Friendship Shelter will present its second annual “Stories of Home” event on Thursday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. at [seven-degrees]. Last year’s production ­won wide praise for its simple but powerful presentation of world-class actors, alone onstage, performing a carefully selected variety of top contemporary short stories on the theme of “home.”

“The combination of the written word with the immediacy of an actor’s visceral, live interpretation is a powerful performance that brings a story to life,” said Dawn Price, executive director of Friendship Shelter. “We’re excited to put on this event for the second year with our presenting sponsor Wells Fargo and we invite all arts lovers to come see what we’ve put together.”

This year’s performance adds new elements: a variety of actors, some from the local scene, plus art pieces created by members of the Artists’ Collective, a small group of professional artists who are current or past residents of Friendship Shelter, and whose talents are being nurtured by the organization. Art on display will be available for purchase.

Scheduled to appear at this year’s “Stories of Home” performance are:

• Jonelle Allen, Tony-nominated actor and longtime Laguna Beach resident, was in the original off-Broadway cast of “Hair.”  Allen appeared in a total of 106 episodes of “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and her film credits include "Cotton Comes to Harlem," "The Hotel New Hampshire," and "The River Niger,"  for which she won an NAACP Image Award. Other television appearances include "ER," "Hill Street Blues," "All in the Family," "The Love Boat," and many others. She is currently an instructor at Musical Theatre University, which trains future theater professionals in acting, singing and dancing. At the June 16 event, her young students will join her in her performance of a traditional West African folktale, told in spoken word, music, and movement.

 • Richard Burgi has a long career as a TV, film and stage actor. The longtime Laguna Beach resident has generously agreed to reprise his role as a “Stories of Home” performer for a second year. His credits include “Desperate Housewives,” “Nip/Tuck,” “In Her Shoes,” “Judging Amy,” and dozens of others. Burgi’s sons and their mother are Laguna Beach residents who regularly volunteer to make and serve dinner for Friendship Shelter residents. At last year’s event, Burgi impeccably performed Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly,” which had appeared in The New Yorker.

• Melissa Denton is an actor, director and arts administrator with more than 15 years of arts education experience. She is currently program director for The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company in Los Angeles, which works through theater with young people in programming implementation and development, teacher training and curriculum development. Her TV acting credits include “Seinfeld,” “Mad TV,” and “Sex and the City.”

• Linda Gehringer has spent more than 30 years working in theater and television. Most recently, the Laguna Beach resident was seen in “Circle Mirror Transformation” at South Coast Repertory, on Fox’s “Raising Hope,” and for the last two seasons of the FX series “Justified.”  Her long list of TV credits includes “Gilmore Girls,” “Weeds,” “The West Wing,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Cold Case,” “Boston Legal,” and “Frasier,” among others.  Gehringer has been seen in dozens of plays over the past 15 years at South Coast Repertory, including “The Language Archive,” “Doubt,” “The Piano Teacher,” “Golden Child,” and many more.

 • Mark Miller, a former stage actor and director who now serves as associate executive director at Friendship Shelter, will perform again this year.

• Recognizable locals involved in the show include Laguna Beach Police Department officer Jason Farris, whose beat is Laguna’s homeless community; Rev. B.J. Beu, pastor of Neighborhood Congregational Church; and Laguna Beach High School drama teacher Mark Dressler, who will direct a performance by his students from Laguna Beach High School. 

Friendship Shelter staff and volunteers will produce the event, pairing actors with selected literary pieces. Two stories set to be performed were written locally, by members of the DimeStories writing group.

The actors generously volunteer their talent for the cause. All proceeds benefit Friendship Shelter. Tickets are $65 each. Doors at [seven-degrees] open at 6 p.m. for a pre-performance reception with snacks and beverages. [seven-degrees] is located at 891 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. Tickets are available online www.friendshipshelter.org (click on "events"). Sponsorships and tickets are are also available by calling Taylor Mathieson at (949) 494-6928.  Tickets will be sold at the door as available.