Theatre Palisades and the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTFH) will present two benefit performances of the one-act play, The Liar’s 
Punishment, on May 21-22 at Pierson Playhouse on Temescal Canyon Rd.
Following each performance (8 p.m. on Saturday, 2 p.m. on Sunday), a three-person panel will discuss how their organizations are working to help the homeless.
A reception catered by 10 local restaurants will follow at the theatre. Tickets are $50 (tax-deductible) Call: (310) 454-1970 or visit: theatrepalisades.org.
Written and directed by Leda Siskind, The Liar’s Punishment shows us the day Elbee (Nancy Youngblut), a homeless woman living under an L.A. freeway, goes toe to toe with Gwen (Jennifer Laks), a determined social worker.
The panel discussion following Saturday’s performance will feature Melinda Soderbergh, Individual Relationships Officer at OPCC (Ocean Park Community Center); Alison Hurst, executive director and founder of Safe Place for Youth (SPY) in Venice; and Mark Loranger, president and CEO of Chrysalis (Changing Lives Through Jobs).
Sunday’s panel will feature John Maceri, executive director of OPCC; Juliana Hudson, SPY operations and volunteer manager; and Michael Graff-Weisner, VP, Chrysalis programs and government relations.
Panels will be moderated by actor Jonathan Medina and audience questions will be encouraged.
Proceeds will help fund the work of a two-person OPCC outreach team in the Palisades. Since January, these social workers have brought 10 homeless into shelter.
Producer Nina Kidd, a PPTFH member, developed the idea for this program after reading Siskind’s script.
In February, she watched a dramatic reading at Theatre 40. “The stage set was spare, but such is the power of live actors—and this play—that with no dramatic lighting or sound effects, I sat and felt the hearts of two women unfold,” Kidd said.
The play will have its theatrical debut at Pierson Playhouse, and Kidd is grateful for the support of Theatre Palisades, Task Force members and members of Palisades Presbyterian Church youth leadership group, who will act as hosts and ushers.
Contact Kidd at nakidd@aol.com or (310) 739-8985. Visit: pptfh.org
Nancy Youngblut
Jennifer Laks
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