MET to Stage Community Collaboration 'RUBY SLIPPERS'

Maryland Ensemble Theater (MET) and a collection of community advocates including the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership of Frederick County (SHIP) are proud to present the original theatrical production There's No Place Like Home....Life Without The Ruby Slippers. The production will tell the truth about the human experience of homelessness and poverty here in Frederick. You will hear stories from the heart of the matter as told by those whose lives have been impacted by homelessness and portrayed with honesty, candor, and imagination. The show will run for three days in the second weekend of January at MET.

There's No Place Like Home....Life Without The Ruby Slippers incorporates acting, song, music, imagery, and written word to add texture and detail to living a life in homelessness. With the introduction of the theatrical and artistic components to the everyday stories of homelessness and its many elements, There's No Place Like Home....Life Without The Ruby Slippers will shine a new light on and challenge widely held misconceptions about those living life in homelessness and poverty.

The project was the brain-child of MaryLynn Hinde, co-founder and Director of Operations of the nonprofit SHIP. "The idea for the play came to me as a result of my recognition that so much of what causes us difficulty in accepting others is a lack of compassion, empathy, and truly allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and open to those around us," said Hinde. "I believe fear is such a strong and powerful primal instinct that becomes the governing force of many of our daily actions and our so-called beliefs. To truly understand one another, we must walk in their shoes, so to speak, and allow ourselves to not judge or categorize those that are different. The issue of homelessness and poverty are important to me, and I believe that the more we break down the barriers, myths, and ignorance that tends to dictate how we relate to those whose lives are impacted by these issues, the more we can help ourselves, our community, and those who we serve."

MaryLynn approached MET because she was curious to know if there was a way to express her concerns through theater. MET Artistic Directors Tad Janes and Julie Herber were immediately drawn to the project and excited about the possibilities. "We have used our platform to explore issues such as domestic violence, conflict resolution, body consciousness, and more," said Herber. "Those projects had great success in what we consider one of our greatest desires; to impact our community in a positive way, so we jumped at the opportunity to join forces and try to create a powerful piece of theatre that could promote community conversation." Herber took the reigns and suggested that the project involve not only artists but the homeless population as well. "We wanted to hear the voices of those who had not only experienced homelessness, but also those who have been touched by it as well," said Herber. In August of 2015 weekly workshop sessions began to gather stories and material. There's No Place Like Home.....Life Without the Ruby Slippers will be performed by a combination of workshop participants and MET artists. In our efforts to make this a fully immersive experience for the audience there will be photography exhibits, information tables and a post show discussion with the creators as well as our community collaborators. Those contributing include not only SHIP but On our Own (Frederick), Alderman Kelly Russell, Lt. Jason Keckler of the Frederick Police Department, Photographer Andrew Murdock of Natural Artistry, musician Freddie Long, filmmaker Daniel Wyland, The Frederick News-Post, Comcast and Frederick Magazine.

There's No Place Like Home... Life Without the Ruby Slippers will run from January 8 and 9 at 8pm and January 10 at 3pm at MET, located in the historic FSK Hotel? at 31 W Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, MD. Tickets to There's No Place Like Home... Life Without the Ruby Slippers are $17 and can be purchased at 301­-694-­4744, marylandensemble.org or in person at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre box office.

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