What makes life worth living?

Happy feet...happy memories

No Fixed Abode was one of the most intense experiences in my life. It's a weird feeling to go through so much and learn so many new skills in such a concentrated amount of time.

It is hard to believe that apart from the recruitment process (finding people with experience of homelessness) which took place for a few days before Christmas, the rest of the process took just 11 days - even including the filming.

In that short time, nine strangers with little experience in acting and some feeling anxious to the point where even dealing with other people was difficult, created something very special.

The credit for that goes partly to Augusto Boal who created this wonderful thing called Forum Theatre and its associated games; partly to Terry the director and her colleagues for holding a safe space, and finally, and importantly, to a courageous group of people willing to take a creative risk. They stepped into the unknown to try something new with little idea where it would lead.

Maybe when you have hit rock bottom and endured suffering you have a better idea of what's important; proving yourself or showing off isn't an issue.  I wonder if a more comfortably-off group would have moved so far so fast. Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that the cast of No Fixed Abode established a close bond and the sort of human connection that surely makes life really worth living.