Lifelong Learning and the
Faithful Fools Street Ministry
present

THE WITNESS
A One-Woman Performance

Like the moon emerging from a cloud,
the Fool sees there is no separation
between one sentient being and another.
--Excerpt from The Witness

The Witness invites the audience to follow the transformative journey of its protagonist, Tracey, as she experiences life on the streets, bearing witness for the first time to the poverty, deprivation, and humanity that exist there. Performed by actress Anna Brown Griswold, this one-woman play deftly weaves Tracey's story with themes from the ten ox-herding pictures of the ancient Zen Buddhist teachings. In these paintings, the bull symbolizes the principles of life, truth, and enlightenment, and each picture depicts a step in a person's awakening to one's true nature.

On her journey, Tracey discovers that she must confront her own assumptions before she can enter wholeheartedly into the community of all living beings. Her journey provides the audience with a rare opportunity for profound understanding and personal transformation. Events in the play, written and directed by Martha Boesing, are based on the experiences and testimonials of people who have participated in daylong retreats offered by the Faithful Fools Street Ministry. On these retreats, people experience life on the streets, in the process shattering their myths about those living in poverty and discovering their common humanity.