A Tale of Two Citizens: A People’s Struggle with Housing in the Capital City
Prior to the global coronavirus pandemic, Tenants Speak Up! Theatre was collaborating with Gathering Ground Theatre on a new show: A Tale of Two Citizens: A People's Struggle with Housing. It tells the story of Angela and Bernie, as their life goes through encounters with City and State forces, property management, and housing instability in a gentrifying city.
Written and performed by folks with lived experiences of homelessness and tenant organizing, this play would explore themes of displacement and home. Run time was anticipated to be approximately 45 minutes followed by an interactive audience discussion exploring themes raised in the play. All performances would be free and open to the public. This project is primarily funded through BASTA and the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division.
Once the pandemic hit, we turned to weekly phone calls and adapted our script into a radio play. The radio play premiered in conjunction with a virtual panel and week of action on November 15, 2020. Watch the event below.
Organizing Towards Housing Justice in Austin, TX: Fostering Creativity and Building Solidarity Amidst COVID-19
Performance Program
Behind the Scenes
We had the first recording session of our radio play today! Here’s a behind-the-scenes look. Clearly, we are leaning into moments of laughter as we navigate this new way of making theatre together. Today was delightfully productive, and we look forward to sharing more with you soon.
