US premiere of solo tribute to Bob Marley: ‘How Reggae Changed the World’

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.

Duane Forrest promises two immersive experiences of music and visual storytelling at SFIAF 2025

by Andrew ‘Boots’ Hardy

Duane Forrest is an international performer of both talent and grace. An accomplished playwright, singer-songwriter and multimedia artist, he was born and raised in Scarborough, a ‘burb of Toronto, Ontario, to Jamaican immigrants. Growing up in a disadvantaged, “at-risk” section of Scarborough, his childhood and adolescence were steeped in the reggae of his forebears, a musical and cultural influence that kept him from a wayward lifestyle.

A natural storyteller and gifted guitarist and singer, Forrest will be presenting two shows at the San Francisco International Arts Festival this year. With a silky voice and fingers that move across the fretboard like butter, his performances have sold out at Fringe festivals and other diverse venues around the globe, earning him five stars from Broadway Baby last year and the highest of praise in countless flattering reviews.

As an original composer, Forrest already has two full-length albums under his belt, with a third now in the works. One album, “The Climb,” was adapted into a stage production and was one of the highlights of the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival. His newest EP, “Blackest Bird,” stands as a commentary of social equity for Black Canadians while his current endeavor, “Sunrise in Jasper,” extends that commentary to the treatment of Black and Indigenous peoples throughout Canadian history.

Reaching thousands of subscribers on Spotify, and with his music skating across the airwaves  of more than half a dozen countries, Forrest’s fans have been treated to tours across North and Central America, Asia, Australia and Europe. A true working artist, he brings both his best and his newest work to the San Francisco International Arts Festival this year.

‘Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World’
Delving deep into his Jamaican heritage, Forrest will be presenting his own profoundly personal interpretation of Bob Marley’s most recognizable songs.

Marley, widely considered a — perhaps the — pioneer of reggae, brought a powerful sense of spirituality to his musical storytelling, taking Caribbean music to mainstream audiences around the world. He became an icon of pop culture whose influence remains relevant and visible even decades after his death from melanoma in 1981. He believed in the unity of all people of African descent, and his music gently urged people to end political and personal divisiveness. 

He posthumously earned induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame. What’s more, the legendary musician was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Merit, one of the island nation’s highest honors.

Fusing his own storytelling skills with live performance and an innate ability to engage with his audience, Forrest’s “Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World” is a soulful dissertation on Marley’s enduring legacy, illustrating the lasting effect of his musical influence on the world, and on Forrest himself. Reception of this powerful tribute has been nothing short of stellar. The warmth of Forrest’s voice, merged with his skilful guitar playing, has netted him Broadway Baby’s coveted five-star review and the accolades of both fans and critics far and wide.

Artist biographies

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 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.

Who: Duane Forrest
What: “Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World”
Where: Fingersnaps Media Arts, 3527 20th St., San Francisco
Dates: Thursday-Friday, May 1-2, 8:30 p.m., Saturday, May 3, 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20 – $28 General Admission
Box Office and Information: https://www.sfiaf.org/2025_duane_forrest or 415-399-9554

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Source: https://sfbayview.com/2025/04/us-premiere-of-solo-tribute-to-bob-marley-how-reggae-changed-the-world/