Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Civic Ensemble's ReEntry Theatre Program Presents, 'A Setback Ain't Nothing but a Setup for a Comeback,' written and performed by participants who have been incarcerated at one time in their lives. The ReEntry Theatre Program is an 8-week course during which participants create individual short plays about their experiences to be performed at a culminating event for family, friends, community members, and employers. The event is free and everyone is encouraged to reserve seats. Those concerned about transportation to and from the event should contact the box office number for help with rides.

According to the Department of Justice, re-entry refers to the transition of our community members from prisons or jails back into the community. Nationally, more than 650,000 people are released from state and federal prisons every year. An even greater number is released from local jails. Two-thirds of these community members will be rearrested and many will be reincarcerated within three years of their release.

The eight participants of the program are Will Barrick, Abdullah Khalil Bey, Phoebe Brown, Terrell M. Dickson, Teheran Forest, Kevin George, Amanda Norton, and José Pellot. Topics of their plays include the fallout from the death of a loved one, the military, employment difficulties, healthcare, addiction, and race.

When asked why he participated in the program Mr. Bey responded, "It's offered me an opportunity to reflect on whether I've made real progress or not in becoming a truly free individual in what is, for a felon, a not so free world."

Amanda Norton commented, "People are judged too quickly. It is important to look at the whole of an individual before passing judgment. We are all facing the challenges life presents."

Civic Ensemble artists Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., and Sarah K. Chalmers have facilitated the work and shepherded the new plays in their development. They used theatre games, group activities, storytelling, and playwriting exercises as part of the process. "This group is so supportive of each other. There is a real bond in having gone through some of the same experiences, and because some have been out longer than others, there's an opportunity for mentorship," Simmons noted. When discussing the event Chalmers offered, "We're hoping the event on April 22nd will raise awareness of the challenges facing those experiencing re-entry after incarceration, and how difficulty with employment, in particular, can create a cascade of negative consequences for people trying to get their lives back in order."

The ReEntry Theatre Program was the brainchild of Lisa Ellin, prison educator and actor in Civic Ensemble's Safety, a recent production about community-police relations.

"I've seen firsthand how hard the process of reentry can be, and I've always wanted to combine my interest in criminal justice with my love of theatre," she says. "I want the people who are getting out of jails and prisons and returning to our community to be able to get jobs and move their lives forward."

'A Setback Ain't Nothing but a Setup for a Comeback' will be performed Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 6:30pm at the Hangar Theatre.

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