The Cardboard Stories November 18, 2010

The PCCH Performing Arts Task Group, in collaboration with Joyeous Productions, Incorporated, is developing a series of four stage plays about the nature of homelessness in Pinellas County. Our goals are to: 1) heighten awareness about the varying “faces” of homelessness, 2) motivate the public to take action in helping to prevent and end homelessness in Pinellas County and 3) raise funds to support the services provided by the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless to assist homeless families and individuals.

Entitled “The Cardboard Stories,” this series of stage plays focuses on the lives of four different homeless people, each with their own unique story about the circumstances that led them into homelessness, and the mysterious character named “Hope” who connects them all. The setting for the play is a bus stop in downtown St. Petersburg, adjacent to Williams Park, a longtime haven for homeless people in South Pinellas County. Through “Hope,” the four characters – "Allie," the homeless youth who aged out of foster care, "Amanda," the young mother who fled from domestic violence, "Jack" (which is short for "Jackson"), the PTSD-plagued war veteran and "Bill," the unemployed (marketing executive) family man – interact and learn about the destiny that brought them together and will lead them to a place called home. And, as Hope’s story is unfolded, the audience learns about what each of us can do to help make “Pinellas a place everyone can call home.”

Official Website: http://www.thecardboardstories.com