Tru Issue 25 , Volume 4, 2015 | Page 35

Thought provoking stage play; “Under The Freeway” takes on tough questions: Who are these people and why are they homeless? By: Producer, Brandi Burks According to the data submitted by The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in January 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. (HUD) requires communities to submit this data every other year in order to qualify for federal homeless assistance funds. The question becomes, “Who are these people and why are they homeless?” So many of us are potential candidates for homelessness, yet we fail to take time to peer into the lives of those who have are met with the stigma and discriminatory sting of homelessness. “Under The Freeway” is a revelatory theatrical depiction of this ill that has become so easy to ignore. While governmentally we fund the facilities lending a hand, individually we neglect the humanistic insight, compassion and concern to know the hope, or the potential and the possibilities that lie within each individual we have generally labeled as homeless. “Under the Freeway” intentions are to universally change the perception of homelessness as simply another demographic. Instead, it allows us to peer into the individual’s life to see how they got there and how they can be recovered and restored to the mainstream populous. We firmly believe that this staged reflection of homelessness will aid in the recovery of those who have fallen on tough times as well as spark a Nation to prayerfully access and respond to the crisis differently. The next performance of “Under the Freeway” will take place on Saturday, February 28th, at 7:00pm, at the City of Refuge Church, 14527 S. San Pedro St., Gardena, CA, where Bishop Noel Jones presides as Senior Pastor. Please help us positively impact the homeless community by either advertising in our program, purchasing tickets for your group, extending a donation or becoming a sponsor of this theatrical movement to eradicate homelessness. This production is life changing with such a compelling story, phenomenal music, and we would not want you to miss it. For more information please call (310) 600-7402. You may also visit us online at www.happy4show.com, or purchase tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com