A Prairie Homeless Companion
Supper & Showcase
June 10, 2023
at Great River Arts in Little Falls, MN
Showcase at 5pm, followed by supper
central minnesota workshop team
Maren Ward, Artistic Director / Director
Esther Ouray, Company Manager
Caroline Mannheimer, Workshop Lead Artist
Kris Jackson, Outreach Coordinator
A prairie homeless companion Cast
A Prairie Homeless Companion Excerpt
by Josef Evans
Marcia Barnes, Robert Blood, Annette Bryant, Caroline Mannheimer, Corey Walton, Maren Ward
How Long Does it Take?
Written and performed by Linda Stately
Still My Heart Beats
By Corey Walton and Jason Fiedler and Dean Stately
Homeless (things left unsaid)
Marcia Barnes
Thoughts of a Mother
Annette Bryant
Living with BPD
By Lisa Pollard with Marcia Barnes, Shannon Kemp, Maren Ward
Letter to our Former Selves
by Caroline Mannheimer with Kris Jackson, Brenna Jackson, Mary Morris, Amanda Stallcop
Letter to a Friend
Kris Jackson
Letter to Congress
Swazi Jackson
Everyone needs a Home
Brenna Jackson, Swazi Jackson, Zane Jackson, Parker Jackson, Noah
Created with Esther Ouray and Shannon Kemp
Let Your Light Shine
by Marianne Williamson
read by Carson
Special thanks to…
A special thank you to our partners on the original production of A Prairie Homeless Companion: Josef Evans, playwright; Eric Avery, co-director; PlaceBase Productions; and the Partnership Art Program of Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership for commissioning the show in 2019.
zAmya Theater Project uses the powerful combination of lived experience(s) and artistic expression to inspire our communities to work for housing justice for all.We create and perform theater that motivates and empowers people to end homelessness, break through stereotypes, and restore dignity.
Central Minnesota Partners
Thank you to our partners, Oasis Central Minnesota and PlaceBase Productions, for leading the Central Minnesota adaptation of A Prairie Homeless Companion!
The mission of Oasis Central Minnesota is to alleviate homelessness in Morrison County by providing emergency shelter. Oasis was incorporated in 1988 to address food and housing deficiencies in Morrison County. Oasis provides emergency shelter and case management to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The organization is the sole provider of emergency shelter in Morrison County and much of the surrounding area. Due to the location of their organization, they do not serve the Metro area. Oasis’ service area is Central Minnesota. In 2019, Oasis provided housing services to 100 households, consisting of 132 adults and 80 minor children. As the organization works to address the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity and hunger, another goal of Oasis is to increase awareness and community engagement on issues of homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty.
PlaceBase Productions is a production company that explores community stories through site-specific performance and the arts. Their work cultivates stewards of community identity by connecting people to their common places, stories and relationships. Their goals are to foster creativity, play, and, above all, a sense of place.
special thanks
A huge thank-you to everyone who has given time, materials, and many other kinds of support! In particular…
Sherry Hayes and Helping Hands 365
Jen at KP Goods
Pastor Bill at Trinity Chapel Church of God
Fall 2023 Tour of a prairie homeless companion
In fall 2023 A Prairie Homeless Companion will be touring Central Minnesota with five performances at venues throughout the region. Specific dates and locations of additional performances will be posted on our website when available.
If you’d like to support the fall tour, you can donate online at GiveMN (please note “Prairie Homeless Companion” as your reason for donating). Donations of any amount help us engage communities to address the disconnection and stigmatization of homelessness, and bring expression, fun, advocacy and healing to our housed and unhoused neighbors. Your financial support goes to compensating our workshop participants, writers, and actors, and covering all costs associated with a regional performance tour. Thank you in advance for your consideration!
You can also listen to the radio play of A Prairie Homeless Companion on zAmya’s YouTube channel, and learn more about the history of the production on zAmya’s website at zAmyatheater.org.
funding for a prairie homeless companion
Thanks to our generous funders for making this production possible!
This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Laura Jane Musser Fund, and the McKnight Foundation. This activity is also made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
