliate KTVU breakfast program "Mornings on 2" and two years hosting San Francisco ABC affiliate KGO’s Emmy Award winning afternoon talker "7Live."

In 1995, ABC affiliate KGO Radio premiered “The Brian Copeland Show.” Its unique mix of talk and entertainment soon made it the most listened-to program in its time slot. Copeland branched out into theater in 2004 with his first solo play, "Not A Genuine Black Man." This critically acclaimed exploration of race and identity created an audience-pleasing blend of laughter, tears and sociology that led to the show becoming the longest-running solo play in San Francisco theatrical history. Successful runs in Los Angeles and Off-Broadway and a bestselling book adaptation followed. "Genuine" has been performed in over 30 cities across America.