Mirror Stage Focuses On Homelessness For Fourth Round Of EXPAND UPON

Theatre That Gets People Talking, Mirror Stage's Expand Upon series engages the community in meaningful dialogue, while enabling local artists to develop artistic responses to important issues. Expand Upon initiates conversation by commissioning two new plays responding to a community-selected issue, using the same multi-generational, multi-racial cast. For Expand Upon round four, the community selected the theme Homelessness, and Mirror Stage commissioned Untitled Play About Homelessness in Seattle by Holly Arsenault, and Hand by Tré Calhoun, with dramaturgy by Sara Keats.

The short plays are presented in tandem, as simply staged readings, with a moderated discussion with the audience and artists following every performance. Directed by Suzanne M. Cohen, Expand Upon: HOMELESSNESS features local Seattle actors Tee Dennard, Hazel Rose Gibson, Joe Ivy, Patrick Lennon, Marty Mukhalian, Meenakshi Rishi, Sofía Raquel Sanchez, and Pratik Shah. Performances will be October 5 & 6 at the Isaac Studio Theatre, and October 12 & 13 at Yaw Theater. Charlotte Sanders of UW Seattle will present pre-show lectures on the historical, cultural and social background of homelessness at 7:00pm prior to the Saturday, October 5 performance, and at 1:00pm before the Sunday, October 13 performance.

In 2018, homelessness rose 0.3% across the US according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while homelessness in Seattle rose 4%. People experiencing homelessness can be individuals, children or families. They may be living on the streets; in abandoned buildings or vehicles; in shelters, missions or transitional housing; in single room occupancy; or have moved 2+ times within 60 days. Counting people living outside (unsheltered) and in shelters, Seattle has the third largest homeless population of major US cities-12,112, in 2018.

Performances of Expand Upon: HOMELESSNESS will be Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm. Admission is $15; $10 for students and seniors. Every performance has 10 Pay-What-You-Can rush tickets ($1 minimum). The Isaac Studio Theatre is located at 212 N 85th St in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. Yaw Theater is located at 6520 5th Ave S in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. It is part of Equinox Studios Art Collective and is located in Studio 118 in The Factory. Keep an eye out for the golden eggs and house of sticks. For more information, please visit https://mirrorstage.org.

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