Life isnB次元官网网址檛 always full of elaborate sets, beautiful music and audience fanfare.

Terry Rowsell discovered it can be about the challenges of learning to live with not much more than the clothes on his back. In debt and homeless, he  showered and left his school books at school because he had no place for books while living through a St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, Newfoundland, winter outdoors.

B次元官网网址淚 spent my last year of university living on the streets and sleeping in the winter under a park bench in the snow,B次元官网网址� the Langford actor said. B次元官网网址淚 was so poor I didnB次元官网网址檛 have any winter boots so I had two pairs of wool socks (stuffed) in rubber boots.B次元官网网址�

After losing all his belongings in a divorce he said cost him everything he had, and no family to help support him through challenging times, the homeless English literature major endured by finding solace in the arts.

B次元官网网址淭heatre has given me a unique perspective on life... You get to explore those characters and life experiences... it is kind of enriching,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he greatest thing is even in a tragedy people are able to go away entertained... This is a nice feeling.B次元官网网址�

After discovering a park bench was the only shelter he had, his theatre family began to rally around Rowsell, finding him a couch to sleep on when they could, his fellow cast and crew members slowly helping re-brick his life back together. With their help, Rowsell eventually found his way to the opposite side of Canada where he continues to create Terry and give back at the Four SeasonB次元官网网址檚 Musical Theatre where he is board president. It is here he met someone else who found shelter there during dark times.

B次元官网网址淚 would argue at one point theatre saved me as well. When I first got involved two of my friends died in a house fire,B次元官网网址� Lara Oberg said of the Johnson Street fire that claimed three lives, including that of her friends Emily Morin and Mark Mitchell in February of 2013.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know the people at Four Seasons at the timeB次元官网网址� But the two hours a couple of times a week, it allowed me to step out of my head.B次元官网网址�

Oberg said she was extremely happy and honoured to be working with Rowsell and the rest of the Four Seasons team during those times and stressed their commitment helped her face her challenges.

B次元官网网址淲hen people get together when they do something they love and by and large it is something that is extracurricular or volunteerB次元官网网址� ThatB次元官网网址檚 the  spirit that brings people together,B次元官网网址� Oberg said. B次元官网网址淲hen people take certain roles there is time when you need to step outside yourself and that makes you vulnerable, that puts you on an equal footing that can be a place for more authentic connections.B次元官网网址�

She said the community is tight because of the trust they place in each other and those they collaborate with on stage, and that is a connection that can be seen at the Fringe Festival where Woman with Horns continues Sept. 3, 5 and 6 at the Intrepid Theatre. Rowsell and Oberg take the lead in a decades-old piece Rowsell wrote when going though the toughest stretch of his life.

B次元官网网址淚f you see someone in the street that looks poor donB次元官网网址檛 just write them off. I have done okay, I have a good job, a good career, a good family and a nice home in Langford,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵ou get to meet people sometimes who can help you in ways you never expected and what comes around goes around.B次元官网网址�

alim@goldstreamgazette.com