In a new original play Mesa College explores homelessness in San Diego.
The project began as a partnership with Father Joe Villages and was created from student interviews conducted over a period of a year.
UN-SHELTERED, originally a series of monologues chronicling different experiences of living on the street, the show has been entirely rewritten into a fully dramatized play.
Written and directed by Sheldon Deckelbaum, a teacher in the Mesa drama program, the story follows several people suffering through homelessness – all based off of true stories.
“What makes this play so riveting, inspiring and oftentimes funny is the sheer humanity of the people whose stories we were fortunate enough to capture,” Deckelbaum said. “Their struggles, hopes, dreams and failings transcend homelessness to remind us that, whatever our circumstances, we human beings share much in common.”
The play will be staged outside on the loading dock adjacent to the Apolliad Theater and is performed by students in Deckelbaum’s experimental theater class.
“Theatre takes place in a special time and space that permits us to enter worlds otherwise unseen or ignored," Deckelbaum added. "UN-SHELTERED offers a unique glimpse into the sometimes unseen and frequently ignored world of homelessness,”
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Some of the shows will close with a discussion with the cast, staff from Father Joe's Villages and a few of the people whose real-life stories are in the play.
UN-SHELTERED runs from Tuesday, April 12, through Sunday, April 17. All performances start at 6:30 p.m. General Admission tickets are $10; students with identification, $5.
The play is set on the loading dock area on the north side of the Apolliad Theatre (Building C-100). Paid parking is adjacent to A-Overflow lot.
Seating includes both picnic blankets on the ground and chairs on the loading dock. Chair seating is available if requested in advance and there is seating and access for disabled people.
