NEW PLAY TACKLES URBAN HOMELESSNESS AS A TIMELY SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE

Anything Helps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, New York – May 15, 2025
Anything Helps, a new solo play about homelessness in New York City, will hold its world premiere at the Hudson Guild Theater as part of the 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival. The play is based on writer/performer Mark Lanham’s personal experience serving free coffee to people experiencing homelessness on Manhattan’s affluent Union Square, a practice he began in December of 2016.

The play is designed to get audiences to look at a problem that many people would rather not see. A skilled New York and regional theatre actor who has co-starred on the TV shows Difficult People and Tracy Morgan’s comedy series The Last O.G., Lanham portrays a colorful, touching, and darkly humorous cadre of homeless characters, some of whom suffer from addictions or mental illness.

The play Anything Helps was first developed in 2018, when it appeared as a shorter piece in two Off Broadway festivals (Emerging Artists “New Works” Series and NY Fringe). Now a 65-minute show, Anything Helps premiered at a private fundraising event for the Stephen Center (stephencenter.org), an Omaha Nebraska organization that provides homeless services and addiction recovery programs. This performance on March 11, 2025 generated $105,000 in donations in a single night to support Stephen Center programs.

“I hope this play shows people the impact of a single, simple act of charity,” Lanham states. “I also hope that telling my own story will get people to ask themselves, “What might I do to help?”

The show plays at the Hudson Guild Theatre (hudsontheatre.com) at 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood June 19-28. The Hollywood Fringe Festival (hollywoodfringe.org) runs from June 9 until June 28.

Media Contact:
Mark Lanham
[email protected]
Website: anythinghelps.nyc Watch Trailer: https://tinyurl.com/49su7nvs