The Voices of Louisiana The mission of the Voices Foundation is to gather stories and histories and present them through theatrical productions and educational programs that are cultural, historic, and artistic; keeping traditions alive by sharing them for the entertainment of all people.

The Voices Foundation, a non profit 501c3 formed in 2006, has upheld its mission with several professional productions and ongoing scholarship programs. For information about shows, projects and scholarships, visit the links we share on this web site. From August through September of 2006, the Voices Foundation's Evacuation Theatre Troupe toured the states of the Louisiana Purchase with their original production called “The Voices of Louisiana.” This show highlights the history, hardship and humor of Louisiana. We continue to bring these voices to the forefront, and to collect stories of Louisiana residents. In conjunction with St. Bernard based production company Shine Productions, LLC ,the Voices Foundation has awarded over $5,000 to students in St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes.

Shine presents BLESS YA BOYS If you love “dem Saints,“ break out your black and gold for Bless Ya Boys: A History of the Saints Franchise. It’s a comedic look at our beloved Saints history, or as we like to say, the history of The New Orleans Saints (Abridged) and it all takes place in heaven, where instead of your history flashing in front of your eyes – we flash the history and heartache of our beloved black and gold. See Archie Manning in My Three Sons, Rickey Williams and Mike Ditka in The Odd Couple and more. Shine presents this original play written by Tom Hassinger and directed by Barry Lemoine. Starring : Tom Hassinger, Barry Lemoine, Christian Bordelon, Will Schneider, Ronnie Blanchard, and Katherine Karcher Produced by Rose Marie Sand Proceeds from the opening weekend will be donated to the Voices Foundation Scholarship Fund. September 3,4,5 October 15,16,17,22,23,24 Le Chat Noir Cabaret 715 St. Charles Avenue | New Orleans | 504.581.5812 Show begins at 8:00 FOR TICKETS CALL: 504.581.5812 "Bless You Boys was the closest thing Le Chat Noir will ever see to a sports bar! I don't think we've ever had that many cute, straight guys on stage at one time! And they are talented actors, too! Ain't we got fun, girls!" Barbara Motley, Proprietor Le Chat Noir "Bless Ya' Boys uniquely captures the highs and lows of Saints' fans from day one that will keep you laughing throughout the show. It's a must see for fans of the Saints and New Orleans." Mike Dileberto (Buddy's boy) Tuesday's 'Bless Ya, Boys,' a broken-field run down memory lane September 24, 2007 by Angus Lind, Times Picayune It covers 40 years in 90 minutes, moving faster than many New Orleans Saints players ever did and running through lines with more punch than the team had during much of its history. That's "Bless Ya, Boys," a loving, irreverent broken-field run down the black-and-gold memory lane playing at 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Le Chat Noir, through Oct. 30. In the show, at least two dozen Saintly characters are played by only six versatile actors, most of them operating in quick-change mode. The Shine Production comedy troupe of Arabi, through Divine Intervention (the stage is divided into Heaven and Earth), brings together Buddy Diliberto, John Mecom, Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc, Marie Laveau, Archie Manning and sons, Jim Mora, Vince Marinello, Mike Ditka, Ricky Williams, Hank Stram and the Saintsations -- or, as they are referred to here, the "SinSations." Then there are Heavenly figures such as St. Peter, St. Christopher and Our Lady of Perpetual Incompetence, plus Gumbo the St. Bernard mascot, the Bagheads and the booming melodramatic voice of the late John Facenda of NFL Films, brought back to life and sarcasm by the vocal chords of Tom Hassinger. Facenda: "The Saints capped off the year 2000 with their first-ever playoff win, a thrilling come-from-ahead victory over St. Louis that was sealed when Rams' return specialist Az-Hakim muffed a routine punt in the final minute of play. Five years later, the Saints would offer Az-Hakim a lucrative free agent contract, demonstrating the keen eye for talent and re-sale value that has characterized the organization since Tom Benson assumed ownership and laid the groundwork for guiding the team . . . just around the next curve." "Bless Ya, Boys" is directed by Barry Lemoine, a key performer (as St. Peter, Ricky Williams and Eli Manning) along with Hassinger (Benson, Archie, Buddy D); Christian Bordelon (Marinello, Stram, St. Christopher); and Will Schneider (Mecom, Ditka, Gumbo and Peyton Manning). Then there are those SinSations, played by Shane Palmer (who also appears as Marie Laveau) and Jenny Abshier, who tells the audience: "My name is Monica. I'm from Metairie. I've been dancing since I was 3. Actually, that's when I started taking classes. My mama said I danced right out of her womb . . . My dream is to marry a rich football player. But first I want to be a SinSation." The play was conceived while the Shine actors, most of whom are from St. Bernard and lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina, were on the road as the Evacuation Theatre Troupe during the 2006 season. They were doing their "Voices of Louisiana" production, about the history of the state and the hardships facing it in the storm's aftermath. "We did 16 shows over a 12-week period in the Louisiana Purchase area, but every Sunday we were running and gunning, trying to find a town that had a sports bar where we could watch the Saints," said Lemoine, a huge fan. As the season progressed, the idea for the comedic tribute to the Saints was hatched. Shine does a Shakespeare production that covers 37 plays in 90 minutes, "so we knew we could do 40 years of the Saints in 90 minutes," said Lemoine, who, aside from his work with the troupe, also produces educational videos for the St. Bernard Parish school system. A collaborative effort, the show is updated every week, to incorporate current topics and developments with the Saints. "We tweak it," Lemoine said. "It's a nurturing group; anything goes. There are a lot of ad-libs and new one-liners, and everybody's quick on their feet." In time, he said, Bum Phillips and Snake Stabler may be written into the show, but as it is, the play certainly has legs and will travel well. The show goes back to before the city had a football franchise: We see a powerful Louisiana politician wearing suspenders in an animated conversation with the NFL commissioner, trying to hammer out a deal for an anti-trust exemption. The commish says if the NFL gets the exemption, they'll give New Orleans a couple of preseason games. "I got a problem with that," says the pol. "You see where I come from, we believe in squid pro quo." And then in no uncertain terms he tells the commissioner he has no choice but to give New Orleans a team if he wants the exemption. He asks the commissioner if he is familiar with his close friend Tony Alto and the Alto family. The commissioner is puzzled and says, "The Altos?" "Yeah, like the Sopranos . . . but lower. Tony asked me to make you an offer you can't understand." The Beer Man (no, not Michael Lewis; this one is from Section 652, the Dome's nosebleed section) takes a walk through the audience at one point, hawking his beer. He is one of the characters who resides in Heaven. "I was there when the Dome opened 'til '86, when I came up here," the beer seller says. "Man, we had some fun. I remember 1979. With Archie leading the way, we finished with eight wins and eight losses, the first non-losing team in team history. Record beer sales, too. The next year, the team lost 15 games, including one in which we blew a 28-point lead. "But you know the people of New Orleans. You gotta make the best of a bad situation, right? So there was another record beer sales but for another reason." The "Odd Couple" segment with Iron Mike Ditka and Ricky Williams could be one of the best, with Ditka blasting the dreadlocked running back for throwing away his expensive stogie. He then finds some of his player's joints, smokes them 'til he is stoned, then chums up with Ricky, saying he needs to "get in touch with his inner lotus." Then there's Buddy D in his studio, joined by Hank Stram. Buddy says he hasn't seen the coach since . . . "Fourth of July, 2005. The day I passed. Six months after you," Stram says. Buddy then asks him if he had any regrets coaching the Saints. "I wish Archie would have been healthy the whole time I was there," Stram says. "He was a franchise player without a franchise. I wish Chuck Muncie hadn't been a cokehead. . . . Yeah, a few regrets." Hassinger, a stand-up comic and school psychologist in St. Tammany Parish, is at his comic zenith as Buddy D, complaining that there are squirrels even in Heaven and trying to pronounce "Hevery Denderson . . . Dendery Heverson . . . you know, that kid from LSU." The choices of music in the show are excellent, one prime example being "Spirit in the Sky" for Buddy's "The Point Hereafter" with Hap Glaudi. And there is a surprise ending for the audience, many of whom wore Saints attire and cheered loudly the night I was there. Wednesday morning quarterbacking: Maybe the costume for Texan John Mecom should have been a cowboy hat and boots instead of cargo shorts and a floppy hat, and maybe the Ditka character could have had a more exaggerated slicked-back wig. But this is fast-paced comedy by a small troupe with not much time for wardrobe adjustments. So there won't be a penalty flag. Or a replay challenge. The play stands. Touchdown! . . . . . . .