Most of the actors in Poetic Justice Project have never been onstage before coming to us. The only "requirement" for our actors is that they have been incarcerated and wish to create a new path for their lives.
There are many challenges for people who have been incarcerated: housing, employment, family unification, and usually, substance abuse recovery. Add to this parole or probation meetings, court hearings, obtaining a driver's license, and frequent 12-step meetings.
Why add a theatre production to this daunting menu of life challenges? I asked Becky, an actor in our current production, The Exonerated. She was released from jail five months ago, after serving four years.
She says of her jail time: "I'd like to put that behind me. Although as awful as that situation was, God was right on time, turning dark into light. By a wonderful coincidence I was introduced to Poetic Justice Project, and asked to be part of a play called Planet of Love. Suddenly there was meaning in my life. The inspiration it gave me literally lifted me from the depression I was smothered in and allowed me to reach out to the public in the form of theatre. I realized there's life after incarceration. "
What obstacles does she have to overcome to act in a play? "None," she said. "I'll make it work." She's far from home, sleeping on a relative's couch. She relies on public transportation and rides from friends to go to weekly medical appointments in another city, regular meetings with her parole officer, and rehearsals.
Other cast and crew have similar challenges. In our current production, the stage manager and three actors live in a homeless shelter. Three live in a sober-living homes. Most don't own a car. All are in recovery. One actor, Roger, is a few months out of prison.
Since his release, he got his driver's license and a friend gave him a car, so he commutes from Atascadero to Santa Maria for rehearsals. He's mastered cell phone texting and GPS technology along the way. (But not texting while driving!)
Roger says, "After spending almost 35 years of my life behind bars (for a crime I was guilty of), being isolated from society, and treated less than human in many ways, it is wonderful to be involved in a project that promotes personal growth while at the same time raising public awareness."
He adds: "We need a system that promotes connection with ourselves and others on a heart level so we can learn what it means to be human."
Poetic Justice Project recently performed Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's documentary drama The Exonerated at the United Church of Christ (Congregational) in San Luis Obispo and the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria. The production travels to St. Mary's Center in Oakland on November 3 and 4.
