Fringe Arts Festival Show SIREN SONGS Shares Untold Stories Of Opioid Addiction, Providing Free Narcan Workshops To Audience

This year's Fringe Arts Festival will debut a production called Siren Songs to engage the greater Philadelphia community in a conversation concerning opioid addiction. There will be free Narcan workshops provided to show attendees by Philly Unknown to learn the signs and symptoms of overdose and talkbacks led by the cast, production staff, and representatives from local recovery centers including Just Believe Recovery Center and crisis counselor, Joe Carfi.

Siren Songs is partially funded by a small grant from the US Department of State. Over the last year, Temple University alumni and Siren Song's creators Amanda Shaffern and Peter Loikits gathered interviews from 50+ people whose lives have been disrupted by opioid addiction; 7 of those stories are shared in the show. Siren Songs uncovers the untold stories of those living with opioid addictions and brave the path to recovery.

Siren Songs features Val Lambert's story of substance abuse and recovery, "Siren Songs was introduced to me by a dear friend who asked me if I would share my story, in order to raise awareness and reduce the stigma on the opioid epidemic that is currently plaguing our city. My story uncovers the dark truth about addiction, the destruction surrounding it, and the solution many addicts have discovered, a program of recovery based on the maintenance of a spiritual condition. I am grateful to be involved with this project," Lambert said.

"I hope that audiences will leave the show with a better understanding of what causes a person to turn to drugs. No one wakes up and decides they want to be an addict. Some sort of trauma has caused their addiction and it is a daily struggle for many to get clean and live a healthy and sober life," shared Monah Yancy, the actress who portrays Val in Siren Songs.

The show runs September 5-15th at the Warehouse on Watts. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to local recovery, community centers, and future adaptations of Siren Songs. For more info: https://fringearts.com/event/siren-songs/