HOMELESS people in Stratford are set to have a voice in an upcoming play.
Streets Apart, written by town playwright Jackie Lines, will be staged at Stratford Playhouse on April 6 and 7.
It is part of a wider event which will include poetry, music and art from the homeless community, as well as information from organisations which support those without a roof and also with addictions.
Jackie decided to pen the play after visiting the Link Project drop-in centre in the town, and was helped by her friend Doug Armstrong who runs songwriting workshops at the Waterside centre.
The play aims to help the public understand why some people end up taking wrong turns, and explores their life stories. It tells the tale of two street sleepers eventually helped by a local drop-in centre.
Jackie said: “I wanted to address the most resounding questions asked by public like ‘are they genuine’? ‘Should I give them money’? People feel powerless and want to know the best way that they can help. Too often genuine victims are seen in the wrong light.”
Many of the cast have connections to homelessness either directly or through work with them.
Director Greg Cole said: “When I was approached to do Streets Apart, a play about homelessness, I had no hesitation about wanting to be a part of it. I have watched in horror, as I am sure we all have, at the ever increasing amount of humans that have no home. I feel both shame and embarrassment at this decline in the fabric of our society.”
Jackie is crowdfunding for the event and for organisations which offer support to homeless people and to those struggling with their health.
Visit stratfordplay.co.uk to book tickets and visit www.gofundme.com and search Streets Apart to donate to the project.
