Act Two

Act Two provides a joy-focused playwriting experience in Reentry Facilities.

Teaching artists engage groups of residents in fun group exercises, short writing activities and sharing work with the group. The emphasis is on play, which offers a safe and healthy approach to practicing prosocial skills, easing tension, expressing one’s unique imagination, and discovering creative approaches to problem-solving.

Participants express their creative voices and gain new appreciation for their own creativity and that of their peers. They find commonality and build community.

Discovering multiple perspectives in a playful environment encourages participants to look at conflict in new ways and to exercise emotional intelligence to diffuse stressful situations.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

• Playwriting sessions typically meet for 1-hour to 90-minutes once per week
• The group meets in restorative circles to check in and gauge the energy of each partcipant
• Writing exercises are introduced, modeling samples previously written or improvised in the moment
• Participants are given time to write
• Writing is read aloud by peers and instructors
• Teaching artists lead an uplifting discussion to celebrate the writers work
• Writers are encouraged to expand the writing, noting aspects of the writing that spark curiosity
• Selections from each participant are performed by professional actors at the end of the program