“Starting Over” to Premiere in Sing Sing
On March 26th, 250 invited guests will attend a performance of Starting Over inside Sing Sing, a maximum security prison in Ossining, New York. Presented by Rehabilitation Through The Arts, Starting Over was written by prisoners in the RTA program in Woodbourne Correctional Facility – 100 miles away. It will be performed by Sing Sing’s RTA prisoner-members, who also serve as set-builders, crew and stage manager, and directed by RTA volunteer Jeffrey Glaser.
Starting Over tells an honest and unsentimental tale – from prisoners’ own stories – of the emotional consequences of losing freedom but holding on to family connections.
The play provides no “how to” manual or easy answers, but with compassion and humor, it opens up a dialogue for prisoners and their loved ones, as it illuminates another aspect of the struggle for humanity behind prison walls.
This sounds like an incredible event. There really too is little focus on rehabilitation in this country. Organizations like yours and initiatives like Hudson Link really make an important difference.
Good luck with the performance!
6/5/10 I just heard a review of the “Starting Over” performance at Sing Sing on NPR and found it deeply moving. I have little experience–no, make that no experience–of life in America’s prison system. So I am grateful for programs such as this that reveal the tragedies, struggles, and triumphs of these fellow human beings who must endure the best years of their lives in such horrible circumstances. I wish for all possible blessings on these remarkable men and thank both them and you for sharing their achievement.