Our History

Our History The roots of the Voices Foundation run deep in St. Bernard Parish. Those roots stem from the actors, educators, directors and producers who worked together for several years to provide theatrical entertainment and workshops in a local theatrical production company called Shine Productions. Barry Lemoine and Rose Marie Sand have been partners in Shine Productions since 2000, and have produced seasons of entertainment that include many of Lemoine's original plays. Actors and crew members from Shine found themselves spread across the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's devastating hit to St. Bernard parish parish In the months that followed, as many of them returned to their hometowns, an idea was born to form a non-profit called The Voices Foundation, and to tour the country to put a face to the tragedy of this not-so-perfect storm. Shine partner Barry Lemoine had long had a vision to form a traveling road troupe, and with the loss of our homes and jobs, this time seemed like the right time for such a venture. This wasn’t our first experience with the art of telling the stories of our community. Barry's works include “An Evening with Betsy, Voices from the Storm,” a play which told the stories of the survivors of the category three hurricane that hit New Orleans in 1965, and “Louisiana PurChase,” a play commissioned by the state of Louisiana for the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. In 2003, Shine secured the rights to local political cartoonist and icon, John Curchill Chase's cartoon book about the Purchase, and that production formed the basis of what was to become The Voices Foundation's original production called “The Voices of Louisiana” in 2006. Lemoine also organized and directed fund raising events for Katrina victims when he was an evacuee in Troy, Alabama in the immediate aftermath of the storm. The founding board members of the Voices Foundation are Barry Lemoine, Rose Marie Sand, Christian Bordelon, Shannon Gildea and Edward McGuinness. In February of 2006, several members of the Shine 'family' of friends and co-workers traveled to New York City to tell their stories to McGuinness's classes at Archbishop Malloy High School in Queens, where McGuinness is a teacher and counselor. Thus a dream, and a show, was born. From the Louisiana Purchase to political maneuvers and natural disasters that have shaped our lives, the Voices of Louisiana presents humorous and poignant monologues, vignettes and visuals both educate and entertain. The board members and many supporters of this vision worked tirelessly to promote, produce, raise funds and take our story of Louisiana's history on the road. With very little assets, the undertaking was at times, daunting. As Barry often said at that time, “all we need is – everything.” With donations of costumes from New York's Jackie Factory, a script that benefited from the colloborations of veteran comedian Tom Hassinger, writers Rose Marie Sand and Christian Bordelon, the project came together. While on the road, all members of the troupe served not only as actors, but also booking agents, tech crew and even assumed kitchen duties. These seven actors and educators – Barry Lemoine, Rose Marie Sand, Christian Bordelon, Tom Hassinger, Shannon Gildea and Katie Betz - named themselves the Evacuation Theatre Troupe, rented a 37 foot RV, and took to the road headed for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The months of rehearsals and rewrites, weeks of fund raising and booking shows, culminated in dozens of performances to varied audiences along the way. Then, after walking barefoot in the small stream at Lake Itasca, Minnesota that forms the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi, the troupe took the Great River Road back to St. Bernard. During that return trip, another project was conceived, “Bless Ya Boys.” A loving and irreverent look at our beloved New Orleans Saints football team, Bless Ya Boys has been produced by Shine Productions and performed to sold out audiences during every football season since our return. A documentary film about the members of troupe and their epic journey was produced, written and directed by Annette Campo, with video by Campo, Lemoine and videographer Jack Jackson, Jr. This documentary was funded by a grant from the Louisiana Arts Council. The Voices Foundation has also received grant support from Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Louisiana Cultural Economy Fund. The Voices Foundation would like to extend our thanks to the state of Louisiana, and to the grant contributors and scholarship donors who have made our efforts successful. We also extend our thanks to those volunteers from across the globe who have helped in our recovery, and reiterate the importance of keeping our area alive & viable. We will continue in our mission to preserve the history and culture of our rich landscape. The Louisiana Purchase What do Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma and Louisiana have in common? They were all part of the Louisiana Purchase. With the Louisiana Purchase, the United States doubled in size! Our nation’s acquisition of New Orleans was a pivotal moment in our history, so, too, is it’s rebirth critical to our future.