What I liked
The dialogue was excellent & how people actually talk. Even though there were monologues, they never felt preachy but were rather realistic portrayals of what can go wrong in someone’s life that leads them to lose stable housing & how community is the way to survive. The characters were flawed in believable ways & I repeatedly got goosebumps over how accurate the play portrayed the complex dynamics between them & the callous power structures they’re up against.
The way the actors directly engaged the audience in the plot points throughout was brilliant. It was very impressive how the cast staged this play in a minimalist environment that was immersive & the cleverness of having to improvise within the limited venue of a parking lot wasn’t lost on me.
I was moved to tears several times by the accuracy of depicting survival in a world hostile to the existence of our unhoused neighbors.
What I didn't like
I loved it so much & honestly would love to see a bigger production of this play. The location worked well to draw the audience into the world of living outside & I think a similar venue with more space would foster even more creativity from an already innovative cast. They were truly professionals at using the environment/van as a character as well as seamlessly changing between characters with smaller roles played by the same actors.
It’s such an important story to share with people who haven’t had the traumatic experience of losing everything, so I want them to get as much attention as they can to bring this play to larger audiences.
My overall impression
This show depicted the harsh reality of being unhoused & dealing with mental health struggles with rawness & levity. It was a beautiful story about community that people who have never experienced homelessness should take notes from if they want to help their unhoused neighbors.
A moving, heartening experience that doesn’t use stereotypes or tropes to get the point across that we’re all closer to the edge of being unhoused than we may think.
