Voices on the Green, “Home” October 20, 2023

Lexington’s acclaimed storytelling and music series, Voices on the Green, presents its fall production on the theme of “Home” on Friday, October 20, at 7:00 PM. The program is presented at First Parish in Lexington (7 Harrington Road, on the Battle Green), and tickets for the show are now available through the VOG website (https://voicesonthegreen.org/ ). Tickets not sold in advance will also be available at the door on the evening of the performance.

“Home” offers up stories from six individuals, sharing reflections that range from heartbreaking to hopeful to hilarious. A woman (Mercedes) from an abusive home becomes unhoused for years before turning her life around; an Indian woman’s (Tejpreet) multi-faith neighbors come through in a time of sectarian violence; a man’s (Dave) stable childhood community provides a compass that guides him through life; a city dweller (Victoria) makes the most of her new life in rural Oklahoma. An indigenous woman (Chali’naru) prevails in the face of landlords’ anti-poverty discrimination; a man (Robert), hopeless at simple carpentry, is challenged by his wife to take on daunting home improvement projects.

Music complementing the theme will be provided by acclaimed singer/songwriter Kemp Harris. The show is hosted by award-winning spoken-word artist Regie O’Hare Gibson. Voices on the Green partners with a community organization carrying forward work that aligns with the performance theme. The community partner for this show is Chaplains on the Way, based in Waltham. Chaplains on the Way (https://www.chaplainsontheway.us/ ) works with the unhoused community to offer support and assistance to achieve affordable housing, mental health and substance-abuse services, spiritual care, and more.

Voices on the Green is a program of First Parish in Lexington. Those who have attended previous shows have remarked on the amazing sense of community connection engendered when diverse storytellers and musicians perform. Founded in 2017 as a community-building endeavor to develop new voices and new relationships in the community and to create connections between performers and audience, the series now attracts a wide audience from many parts of the greater Lexington community. For more information about Voices on the Green, visit https://voicesonthegreen.org/ .