WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT LOVE AT HFF17

What They Said About Love

Steve Budd brings his solo show WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT LOVE to the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival. A previous version of the show debuted at the 2016 San Francisco Fringe Festival and won Best of the San Francisco Fringe.

Steve Budd (actor and writer) wonders why other people can and he can’t—tie the knot, that is. So he asked a bunch of couples what keeps them from pulling apart—despite annoying the heck out of each other. He spoke to some singles, too, about why they can’t seem to settle down. Meet a New Age couple that met before they met, an artist who can’t resist homeless guys in her West Oakland ‘hood, a pair of Metal Heads who thought it would be a hoot to get married on 6-6-6, and several others. Satisfy your voyeuristic tendencies about how others look for love—and, in some cases, find it.

This is documentary theater at its best, in the manner of Anna Deavere Smith. Steve Budd brings more than 12 characters to life, using their words from hours of interviews. The piece was developed with the help and direction of David Ford at The Marsh, with additional assistance from Slater Penney, Mark Kenward, and Jill Vice.

Steve Budd is an actor, writer, storyteller, standup comic, solo performer, and single guy. He has performed in Boston, L.A., Tel Aviv, and many Bay Area venues, including The Marsh, Tell It On Tuesday, T.M.I., Busting Out, and Solo Sundays. He’s also acted with many Bay Area theater companies, including the San Francisco Playhouse, Custom Made, the New Conservatory, Impact, and Marin Shakespeare. He lives in Oakland. Find out more at stevebudd.net.

Production Team:

Writer and Actor: Steve Budd
Director: David Ford
Directorial Assistance: Slater Penney, Mark Kenward, and Jill Vice
Lighting: Colin Johnson

Cast of Characters (in order of appearance)

Steve Budd: He appears as himself.

Chinua: Kenyan woman. Steve’s love interest.

Gaby & Matt: They met on Craigslist. She says, “Take that list and throw it away!” He’s from Baltimore.

Sarah & Connor: They met at a Halloween Party. She just jumps right in; he looks for the right spot.

Sandrine & Mark (she’s never named in the script): She’s European. They get prickly with each other.

Claudia & Wayne: They’re very New Agey. He owns four cats.

Bridget & Rick: They both own motorcycles and have tattoos.

Helen Budd: Steve’s mom.

Single Woman/Man: She/he dates homeless men in her/his neighborhood.