Southbank Theatre Company presents SHIT CAKE by Marcia Eppich-Harris

Southbank Theatre Company kicks off its fourth season with the world premiere of Marcia Eppich-Harris’ Shit Cake. Shit Cake is Southbank’s first appearance at the annual IndyFringe theatre festival. Tickets are on sale now. Performances will take place on 16 August at 8pm, 22 August at 6.30pm and 25 August at 6.30pm. (3 performances only!)

Written and directed by Marcia Eppich-Harris, Shit Cake tells the story of four friends who find themselves caught up in the drudgery of midlife. In their messy quest for fulfillment, they confront the existential question of modern life: Is this all there really is?

“For me,” said Marcia Eppich-Harris, “Shit Cake is about relationships that we take for granted, and the social demands that are placed on us as individuals. Each character is frustrated with the world and their place in it, and each expresses their dissatisfaction through sex and infidelity, but it doesn’t really solve the problem. In fact, it makes it worse.”

Set in Silicon Valley in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Shit Cake is an existential exploration of what it means to be middle class in America and how keeping up with the Joneses affects our relationships, life satisfaction, and the ever-present isolation of our tech-connected world.

“I lived in Silicon Valley during the Great Recession, and people were dealing with a lot of mental health issues,” Eppich-Harris said. “The stress of the financial crisis impacted a lot of people I knew, and I thought maybe it was a tipping point that led to unhealthy behaviors: cheating, excessive drinking, and other risky behaviors. The whole period was a nightmare.”

Starring Yolanda Valdivia as Cassandra, Anthony Nathan as Aaron, Brant Hughes as Roland, Alaine Sims as Mimi and Eric Bryant as John, the cast includes Southbank veterans as well as new faces.

“I’m very excited to work with this cast,” Eppich-Harris said. “They make both emotional and philosophical connections between these characters that elevate this play beyond its kitschy title to a true work of art.”

“Don’t let the title fool you,” Eppich-Harris said. “This play has big ideas and a big heart.”

Shit Cake will only be performed three times at the IndyFringe Theatre Festival: August 16, 22, and 25. Tickets: General Admission: $22, Students/Seniors: $16. Purchase tickets in advance online or at the door. Rush tickets are available 30 minutes before the show.

About Marcia Eppich-Harris

Marcia Eppich-Harris is the founding artistic director of Southbank Theatre Company. She holds a PhD in Shakespeare and dramatic literature and has taught at university level for over sixteen years. Her publications include plays, fiction, poetry, studies, interviews and criticism. Her writing focuses on politics, philosophy, the arts, gender, family and culture. Her ten-minute plays have been produced nationally and internationally, with ‘Aloha Apocalypse’ published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2022 (Smith and Kraus).

Local performances of her full-length plays include Seneca and the Soul of Nero, The Profession, her musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, for which she wrote the music and lyrics, and Seeking Nietzsche, which was named Daniel Shock’s most impressive production of a drama in 2023. The Profession (2023) and Seneca and the Soul of Nero (2024) were both published by Next Stage Press.

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