Unhoused teens become playwrights through Straz partnership

Axios

23-05-2025

Nine teens stand in a circle. Erin Lekovic, a playwright and community engagement instructor at the Straz Center, is in the middle, leading a round of "Fortunately, Unfortunately."
"Unfortunately, I lost my car," one teen begins. "Fortunately, I had wings," another offers. "Unfortunately, I flew too close to the Sun," a third chimes in.
Laughter spreads. The warmup ends. The teens sink into gray couches and open their scripts for today's rehearsal: a comedy they wrote about a gold-digging leprechaun.
Why it matters: The youngest in the room is 13; the oldest, 18. All of them are experiencing homelessness and live at Metropolitan Ministries with their parents.
But through a partnership between Metropolitan Ministries and the Straz, for 90 minutes each week, they're not case numbers — they're actors and playwrights.
What they're saying: Justine Burke, vice president of marketing for Metropolitan Ministries, noted that many kids the nonprofit serves have never experienced Broadway-style theater.
"It brings them a lot of laughter, a lot of joy. It relieves their stress and exposes them to things that they might otherwise not be able to do."
Zoom in: Lekovic grew up in Tampa and is a product of the Straz's community engagement program. Her mom dropped her off in the summers while she worked.
That's where she first learned that not all plays were written by "dead white guys." They could be made in a room with kids like her. And that stuck with her.
She studied musical theater, started a theater company in New York, worked on stages in Chicago and wrote screenplays in Los Angeles. But her roots were in Tampa, and she returned in 2022.
State of play: The teens have written two plays since January. One is a dark reimagining of "Little Red Riding Hood." The other started as a joke on St. Patrick's Day.
Some of the teens miss classes, but they always come back. Over time, the talkative ones quiet down; the quiet ones speak up. Lekovic has watched them grow into an ensemble.
She hopes a few keep writing. Maybe a few keep acting. But mostly, Lekovic hopes they remember what it felt like to build something together.
What's next: Tonight, the teens have a stage reading. Not all of them will be there — some have jobs, some have SAT prep. Life.