Thousand Kites
2007 - Roadside Theater
Thousand Kites was scripted from the personal stories of people affected by the U.S. criminal justice system, including prisoners and their loved ones, prison employees and their families, and those living in communities where prisons are sited. This play’s true stories come from prisoners, corrections officers, and their respective families; and from people living in communities where prisons are sited.
The play has three acts without intermission. Act 1 is a scripted performance or reading. Act 2 builds on Act 1 by turning to the audience for comments and testimony. In Act 3, a moderator asks cast and audience to focus on actions to be taken based on the analysis flowing from the first two acts.
Theater experience is not necessary to perform the play, which can be read by community members in a living room or performed in an auditorium. It can be used along with the Kites video and audio tools or by itself. Anyone can:
Do an informal play reading at a group meeting or family get-together;
Pass out scripts and read the play at a house party;
Talk to their local college or community theater about doing a public reading or production of the play;
Adapt the play to their particular circumstance – adding their own stories or ideas;
Combine a play reading or performance with Kites video and radio tools.
Commentary
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“We accomplished a lot with radio and film, but we still needed a communication tool with a low-cost threshold, great accessibility, and the capacity for participation at the level of the artmaking itself. So, we went to Roadside Theater.”
Nick Szuberla (Nation Inside organizer)
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“Thousand Kites inserts radio, video, theater, and internet resources into a campaign whose long-term goal is to end the damage the US prison industry causes. Thousand Kites is grounded in the voices of prisoners, guards, and their respective families who experience the system’s dysfunction daily.”
Jan Cohen-Cruz (author)
