Minnesota Fringe Festival

Stories composed by those living in the shelters and on the streets and shores of Duluth, examining the meaning of home. Desires and hopes are revealed when one answers the question, "Where do you live?"

When Rachel Anne Johnson moved to Duluth she immediately noticed the prevalence of poverty and homelessness. only 19 years-old, Rachel decided to document the stories of those living in the shelters, on the streets, along the shore - even in a bar - in Duluth. Through in-depth interviews that illustrated where people live, how people live and why people live she revealed their hopes and desires.

A beautiful community, build on a hill overlooking Lake Superior, Duluth's percentage of working poor or homeless exceeds the state average. The median family income is far below that of other communities in the state.

"This town, there's people that live underneath the streets," says John from Habitat. There's people that live in the sewers, there's people that live underneath bridges, there's people that live beneath the freeways. There's people that live in cars, there's people that live in vans, in garages, vacant buildings, stairwells, even the skywalk... This isn't some make-believe story, this is something you can find in any city, in any town, pretty much in this country. And we have a lot of it here in Duluth, and its gonna get more."

For more information on Habitat,

Click here

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, or you want to help end homelessness, these are organizations doing great work in Minnesota!

Duluth

Churches United in Ministry (Chum), sponsored and governed by thirty-nine Duluth congregations, provides services for homeless and marginalized members of their community while working to eliminate the need for their services.
www.chumduluth.org

Damiano Center meets the survival and self-management needs of all low income and homeless individuals and families who request their services.
www.damianocenter.org

New San Marco Apartments is an innovative green development that includes seventy affordable apartments for homeless alcoholics.
(218) 733-7133

Duluth Affordable Housing Coalition is comprised of over twenty local organizations and concerned citizens who advocate for and with low-income citizens in ensuring decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing.
www.housing1000.org/ahc.html

Statewide

Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless is the only statewide advocacy group in Minnesota fighting for the entire continuum of homeless services.
www.mnhomelesscoalition.org

HOME Line provides free legal, organizing, education and advocacy services so that tenants throughout minnesota can solve their own rental housing problems.
Tenant Legal Advice Hotlines:
Metro Area-(612) 728-5767
Greater MN-(866) 866-3546

Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH) has more than 150 congregations from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith traditions advocating for justice in housing.
www.micah.org

The cast

Harmony (Feldman) McCullough
Role: Sara and Meg


Harmony (Feldman) McCullough was born outside the small town of Tomkinsville, KY. There she experienced first-hand both poverty and ingenuity with which people create habitats for themselves. She moved to Duluth, MN to attend the College of St. Scholastica. She currently works with young children and their families living in poverty. Harmony lives near the lake with her husband, Jess, and two cats. She is honored to again participate in this theater project which always teaches her something new about herself and our world.

Matthew Anderson-Stembridge
Role: Steve O'neil


Matthew is a relative newcomer to Minnesota and thinks it rocks. He loves the people (including his wife Kirsten who is from Roseville), has found curling (yes, it is a semi-religious experience), thinks St. Paul is a great home, and is inspired by folks who do amazing things like organize Minnesota Fringe and have the audacity to dream about ending homelessness. He and Kirsten both enjoyed studying for their Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (she had a way better GPA). Matthew runs a project called the Creation Care Fund that supports Christian-based environmental efforts around the country.

Marcia Avner
Role: Wrangler


Marcia Avner is the wrangler for Habitat. She moved to Minnesota because it has more community and professional actors than any place outside of New York. And now she gets to work on a show and find out how it works from the other side of the stage. Qualified Fringe Super Fan!

Eric Buegler
Role: Nik and Chum Worker


Eric Buegler is from Baudette Minnesota, and has been performing for crowds his entire life. He is part of an award winning a'capella group Up Til 2 and is a delight at parties. Eric would like to thank his family and friends for their support. He especially loves his Mommy and Daddy.

Michael Dahl
Role: John


Michael Dahl has been an advocate for social and economic justice for the past 20 years and currently works for HOME Line, a statewide tenant advocacy organization. He finds a great deal of his inspiration from leadership within low-income communities. That's why he is honored to be a part of "Habitat"'s cast ... the voices within the homeless community provide the clearest and most plain-spoken reasons we can and should end homelessness. Michael lives in St. Paul, with his wife Rebecca and their puppy Carlos.

David Hoffman
Role: David


Born in San Francisco in the fifties I have grown up in musical pursuits. In early two thousand I was canceled by my medical insurance company. Between my medical bills and my mothers I went through ninety nine percent of my retirement. Only when I was broke would the state give any assistance. I was misdiagnosed with a life threatening illness and when I was well enough, I was on the street. Net worth in the late 90's: 1.8. I find the three months of homelessness to be of great help when finding motivation for my parts in Habitat.

Rachel Anne Johnson
Role: Author


Rachel (also goes by olli) wants you to know that the years she spent writing Habitat were during her delicate years of innocence & youth...some say naivete. Now that she's all grown up, she spends her time tinkering with puppets, writing more plays and plucking her ukelele.

Ryan Jordan
Role: Narrator


Ryan Jordan lives in Duluth, MN. He works at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and recently graduated with a Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership. Playing music and writing songs is a passion; He recently started playing solo around the Twin Ports area this year.

Kelly Mullan
Role: Kathy and Gloria


Kelly has a degree in Acting as well as a Masters in Advocacy & Political Leadership. She is super interested in exploring the ways in which theatre might impact social change movements. In her spare time she is a skater for the Harbor City Roller Dames, a local roller derby league. She makes her home in Duluth, MN with her daughters Quinn & Regan and their cats Olive & Sylvia Princess Sparkles.

Ann Potthoff
Role: Ruthie


Passionately involved in the nonprofit sector, Ann Potthoff also loves swinging and sliding at the neighborhood park with her dog Gandhi.

Jennie Ross
Role: Carla and Betsy


Jennie Ross has lived in many different habitats in California and is currently settled in Duluth Mn. She has been working in the theater since she was a wee Jennie and has been working with the homeless since college. She feels proud to be a part of Habitat and glad to be able to open up discussions about homelessness with others. She hopes you enjoy the performance and leave with a a drive to go out and do more for the world around you.

Peggy Roy
Role: Mary


Boozhoo, Nii Yu Gabow Equay indigo Anishinaabemong idash Peggy A Roy indizhinikazz.

Translation from Objiwe: Greetings, I am known by the Ojibwe Spirits as Four Directions Standing Woman. My English name is Peggy A Roy.

I was raised in northern MN and am enrolled at the Lac Courte Orielles Band of Ojibwe. I have 3 amazing and gifted children and 7 grandchildren.

I've moved around and traveled since my children became adults, however, much like the character I play, Mary, the connection I have witht he Gitchi Gomi, (Lake Superior) always brought me back to MinnesotaI currently live in St. Paul with my 2 cats and frequent (sometimes extended) visits from family and friends from up north.

I am currently employed at the MN Indian Resource Center and I do consultant work for the Full Circle Community Institue. On my resume, I state "My objective is to inform and educate: ensuring all people have a voice in determining the quality of their own lives." This, along with my family is my heart and my passion. Migwetch (Thank you).

John See
Role: Jack


John See acted his way through high school and college before pursuing other creative outlets in the art of video production as a director, writer, shooter, and editor. He has worked with non-profits and the Labor Movement for over twenty years. He now enjoys being a grandparent with his wife Nancy, and playing a role as a graduate student in the MAPL program at UMD. He has never been without shelter from the storm.

Wy Spano
Role: Rick


Wy Spano is the Director of the Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) Program at the University of Minnesota Duluth. MAPL's Art and Social Change class helped nurture Habitat and its author, Rachel Johnson. MAPL is a post-baccalaureate program designed for people who want to change the world.

Spano's acting career is limited but heartfelt. He had significant roles in "Mister Roberts," "Seven keys to Baldpate," "The Boyfriend," and "The Potting Shed," a performance which future New York Times and Los Angeles Times critic Dan Sullivan, then writing for the Minnesota Daily, called "adequate."

Cheryl Skafte
Role: Director


Cheryl Skafte (Duluth) first got involved with the Habitat project over three years ago when she met playwright, Rachel Johnson, during the Sidewalk Sales Day in downtown Duluth. She jumped at the chance to be involved with a project that combined her passion for social justice and her love of theater. Skafte is a regular on many of the stages around Duluth. Favorite performances include Colder By the Lake's Jack Chick Plays, Vol. I and II, Catherine in David Mamet's Boston Marriage, Lil' Bit in How I Learned to Drive and Lena in Change of Pace's Ole and Lena's Wedding. Habitat is her directorial debut. Skafte would like to thank Rachel for her amazing script, Marcia for believing and the amazing cast who bring compassion to the stories told in the script.

Rachel Anne Johnson

Habitat: A Documentary Theater Project

Fri., Jul. 31 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 2 @ 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 4 @ 8:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 7 @ 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 @ 4:00 p.m.

Warning! Adult language

Venue U of M Rarig Center Arena
For ages 16+
Written by Rachel Anne Johnson
From Duluth, MN
Web site www.fringefestival.org
genres Spoken word, Drama
subjects Political
features Original script/choreography, Original music, First-time Minnesota Fringe Festival producer

Overall rating

User reviews

fellow man uprooted, but still grounded.
by Amber Bjork Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
what i loved most about this production was the script-in-hand aspect. instead of scripted lines, it reminded me that these words were spoken by real people. instead of seasoned actors memorizing lines and portraying characters to which they had no connection, you had here instead a bunch of real people, allowing the histories and hopes of the people they work with to speak through them.

heartbreaking. beautiful. very very real. i'm sorry i didn't have a chance to see it earlier in the run so i could have reviewed it sooner.

Arresting performance
by Tony Hanson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This "play" is interesting. The actors develop their characters very effectively. The play itself is well written. I have seen 28 shows at this point and this show is in the top rank.
Time is short, see it while you can.

thoughtful
by Karen Cooper Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
A caring, respectful presentation giving voice to the stories of homeless people in Minnesota. The NIMBY character was especially forcefully played. These stories matter and I am glad I saw this show. It will stay with me.

Lots of potential
by Sarah Holmberg Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
I think the process of bringing this show together was probably very rewarding, and I think it's an interesting way to make theater. Everyone on the stage clearly cared deeply about the material, and the issue of homelessness, and bringing them together is one of the really nifty things theater can do.

I don't think the play quite reaches the potential it has, though. What I think it really wants to do is make the connection for the audience between homelessness and humanity. That just because people don't have a house, doesn't mean they stop being people, worthy of being treated with respect and dignity. A noble, and daunting, undertaking.

I think in an effort to stay true to the words of the people interviewed, there was a missed chance to develop a narrative structure that could have done more to drawn an audience in. Maybe after the introductions of so many characters, if they had focused on just a few instead of so many I could have been more of a connection with them.

Not Enough
by Justin Alexander Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
In defter hands, the adaptation of true stories to the stage could have resulted in a deep exploration of the homeless. Unfortunately, HABITAT instead glosses over its material, battering the audience with constant variations of an unsupported refrain: Most homeless people don't want to be homeless. Most people don't become homeless of their own choice. Many homeless people are not unwilling to get work, merely unable.

These things are all true, but since the work featured the real words of actual people from the streets of Duluth, it would have been nice to see some of these ideas developed into dramatic and specific narratives. The production certainly flirts from time to time with the idea that it might become something more, but never commits to it.

In the end, despite the clever and engaging work by the director -- who renders the play in a fluid blend of physically overlapping narratives -- I found it difficult to stifle my yawns.

A well-needed wake-up call
by Dayna Landgrebe Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The show is thought-provoking and a well needed wake-up call into the everyday homelessness that hundreds of adults and children endure each night, often not by their own choice and because of circumstances out of their control.

The play is a startling call to help bring awareness to a big issue, using real quotes from real people in Duluth, Minn. The black box effect of this show has the actors reading from scripts to emphasize that the stories are real, along with meaningful original music.

Not a Feel-Good Show
by Rob Callahan Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Actors converse with lines scripted directly from the words of Duluth's homeless population and those involved with the issue. A somber, eye-opening experience that will appeal to those inclined toward social conscience.

Worth The Trip
by Tad Johnson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Poignant, realistic, humanistic view of homelessness with inspired performances by all involved. Worth every minute. Thanks

So True!
by Tom Johnson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The characters in the play have visited my home, a Catholic Worker House of Hospitality in Dubuque, IA.

Although particular to Duluth, Habitat's story expresses universal, existential truths about living in poverty in today's USA.

I cried tears of joy that the important stories of poor people found their voice in such a skillful, unvarnished -- yet powerful -- manner.

Olli wants you to know
by Manny DePont Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The carefully crafted script gathers actual dialogue of homeless residents and weaves their words into a verbal collage adapted for the stage with a dozen characters emerging to tell individual stories from the shelters, bars and soup kitchens of the underclass. The words of the homeless take center stage. It is a worthy performance, falling a little short of what I expect of a play, perhaps more of a rehearsal where actors, script in hand, work their character’s story. Not always polished, but occasional overlaps of dialogue or stumbling of the words give the show an authentic feeling akin to the rough edges of being among the homeless. Expect a generally respectable or better performance from each of the 14 amateur actors, minor props, simple staging, and a nicely done original musical score by Ryan Jordan. A respectful, thoughtful and hopeful show worth seeing.

Compelling
by Sheila Smith Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
It's refreshing to see a fringe show that is not inward looking but instead looks out at the world the way it is. The audience becomes witnesses to actual stories of homelessness and how poverty, struggle, respect and hope coalesce around the idea of "home." This work places the homeless at the microphone by having the actors become reinactors, breathing fresh life into the words of the homeless. It is accompanied by original music by Ryan Jordan, who sounds a lot like Bob Dylan. I gave it four kitties rather than five because the actors sometimes read from scripts rather than memorize their lines, which is at points distracting and takes away from the urgency of the text. However, all in all, it's a really compelling presentation and a great show to add to your fringe experience.

A challenge to the heart
by Claire Simonson Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
When you go to see a documentary film, you don't expect Hollywood effects, million-dollar production values, you don't even expect *acting* per se. You DO expect authenticity, and that is what you get with this show. This is a show about the pain and embarrassment of homelessness in a nation of great wealth, performed by people who have a personal, emotional stake in the issue, either because they work within the social safety net, or they have themselves run up against the circumstance. The show asks: how can you have a home if you don't have an address? And what kind of person are you if you don't even have a home?

Turns out that it's not just about the address, as different -- very loose -- definitions of home are shown: a night shelter with its tight-ass rules, and a bar with its woozy hustling ("Wanna buy some soap?") The high point is a showdown between the haves and the have-nots, with the mayor of the city standing impotent between the two sides, promising to do more, but not winning the confidence of either. And as the show plays out, you realize (if you didn't already know) that it's going to take much more than a change in the White House to stop the dehumanization of 'those people.' The emotional appeal here is strong and clear, because the need is real.

It's a mighty big challenge to offer a theatrical production as "documentary" because the other thing film docs have going for them is visual: the un-scrubbed view of 'the world' that is being documented, whether it's a slaughterhouse or a beauty pageant. The visual component of a documentary film goes a long way to establishing its credibility, so what happens when documentary material -- the spoken testimony of people who are/have been homeless -- is presented in the black box of a theatre, stripped of the actual location, the sights and sounds of their experience? The impulse of the the playwright and the director to keep the staging simple seems right, and the artistic impact of the show might be stronger if pushed even more rigorously into the black box -- but that's an aesthetic exercise, not the main concern of the show. This is a show of substance.

This is a great Fringe show for a couple reasons: number one being, it's not slick -- and it doesn't need to be, because of number two: it comes from the heart, and the hearts that brought this show to life don't happen to be invested in cleverness and slick characters. They are invested in honesty. You will hear the words of those who most of us would prefer to avoid, spoken by those who have chosen to listen. As unpolished and inconvenient as it is, it will sound like the truth -- and it will challenge you to do something about it.

Habitat-
by Mary Hartnett Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I liked the approach- straightforward narrative- lines lifted from conversations on the street- solidly and, at times. powerfully delivered by an able cast. I have seen plays the discussed homelessness before in a sentimental and exploitive manner. This one is authentic, moving and motivating.

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