People Who Were Homeless, Addicted, or Had AIDS

Helped Me Help You!

Now, let’s get back to the contents of the book and the fascinating people and events that inspired me to script the real stories of normal, “everyday” people who found themselves in life-altering predicaments leading to homelessness, addiction, and AIDS. It was through them – and also because several Twelve Step programs‘ members allowed me to attend their closed meetings – that I learned invaluable lessons to use in life coaching and in counseling people in a non-judgmental, loving, and supportive way.

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        “THREE HOTS AND A COT”

A Playbook and Now a Book on Amazon

These mini-biographies are authentic accounts of hardship, courage, and love among people who experienced homelessness, drug addiction, AIDS, and other life-wrecking hardships. They tell how “normal, everyday people” find themselves in a shelter for the destitute.

Here is a picture of some of the group when we were performing other works about homelessness with Voices From the Streets. (I’m the one with “the legs” – a volunteer at the shelter. The blond seated on the floor is the late Suzy Goldman, who first conned me into becoming a Producer and Director.)

VOICES FROM THE STREETS Photo by Rick Reinhard (rick@rickreinhard.com)

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Where Did We Perform the Scripts?

The homeless people and I performed Three Hots and a Cot throughout the Washington, D.C. Metro Area and as far away as Richmond, VA, and Kansas City, MO. We did this under the umbrella of my non-profit, Variety Pack, which I formed to help the homeless after leaving Voices From the Streets.

We performed for a multitude of educational, religious, civic, and governmental organizations, including members of Congress and a Governor’s Conference on Housing and Homelessness.  Our performance also was recorded by the National Archives. One script was entered into the Congressional Record by Congressman Tom Lantos, and several were part of a cable television show which ran for months.

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Awards

I received a number of unsolicited awards for this and related volunteer work. Among them were:

• The International Woman of the Year Award
• The Who’s Who of International Business and Professional Women’s Hall of Fame Award
• The Who’s Who of American Women Award
• The Governor’s Gold Medal Award (for work with homeless and addicted people)
• The WDC*TV Women Making A Difference Award (for work with homeless and addicted people)
• The One and Only Channel Nine (WUSA-TV) Award, 1990 (for work with homeless and addicted people)
• Empire Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals
• Who’s Who of International Business & Professional Women – Hall of Fame Award (twice)
• The American Jefferson Award, 1990 (for work with homeless people)

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“Three Hots And A Cot”

…is an expression that homeless people may use to refer to their (often unmet) goal of each day. They spend endless hours trying to find three hot meals and a cot on which to sleep. All material is authentic and is based on actual people’s real experiences. I scripted, produced, and directed the presentations for our performances, which are designed to teach people about these situations and to reveal the beauty and strength of the storytellers.

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Homeless Folks Performed Their Stories

 

The homeless “actors” were sharing about their own lives, except in one case in which we told the story of one of the children whose whole family became homeless. These homeless folks got so good that an audience member once accused me of having hired actors to pretend they were homeless!

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Producers Ask, “How Long Does It Take To Tell These Stories?”

During a full-length show (1 – 1 1/12 hours), a Narrator introduces each account.  But, the monologues may be performed singly, or in small groups when 10 – 20 minutes is the time limit. The approximate time for each reading is listed with each script below.

The cast sometimes contained singers and musicians, so music often was added, based upon the availability of talent.

The troupe conducted a Question and Answer session after the performances.

We still miss those whose lives already have ended.  Happily, most of the performers who survived ultimately found new jobs and homes, or they were reunited with their families and children; some went back to school, and most have their addictions under control.

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Script Summaries: Homelessness, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, AIDS

Biographies as told to Nancy Wyatt by gay folks, straight folks, men, women, children, shelter operators, and a volunteer

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Three Hots and a Cot – Description of Individual Monologues

QUICKSAND

A young man is laid off from his ‘good government job.’  His wife takes their baby and goes to live with her mother, and the landlord evicts him. Brokenhearted, he describes living in starvation on the streets, while still trying to find employment.  The two focuses are a)  how a typical, working American citizen can become homeless, and b)  homeless people are hungry people.  It describes what the typical emotional and physical symptoms are like.  Script:  6 – 9 minutes

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THE VIEW FROM HERE

A young woman’s husband leaves her with their four children.  This script follows her as she gets a minimum wage job; moves in with grandma; gets fired and arrested for shoplifting (she didn’t make enough money for rent AND food), and tracks her into the alleyways where she becomes a prostitute to make food money.  Eventually, she becomes a drug addict, who winds up in jail.  Later, she comes to the shelter for help.  But, there is no room at the inn.  The story is told from the point of view of the shelter operator who has to turn her (and hundreds of others) away.  Script:  7 – 9 minutes

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 PLEASE, GOD

This story presents a newly homeless child’s viewpoint on homelessness.   She describes the shelter, the soup lines, the fear, and seeing ‘all these homeless people who look just like the ones she saw on t.v.!’  Unwittingly, she is being seduced by a drug pusher, even as she watches her own family life disintegrate, making her more vulnerable.  Script:  5 minutes

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YOU CALL HIM ‘DERELICT.’ I CALL HIM “DARLING.”

This is a loving portrait of an old alcoholic panhandler, as he is viewed by a volunteer at the shelter. It is an attempt to humanize and give dimension to a homeless person who DOES fit the stereotype.  Script:  11 minutes  (performed by Nancy Wyatt)

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SON OF HARLEM

This is the story of a young man from a Muslim Household.  He proceeds from the streets of Harlem to the military, to college, to a job as a police officer, and then to the shelter as he becomes lost in drug addiction.  While homeless, he acquired his Master’s Degree (Howard University) and became employed as a drug counselor.  He now has multiple advanced degrees, and he uses his strict upbringing, education, and experience as an addict to live his life constructively and to help others learn the same.  Script:  9 minutes

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WAR

This script is the story of a young, upper-middle-class man who became homeless and, consequently, became sympathetic to the panhandler and the old woman pushing a grocery cart containing all her earthly possessions.  It is a call to action in the war on homelessness.  Script:  2 minutes

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LOVE ALWAYS, … DAD.

One of the things that became clear while working with homeless populations was that, at Christmas, the shelter residents and street people cared only about whether they could “scrape up” a gift for their children or parents. They had little interest in receiving presents themselves. In fact, if they were given a gift, they were very likely to give it to a family member. The next story gives us insight into their feelings.  Script: 2 minutes

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RINDGO

(Pronounced “ring” “go.” The “D” is silent.) This is a revealing portrait of the many contradictory facets of a Black ex-convict, who was married to a minister and has great faith in God.  This person is a diabetic amputee and a drug addict.  The story addresses the issue of whether homeless people are lazy and unwilling to work.  And, it ends on a heartwarming note when he speaks of his volunteer work with homeless children.  Script:  8 – 10 minutes

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READER’S DIGEST

This is a fairly light-hearted script which talks about the speaker’s ‘Most Unforgettable Characters’ at the shelter.  It describes a clown, an undercover agent, and some other colorful folks, ending with memories of Mitch Snyder.  Script:  6 minutes

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MARTIN’S SONG

This story traces the history of a former cast member from his life as a child prodigy “from the projects,” who sang with the National Children’s Choir for a Pope and two American Presidents, to his present state as a recovering drug addict with AIDS.  Script:  3 minutes

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STATISTICS

This monologue makes the point that homeless people are not just statistics.  It tells the story of an 80-year old man who walked from New York City to Washington, D.C., during the Housing Now March on Washington, even though he has brain damage and often cannot walk 2 blocks; the story of a doctor who masquerades as a bag lady and was refused admittance to a conference on “health care for the homeless” at which she was the keynote speaker, etc.  Displays humor and describes how homeless people help homeless people.  Script:  4 minutes

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B.J.’S NIGHT VISIONS

This story begins with a person’s attempted suicide and traces the life circumstances which led up to that point, including the speaker’s suffering from sexual abuse as a child and through a drug overdose by his spouse in adulthood. This story is very harsh. However, the homeless actor (who also was a singer) executed it beautifully. It is not for the weak-hearted.  Its importance lies in the fact that these things are happening to thousands of people all over the United States every day of our lives.  It also ends on a positive note.  Script:  6 minutes

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FAMILY SHELTER

This is a short, but hard-hitting script, describing conditions in a typical family shelter and then asking what kind of adults these children will become.  How can they support our tax base, if they grow up semi-literate or illiterate, succumb to the drug pushers, etc.?  You can use this script effectively as an introduction to PLEASE, GOD. In addition, you can use it as a stand-alone monologue or as part of the Narration.  Script:  2 minutes       

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PURCHASE OPTIONS

Help Others Learn About Homelessness, Addiction, and AIDS

1. You might be eligible for a discounted rate, if you purchase the book here for your book club or classroom use. You also may buy the paperback here as an individual purchase.
2. Technology has improved since I created this page. You now may pay me by direct funds transfer after I give you the email or phone number to use for conveying funds via Electronic Funds Transfer (ETF) from your accounts to mine using Zelle or PayPal. We would do that after a discussion about what version you want to purchase.

You can contact me for details about this by emailing me: MyPersuasivePresentations@gmail.com. Put “3 Hots Inquiry” n the subject line. We also could have a Sip & Share chat on Zoom to discuss this. If you want to do that, use the same email address and put “3 Hots Sip & Share Inquiry” in the subject line.

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Buy the Book Now

The paperback book for the reading public is available here at $10 + $3 shipping.

Discounted rates are available for book clubs, teachers who use this book as reading assignments, etc. 25 copies at $9 ea | 50 copies at $8 ea. | 100 copies at $7 ea. plus shipping.

Bulk Orders | classes/groups

25 copies $225.00 USD50 copies $400.00 USD100 copies $700.00 USD

• You may purchase these stories as a book, online at Amazon.
• If you want to stage a performance, you may purchase the scripts as a playbook. In that format, the manuscript is on 8.5 x 11 pages with line numbers and room for notes. Go to my business website for My Persuasive Presentations, LLC, where this same kind of page is posted. Find the purchase options and link to PayPal at the bottom of that page. To get to that page, click here.
• You can book me to write new stories after interviewing folks in special circumstances.
  1. Typical examples are stories about veterans, people who have lost their homes because of government shutdowns, fires, bankruptcies, etc., people who are struggling with illness, or people facing other challenges of life, like Alzheimer’s disease or domestic violence.
  2. Please contact me for details.  The contact information is available at the end of this page.

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Three Hots and a Cot As a Playbook

Again, to purchase this in playbook format, please go to this link: https://mypersuasivepresentations.com/script-services-publications/three-hots-cot-homelessness-addiction-aids/ where I have set up PayPal options and instructions about the options.

You may purchase the whole Playbook or individual scripts. You will get the benefit of a discount if you are a non-profit organization and you submit proof with a copy of your non-profit ID number. Alternatively, anyone may purchase up to three scripts or up to six scripts of your choice.

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Copyrights and Usage

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The Work is Copyrighted

All Rights Reserved; License to Use Available with Purchase

These scripts are copyrighted by the author,  Nancy Wyatt,  with all rights reserved.  You may not copy, distribute, or perform them without the written permission of Nancy Wyatt.  When you purchase them, PayPal will notify My Persuasive Presentations, LLC that a payment has been received.  However, if you choose fewer scripts than the entire playbook, you must email MyPersuasivePresentations@gmail.com, to tell us which scripts you chose.  (We offer the flexibility of choice, if you purchase scripts individually, so they may best suit your needs.)

A lot of hard work and expense was involved in creating these stories; so please abide by good ethics, as well as the law, and do not distribute, post, or otherwise share the scripts without permission and payment.  Thank you, and I hope you find them illuminating and enjoyable!  I offer them in LOVE on behalf of the brave men and women who have experienced homelessness.  

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Break the Chain (of Domestic Violence)

I also authored a one-act play, called “Break the Chain,” which is about domestic violence.

Contact me now for more information, to purchase scripts, or to have me create original scripts for you!

 

Do It The Write Way! Let My Fingers Do Your Talking!