Two years ago, the city of Portland, Maine attempted to pass an ordinance to ban panhandlers from standing in the median to ask for money. The legislation didn’t pass, but the ongoing saga between the city and its homeless community continues.
A new play, “Anything Helps God Bless,” aims to expose this relationship.
Rick, a 46-year-old Portlander who plays the guitar with a battery-operated amplifier to attempt to get “two bucks” from passersby in vehicles, said the proposed panhandling ban meant a lack of freedom.
In 2013 Portland’s City Council initially passed the ordinance, but it was appealed immediately. A 1st U.S District Court of Appeals deemed the ordinance unconstitutional. “There is no doubt that the ordinance imposes ‘serious burdens’ on speech,” appeals Judge David Barron wrote in his ruling.
“I’m just one of many folks that believes [the proposed ban] took away freedom,” said Rick, is homeless and refused to give his last name due to fear of police involvement. “I wouldn’t want to endanger anyone by standing in a small traffic island.”
For the play, Al D’Andrea and co-writer Margit Ahlin, along with a cast of 11, sought to create an accurate portrayal of homelessness and panhandling in Portland. The group conducted many interviews as well as reviewed court transcripts, city council meeting videos, police calls and other records.
For a $20 stipend given to each “signer” they spoke with, D’Andrea, Ahlin and their cast “dove in” on a journey to “gather material” through the stories of panhandlers. Oftentimes, they said, panhandlers appeared drunk, high on drugs or to be suffering from a mental disorder. But the crew said this never caused a problem.
“Each one of them, regardless of their condition on that particular day, gave a good amount of thoughtful responses to the questions that we posed to them,” Ahlin said. “A lot of insight was gathered and honesty was set forth.”
The play begins with the 2012 proposal of the ban and continues through when it was voted down in 2015. With a constant stream of new headlines coming from local news, the playwrites strove to be “up to the minute” by adapting the script right up until showtime.
The show is supposed to be “a conversation where all voices on all sides are heard,” according the team’s description. Ahlin said it serves as a learning opportunity for the audience about homelessness and city government. Ahlin and D’Andrea both work for Snowlion Repertory Company, which uses performance to help examine social issues.
“Anything Helps God Bless’ is a prime example of the company’s “collaborative creation” approach, Ahlin said.
The play was shown at Portland Ballet Studio Theater for a weekend in October and once daily through the following week at the Portland Ballet Studio Theater. At least one of the panhandlers they interviewed ended up in the audience, Ahlin said.
D’Andrea hopes the show will get the community thinking, talking and responding to the issues and needs of the community.
