SFFS Kinotek: The Dardy Family Home Movies by Stephen Sondheim by Erin Markey December 2, 2011

Molly Dardy’s children have left home. They’ve grown up and are far away. Her house feels empty and enormous. To fill the gap, tonight Molly—with a glass of chardonnay in hand—will unravel the modern mysteries of video chatting with her exasperated daughter, Kelly. This live one-woman show—with songs!—returns the ultra-talented, darkly comedic Erin Markey to her Bay Area fans.

Erin Markey has been training for this performance all her life. Based loosely on her childhood, this show is set in the maniacally normal American family environment of Bay City, Michigan. Primarily a portrait of mother Molly Dardy, but including Dad, Hardy Dardy, and daughter Kelly, each character is given depth and roundness by the ultratalented Markey. Markey’s strategy is to first slyly disarm audiences by presenting the touching charm of Midwestern home life and then burrow into the frailties, anxiety and even horror that underpin the familial unconscious, made all the more palpable through Markey’s animal magnetism. New York-based Markey’s darkly comedic, surreal performances have garnered a devoted following. Molly’s keen obsessiveness is the perfect vehicle for Markey’s investigation of everyday details. Home movies and memories play a vital role in revealing the silliness, worry and heartbreak that unites all Dardys. Well, that and the fact that any of them might break into song without notice at any moment. —Sean Uyehara

Who is Erin Markey?
Erin Markey is a writer/performer, actress, and singer. She’s a rising star in NYC’s experimental live performance community and employs her “magnetic diva aggression” (New York Times) to short and long form musical works exploring family, violence, sexuality and pop culture. She is a company member of Half Straddle, was a series regular on the groundbreaking DIY television show Jeffery and Cole Casserole (LOGO), starred in the site-specific NYC premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Green Eyes (Hudson Hotel) and appears monthly in Our Hit Parade with Bridget Everett, Tony-nominated Kenny Mellman and Neal Medlyn. Her most recent solo musical, Puppy Love: A Stripper’s Tail played to sold-out houses at PS 122. As a performance and cabaret artist, she regularly presents work at Joe’s Pub (The Public Theatre), and has shown work at The New Museum, Ars Nova, Comix, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Highline Ballroom. Recently featured on the cover of New York Press, her work was described as “a tangled mash-up of humor, horror, brains and balls.”

About KinoTek
The San Francisco Film Society’s KinoTek programming stream presents nontraditional, cross-platform and emergent media. Eight KinoTek programs will be presented throughout 2011 and 2012, each featuring the work of an artist or practice that challenges the boundaries of screen-based art.

KinoTek is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation.

Official Website: http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=22&pageid=2559&TitleId=kino-markey