LESS: The Experience of Being Homeless
Elaine Ellis; Directed by Michele Bolay
The Barley Sheaf Players Annual Benefit Show
A moving portrayal of a day in the life of our co-citizens without homes. A mom tries to maintain stability and safety for her two children. A senior citizen looks for a job following years of hardship after being laid off. A woman mysteriously communicates solely in song. A veteran with PTSD struggles to be understood and to maintain his independence and dignity. A young person who was kicked out by their parents for being non-binary gives back. An ex-con changes their life one poem at a time. A recovering addict with a traumatic past uses her inner strength to keep fighting. A brief encounter at a train station between two women at very different stages of their lives impacts them both in unexpected ways. Along the way, those without homes look to community helpers – a librarian, a social worker, volunteers, and sometimes each other – to find shelter, food, medical care, work, support, and sometimes a sense of purpose.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the small size and ventilation limitations of our historic building, masks are required inside the building by all cast members, parents/guardians, staff and patrons.
Beneficiary:
Better Days Ahead, Chris Brickhouse, President and Head of Outreach
Performance Dates & Times
Friday Performances
January 20, 27, 2023 — 8pm
Saturday Performances
January 21, 2023 — 8pm
January 28, 2023 — 3pm
Sunday Performance
January 22, 2023 — 3pm*
Admission is by donation, payable at the door by cash, check, or credit card. You may reserve seats by calling the box office at 610 363-7075. Seating is general admission. Box office opens 30 minutes before the performance.
We have begun collecting donations for our January 2023 benefit show recipient, Better Days Ahead.
Physical donations can be brought to the theater at any time and put in the bins on the side porch, the one along the parking lot entrance. Monetary donations can currently be done online. If you are coming to a performance, you can bring your donations with you at that time (items and/or money). Thank you for helping us reach our goal of serving local homeless populations at this critical time!
General items always needed: https://bdaoutreach.org/donate/needed-items
Monetary donations online: https://bdaoutreach.org/donate
(for people who wish to contribute in person, cash/checks/credit cards will also be accepted at the box office during performances)
ABOUT BETTER DAYS AHEAD
BDA is an official 501(c)(3) IRS Tax Exempt grassroots homeless outreach organization founded in 2020, but with a long history of service to the community. Several of their members started volunteering with another area organization, You Are Worth It Foundation, for years, and then branched off to concentrate solely on houseless individuals, dropping massive amounts of food and survival gear in Philadelphia and the suburbs, specifically Phoenixville, Pottstown, and Norristown. You can find photos of their work and other information at https://bdaoutreach.org. They firmly believe that developing a good working relationship with their clients is extremely important as they are people deserving dignity and respect. The better they know the person and their needs, the better they can either assist themselves or refer them to their large network of local non-profits - from help acquiring affordable housing to receiving mental health or addiction recovery treatment, if they can't help, they know someone that can.
They firmly believe that developing a good working relationship with their clients is extremely important as they are people deserving dignity and respect. The better they know the person and their needs, the better they can either assist themselves or refer them to their large network of local non-profits - from help acquiring affordable housing to receiving mental health or addiction recovery treatment, if they can’t help, they know someone that can.
-
Cast
ALICE - Stevie Tagye
ALICIA - Andrea Grinwis
ANNIE - Sarah Williamson
BUSINESS MAN - Michael Hildebrand
CHERI/LADY - Kelley Stanford
GRACE - Meredith Grinwis
HOPE - Oliver Fuchs
LIBRARIAN/MRS. PROUD - Barb Hannevig
MICHAEL - Steven Bergandino
PATRON/VOLUNTEER - Elise Dervinis
SAM - Tim Long
SOCIAL WORKER - Robin Werkema
WALT - Sam Moffatt
WES DAVID - Bob Jones
-
Staff
Director — Michele Bolay
Producer — Elizabeth Starr
Production Assistant/Line Coach/Understudy - Robin Werkema
Stage Manager - Kim Knipe
Set Coordinator - David Cowburn
Stage Crew - Joanna Haupt and Michael Hildebrand
Props Coordinator - Eva Thomas
Technical Designers - Carl Lotz and Allen Puy
Technical Crew - Charlotte Kupski