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Sheltered

An emotionally powerful play with an important story to tell about the day-to-day reality of homelessness.

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Almeira Campbell, Jess Salguerio, Kassandra Cruz and Claudia Thiedmann in a scene from Cate Wiley’s “Sheltered” at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre (Photo credit: Carol Rosegg)

Consider being cast adrift in the sea of humanity within a community that was once your home with no place to safely lay your head, wash your body, or prepare your food. You may have chosen to drive off into the unknown out of fear for your safety, could no longer financially support a place to live, were told to leave by another, or have psychiatric issues.

Sheltered by Cate Wiley is a story about what it is to be a homeless woman in a city in the United States. As directed by Liz Peterson, this play tells the stories of these women trapped by circumstances in systems of neglect and half-measures that are often beyond their control. In some cases, homelessness is a choice to escape something in the home, usually an abusive partner or spouse. Drugs, alcoholism and mental illness play a role as well. All of these things are depicted by a hardworking cast who effectively delivers a snapshot of the day-to-day reality of homelessness. It is an emotionally powerful play with an important story to tell. It is not a blockbuster play, but it is a play that should be seen for the compelling story it tells.

The play is billed as an intertwining of poetry and ancient Greek theatrical traditions, but those aspects are not clear in the production, with the exception of some oblique references to Helen of Troy and the use of the actors playing the homeless women acting as a Greek chorus during certain scenes.

Claudia Thiedmann and Madelyn Chapman in a scene from Cate Wiley’s “Sheltered” at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre (Photo credit: Carol Rosegg)

There are a couple of problems with this approach. The first is that the spoken words do not have a poetic cadence, so the dialogue sounds like contemporary vernacular. The second issue is that Cassie, Penelope, and Helen’s lead characters are connected to Greek mythology, and Martha possibly to early Biblical myths.

The linking of the storyline to Greek mythology requires an audience to know the story of the Trojan Wars as told in The Iliad and other works, and of the travels of Odysseus in the The Odyssey, on his return from the Trojan Wars. It also requires a knowledge of Greek theatrical forms, most notably poetic form with a chorus providing narrative.

Helen (Monica Steuer) is presented as a mysterious figure who happens to be Martha’s mother. In Greek mythology, Helen was the cause of the Trojan Wars. The character of Martha (Jess Salgueiro), a volunteer in the women’s shelter, is looking for her mother. Cassie (Almeria Campbell) is a Cassandra-like character. Cassandra was a seeress in Troy who appeared in The Iliad. In this story, she provides the prologue with the support of the Chorus and also plays the role of a homeless woman with psychiatric issues. Penelope (Kim Yancey) is a well-educated woman who has become homeless and is using the shelter system until she can get her finances restored. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus in Greek mythology.

Kassandra Cruz, Madelyn Chapman, Claudia Thiedmann, Almeria Campbell, Joyah Dominique, Kim Yancey and Monica Streuer in a scene from Cate Wiley’s “Sheltered” at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre (Photo credit: Carol Rosegg)

The story starts with a prologue by the ensemble playing nameless homeless women. As they occupy unusually configured chairs representing cots, they begin to establish the nature of homelessness as perceived by the public.

Chorus (Woman One played by Joyah Dominique):

You see me, or you don’t

I’m here.

I try to stay out of sight, but there I am

in the corner of your eye.

Or

Chorus (Woman Two played by Claudia Thiedmann):

That’s me

dressed wrong for the weather

I might have a couple of sweaters in the summer,

no boots in the snow.

Two other members of the Chorus, Woman Three (Kassandra Cruz) and Woman Four (Madelyn Chapman), add more detail into how homeless people are perceived, particularly homeless women. After each has shared elements of the experience, Cassie enters with a candle. Just at the edge of the performance space is Helen, and Martha, the volunteer manager of this church-basement shelter, is sleeping nearby in a chair. Cassie provides the prologue to set the story in motion, introducing Helen and Martha and the connection between them and adding more context to the structure of the story that is to be a day in the lives of the “sheltered” women.

Jess Salgueiro, Madelyn Chapman, Claudia Thielmann, Almeria Campbell, Joyah Dominique and Kim Yancey in a scene from Cate Wiley’s “Sheltered” at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre (Photo credit: Carol Rosegg)

The problematic relationship between Helen and Martha, mother and daughter, is intended to be the thread that ties the play together, but it does not really work. Martha volunteers at women’s homeless shelters to search for her mother. This storyline does not engage the audience in caring about Martha and her search. Sagueiro effectively embodies Martha, but her interactions with Penelope are more engaging than with any of the other characters, including Helen. The story of Penelope does a better job of connecting with the audience.

All the performers solidly embody their principal characters and, in most cases, the secondary characters they inhabit. In one case, when two police officer characters are called for, the presentation falters because the costuming is incorrect. The dialogue and performances are solid, but the costumes intrude on the complete believability of the scene. It is a minor quibble in the whole scheme of the production, but it is something that creates a distraction from the overall dramatic explorations of the show.

The interactions between the members of the Chorus and the principal characters effectively explore the issues of familial bonds, societal neglect, the need for personal security, and political indifference to the realities of homelessness.

The performance venue is a small space in what once may have been an office. The audience sits on each side of the stage area. The set design by Josh Barilla places oddly configured “chairs” in the middle of the room that act as cots in some of the scenes. These “chairs” add an element of unreality to the performance space adding to the overall discomforting nature of the story. The props are minimal with the various bags, suitcases, and backpacks typical of homeless people. The lighting design is of particular importance in small venues and Nic Vincent’s is solid in support of the dramatic action as is the effective sound design by A.M. DeVito. The costume design by Jasmine Lewis works in helping define the various characters with a few issues as noted above.

Sheltered (through February 9, 2025)

Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre, 338 W. 23rd Street, in Manhattan.

For tickets, visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thecelltheatre/1492198

Running time: 80 minutes without an intermission

A story about what it is to be a homeless woman in a city in the United States.

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About Scotty Bennett (109 Articles)
Scotty Bennett is a retired businessman who has worn many hats in his life, the latest of which is theater critic. For the last twelve years he has been a theater critic and is currently the treasurer of the American Theatre Critics Association and a member of the International Association of Theatre Critics. He has been in and around the entertainment business for most of his life. He has been an actor, director, and stage hand. He has done lighting, sound design, and set building. He was a radio disk jockey and, while in college ran a television studio and he even knows how to run a 35mm arc lamp projector.

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