Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Civic Ensemble's ReEntry Theatre Program will be presenting a recording of their performance of Streets Like This, which was originally scheduled for ten performances in mid-March, and was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current production is a remount of the 2018 production of Streets Like This.

"When the show was shut down, we decided to use our recording of the production to make sure as many people as possible could experience the show and continue the conversation. We wanted to continue the dialogue about policies and practices that impact people who have experienced incarceration in Tompkins County," said co-playwright and actor A.C. Sidle.

The recorded performance will be available to the public between Thursday, April 30 and Sunday, May 17. A link will be distributed on Thursday, April 30 and will remain open and accessible through the end of the day on Sunday, May 17. Civic Ensemble will also host a live discussion about the play and the issues it raises on Saturday, May 9th at 8pm.

All material for the play comes from the real lives and imaginations of participants of the program and woven into a story shared by two characters, Deon and Dennis. Worn out from past convictions, dysfunctional institutions, and the preventable deaths of loved ones, the two men sit on a stoop and watch Crystal, Abby, and Brian struggle with their diverse obstacles and mistakes while stuck in the United States' broken criminal justice system. Streets Like This travels from Ithaca's Meadow Street Mobil Station to the Social Services offices, and from the curb outside Day Reporting, to workplaces and homes.

Civic Ensemble launched the ReEntry Theatre Program in 2015. It is an opportunity for members of the community who have experienced incarceration — prison, jail, or drug rehabilitation — to learn storytelling skills, create theatre work, and build community together, regardless of arts experience, criminal record, or income. The group has previously presented A Setback Ain't Nothing but a Setup for a Comeback in March 2015 and Dreams and Nightmares: Do What You Always Did, Get What You Always Got in April 2016. As of October 2017, the ReEntry Theatre Program meets every Monday 9am-11am at Day Reporting, to provide a consistent meeting for returning participants and give individuals sentenced to attend Day Reporting a creative outlet.

The cast and crew consists of new and returning members of the ReEntry Theatre Program as well as actors from the community who have not experienced incarceration. Leroy Barrett, Abdullah Khalil Bey, Brian Briggs, Sherron Brown, Suzanne Burnham, Melissa Cady, Terrell Dickson, Heather Duke, Jo-Louis Hallback, Casandra Ponton, Edwin Santiago, Elizabeth Seldin, and A.C. Sidle, will act. At the helm of the ensemble are director Sarah K. Chalmers, assistant directors Carley Robinson and Amy Heffron, stage manager Jackie Scheiner, and assistant stage managers Heather Duke and Dan Zannella. The production is designed by Elizabeth Kitney (costumes & props), Lea Davis (lighting), and Rudy Gerson (sound), with scenic consultation from Norm Johnson. Off stage, support comes from Civic Ensemble staff Sage Alia Clemenco, Julia Taylor, and Marketing and Box Office Associate Francesca Infante-Meehan. Carrie T. Chalmers provided graphic design.

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