The Father Bill’s play is an important facet of Social Justice month here at Eastern Nazarene College (ENC). ENC’s Theatre for Social Justice program is set to debut the show on February 13, 14, and 15.
The play was first introduced in January 2018. The students involved spent several semesters volunteering, collecting monologues, scenes, and stories from the guests at Father Bill’s in order to create this play. The guests were able to join the students at Father Bill’s for story circles to give the students an opportunity to learn more about homelessness, which led to the eventual creation of the Father Bill’s play.
The play is a piece that tells the story of several people who suffer from homelessness. These individuals stay at the Father Bill’s shelter in Quincy, Mass. Father Bill’s is one of two homeless shelters in Quincy, and it helps the residents with a safe place to stay, find jobs, and eventually gain housing. However, with Father Bill’s being a converted Department of Motor Vehicles and lack of state funding, there is limited space and resources to help. Despite this, they have seen many guests successfully gain housing.
There are a variety of stigmas that surround the topic of homelessness. The director of the play, senior Theatre for Social Justice major Polly Gomes, says, “People need to understand that no one chooses to be homeless,” she goes on to say, “I hope that people understand that there is more that you can do besides donating or showing up once… there is so much more you can do to help other people.”
To learn more about what you can do to make an impact, go to the Father Bill’s website at https://helpfbms.org/ or contact Tara Brooke Watkins (tara.watkins@enc.edu).