Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided
DisPlace Photo by Steve Bozeman
Did you know there’s a theater group in Minneapolis that specializes in shining a light on homelessness? zAmya Theater Project has been creating essential works for over 20 years – and building awareness and community at the same time. We talked to Maren Ward, Artistic/Executive Director about the history of zAmya, the creative process, ongoing and future collaborations and how you may participate. I saw the production Living in America: The Waiting List is Full and can report that it was entertaining and impactful. Read more and consider their motto: “Stop Staring, Start Seeing.”
Maren WardQ: Can you please tell us about the history of zAmya Theater Project?
A: zAmya was started by leadership development facilitator and executive coach Lecia Grossman in 2004. Lecia had a vision for bringing together people - unhoused and housed - to create together, learn from one another and address homelessness by building relationships and community. She recruited a team of artists (including myself) and housing advocates to help her design the project. She received advice from Monica Nilsson, who was director of The Bridge for Youth at the time, to consider designing something to last, rather than a one-off project. In Monica’s experience a lot of groups come together and do a service project once, and she thought Lecia’s idea would be most effective as it would be as an ongoing presence in the community, with relationships built over time. Lecia took her advice and started a non-profit. She chose the name “zAmya” - a Sanskrit word meaning “Aiming for peace” - because it reflected her sense that we cannot be at peace in a community that allows homelessness to exist.
After 5 years as an annual project, zAmya merged with St. Stephen’s Human Services, now Agate Housing and Services, and operated as a program in their community engagement department for 10 years. In 2018 we formed an independent non-profit and are now officed at Pillsbury House and Theater and have many of our rehearsals at Plymouth Congregational Church. We perform all over and are in continuing residence at Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central.
In our 20 plus years since the founding, we’ve created 25 full length plays and performed for 26,000 audience members in over 200 venues ranging from boardrooms to parks to the Guthrie Theater.
Q: What impact have you seen from zAmya’s performances — on audiences, participants, or policy?
A: Our motto is “Stop Staring, Start Seeing” and that kind of sums up the impact we have on audiences. Through the humanity (and humor!) present on the stage, audiences are confronted with their own biases about homelessness and the people affected by it. Our shows move people to look more deeply at the causes and solutions for homelessness and to find something in their sphere of influence - whether that’s a neighborhood group or a condo association, or a dinner table or an afterschool program, etc. - to activate for housing justice.
Gerald Blackbird (red shirt) leads a line of actors Photo by Bruce Silcox
Troupe member Marcia Barnes Photo by Bruce Silcox
It’s hard to say directly what our influence has been on policy but I will say that in over 20 years of doing this, while homelessness is more prevalent than ever, so are our communities’ efforts to end it. zAmya is part of an ecosystem of advocacy organizations that contributes to our communities’ efforts to end homelessness. zAmya has amplified the voices of people with lived experience and demonstrates the value of listening to these voices.
From the one-time participant in a zAmya workshop at Minneapolis Central Library to the troupe member who has been in the company for 15 years - the impact on participants is significant. People leave our workshops uplifted, often making a connection to another person or resource to which they will return. Some of our troupe members credit zAmya with bringing them out of depression and isolation. For some it’s inspired them to seek a career in the arts or to develop a personal artistic practice. For some who grew up doing theater or making art, zAmya has been a place to return to that craft. Some have found housing and/or employment through connections made in the company or with the audience. Some have gone on to be public speakers and/or housing advocates.
I have to say though that for some that has not been the case. Some continue to struggle. Some of our past cast members have died while homeless. The forces of poverty and displacement are rampant and it’s a continuous battle.
Q: How do you build trust with people who may not see themselves as “actors” but have powerful stories to tell?
A: Sometimes it doesn’t take much - I have found many folks to be very open and willing to share their story, grateful to be seen and heard. zAmya has a troupe of actors who are engaged with zAmya in an ongoing way. This group shows up as co-facilitators and participants in our workshops and their peer-to-peer leadership helps create a fun, supportive atmosphere that contributes to the trust. Theater making can inherently be trust-building which is why it’s a good tool for building community. It requires that everyone show up so we have to depend on each other. We are practicing together, which can be vulnerable, which also builds trust.
Q: What’s your process for turning lived experiences into a cohesive performance?
A: Generally speaking, we start with creative workshops that include writing, story-sharing, improvisation. Stories, ideas, and material generated in these workshops is crafted into a script by a playwright. Sometimes that has been a professional playwright and sometimes it has been a member of our company or multiple troupe members. Plays are usually performed by a mix of actors, some who are from our ongoing troupe and some who join the cast from the workshop process and are new to the stage.
Living in America Photo by Bruce Silcox, graphic design by Amy Danielson
Our most recent show was Living in America: The Waiting List is Full. We chose to do a show about the topic of “public housing.” The theme was proposed by Esther Ouray, an artist who works as our Company Manager. She had her own experience with public housing when after a divorce she had two small children and no housing or money. She learned from friends of friends about some new public housing on the West Bank that had a three-week waiting list. She got on the list and got into the housing - she found a supportive community of single moms and children, safety and a place to land. She got a Section 8 voucher through a lottery. That voucher program no longer exists.
This experience, along with the fact that we have so many troupe members who have experience living or growing up in public housing, influenced us to choose it as a theme for our Creative Expression Session at the Minneapolis Central Library.
People responded to prompts for writing and scene making. Esther compiled the writings from folks, and did some research into the history of public housing and what it looks like in other countries. She describes herself as the script “arranger.”
Another example is Home Street Home: Minneapolis, a show we performed at the Guthrie in 2016 in partnership with the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association and the Downtown 2025 Ending Street Homelessness Committee. This show was created through story circles held with people who live, work, play and pray in Downtown Minneapolis - including at a Vikings Tailgate party, a meeting of security guards, a condo association. These story circles were facilitated by myself with playwright Josef Evans, who crafted an outline. He brought the outline to our troupe of actors who did improvisations around the scene ideas. Joe wrote the script using the improvisations as a base. Troupe member Caroline Mannheimer wrote two songs and a poem that was included in the final script which continued to be fine-tuned as we rehearsed.
Shannon Kemp (L) with Caroline Mannheimer Photo by Bruce Silcox
Q: Can you share a moment from a production that really captured what zAmya is all about?
A: A scene - actually a musical number - from our very first show was written by Josef Evans inspired by a story and improvisation from a cast member, Chris. Chris had shared that when he was evicted from his housing he remembered carrying his belongings on the street and how people were going out of their way to avoid him and how that made him feel. We did a series of improvisations around this scene, trying on different styles, and when we tried on “musical” Chris sang his thoughts out loud while another person sang the thoughts of the person avoiding him. What had been a painful experience became something that had us laughing hysterically - not at Chris’ experience but at the absurdity of the experience. It helps demonstrate that in this situation the fear of the people avoiding him is unwarranted. It also helps the audience see the humanity of people in Chris’ situation. The laughter breaks down the fear of the encounter and the conversation.
Q: As a director and leader, what’s been your biggest challenge — and your proudest accomplishment?
A: That might be the same answer. I’m really proud of the wide range of people, stories, personalities and abilities and disabilities that have been on the zAmya stage. It’s also a big challenge to hold space for such a diverse array of people and support everyone to succeed. Right now, a challenge is that there are more people who want to be in relationship with zAmya and perform and be part of the company, and organizations that want to partner, than we can sustain. So, we are challenged to prioritize while also considering how to expand our organization to sustain the people and dynamic partnerships we are in relationship with.
Q: Congratulations on the abundance of people and organizations who want to be part of zAmya. How do you measure success in a mission-driven arts organization like zAmya?
A: We listen to the feedback offered from participants, troupe members and audiences as offered informally or through surveys and post-show dialogue. We listen for the impact. In our last production we got a lot of comments from audience that they were moved, entertained and learned something about public housing. It was clear that the stories shared in the production were informative and thought-provoking and it was powerful to have the person whose story it was sharing directly. We feel this show was a success. It’s also a sign of success when the actors have fun and a sense of accomplishment or share that they experienced some healing around being witnessed in their experience.
Q: What’s next for you and zAmya Theater? Are there new directions or collaborations you’re excited about?
A: We started up our Tuesday morning Creative Expression Sessions at Minneapolis Central Library on January 13th, and we’re adding Wednesday afternoon Performance Skills workshops with Lelis Brito and Harry Waters, Jr. Later in 2026 we’ll start doing the story circles for “A Prairie Homeless Companion" - Southeast adaptation which we’ll work on in partnership with a shelter in Owatonna and a lived experience advocacy network in Winona, MN. We’re also going to be creating new work in St. Paul with 825 Arts inspired by community workshops.
A direction we’ve been nurturing for some years now is a focus on the public health impacts of homelessness and a collaboration with a group of physicians organizing to address disparities in the healthcare system called “EqualHealth’s Global Campaign Against Racism - Twin Cities Chapter.” We have been creating work and hosting events with this group that are particularly focused on building solidarity between healthcare workers and people who are unhoused. Together we are planning an artist residency for this May with artist/activist Chen Alon, who specializes in a model of “Polarized Theater of the Oppressed” that he and colleagues developed working together as Palestinians and Israelis.
Q: What advice would you give to other artists working at the intersection of art and social change?
A: For me, it’s been important to have a network of other artists to be in community with to learn from and share success and challenges. I think it’s important to have some kind of personal practice that helps you stay grounded…and re-ground when the inevitable tough moment comes along. Also take good notes, keep your workshop flows, and invest in good documentation of your work (something I haven’t always done and regret!).
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