Review: Out of Hand’s ‘How to Make a Home’ explores hardships of homelessness

Credit: Photo by Thomas Morse

Credit: Photo by Thomas Morse

The reviewed performance took place in the home of Marti Breen and Cal Crutchfield, a lovely abode filled with family photos and keepsakes, evidence of years lived within its walls. Chairs were packed into a small but lovely foyer. Complimentary snacks and wine were provided as the hosts floated about, ensuring that everyone was comfortable. The welcoming atmosphere was palpable, but knowing the premise of the performance to come, the material comforts on display might’ve struck the viewer as incongruous. Our physical surroundings were in every way the opposite of the car camping and highway trekking the characters describe.

However, as the performance unfolded, it became clear this incongruity was an intentional creative choice, as the homey setting the audience enjoyed is merely aspirational to the character of Antonio — a representation of the home for which he is striving.

It also created the perfect, intimate space for Markell Williams’ lightning bolt of a performance. As the sole performer, he takes on nearly a dozen roles with chameleonic flexibility. With little more aid than the occasional prop or costume piece to suggest different characters, he sells each role through masterful physical and vocal shifts. In less capable or less committed hands, this gimmick could feel trite or distracting, but in Williams’ hands, it constitutes a whole reason unto itself to watch.

The other reason, of course, is McIntyre’s naturalistic script, which spans a single day as Antonio struggles to gather all of the documents needed to secure a housing voucher, hindered both by systemic barriers and tragically timed inconveniences. The pacing is unrelentingly slow, feeling at times like a slog, as Antonio and his daughter, Anika, trudge from one place to another. But that is precisely the point; the slow pace puts you into Antonio’s shoes. Every time the audience wished something more would happen or felt trapped by the play’s inertia, the empathy for Antonio heightened. Every time the audience started to drift or disconnect, Williams was there to reel them back in with a charming remark or heartrending monologue.

Credit: Photo by Thomas Morse

Credit: Photo by Thomas Morse

McIntyre also wisely spent the first two scenes building audience investment in the characters through the genuinely heartfelt relationship between father and daughter — again a remarkable feat considering Williams plays both.

Director Nikki Young does an excellent job of choreographing Williams’ multiple character switches. Her direction brings out the inherent tenderness in McIntyre’s script, balancing the theatricality of its framework with the realism of its premise. Bailey I. Gafeney’s atmospheric sound design also is due credit for helping suggest a variety of locations in the absence of any set design.

While the play offers up an education on the effects of being unhoused by allowing the audience to live out a day in the character’s life, Out of Hand Theater is also providing education in the form of talk backs held after each performance with a representative from Partners for Home. These give viewers the opportunity to expand their knowledge and pursue ways to become involved, if they are so moved.

McIntyre and Out of Hand have undoubtedly created a special piece: an activist work of art in the Brechtian style that pulls the audience into Antonio’s struggle. Between the setting, theatricality and strength of Williams’ performance, “How to Make a Home” makes a more impactful statement on homelessness than would be possible in any traditional theatrical setting.

THEATER REVIEW

‘How to Make a Home’

Presented by Out of Hand Theater through April 27 in various locations. $33. outofhandtheater.com.

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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturge. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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