The Freedom Project Shines a Light on Incarceration

Everett Stage is presenting The Freedom Project, a multi-media theatrical experience interweaving dance, personal stories and videos detailing the lives of men and women in our nation’s prisons, specifically the lives of African-Americans. 

The United States has 5% of the world population and 25% of world prisoners. African-Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population. African-Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. Together, African-American and Hispanics comprised 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African-Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population.

The Freedom Project features videos projected onto white sheets, which are moved across the floor by the performers. The stories are grim and tinged with sadness. We learn how dehumanizing the prison experience can be for inmates.

One woman recalls being pregnant with a drug dealer’s baby. She was homeless and used drugs during her pregnancy. She later ended up in prison, where she delivered her baby. She spent 10 months in segregation. Twenty-three out of every 24 hours were spent in her cell. The prison staff did not provide her any counseling or medication to help her cope with a methadone addiction.

“I wanted to kill myself,” the woman recalled. 

A man remembers growing up in a New Jersey housing project, where he was lured into a life of crime. He killed a man and felt his humanity leaving him.

Another man who was raised by an incarcerated father managed to beat the odds and make something worthwhile of his life. He worked two jobs while attending college. He now works with troubled youths in the hope of setting them on a straight path. He noted how lucky he was, considering the fact that 85% of children of incarcerated parents end up going to prison in their lives.

Director Aaron Jungels, who also performs in The Freedom Project, has crafted a mesmerizing show that makes the audience think about a segment of the population we have thrown away.

What leads to people committing crimes and ending up behind bars? Is it the impact of growing up in abusive and violent homes? A lack of counseling services in our schools? A lack of well-paying jobs? Is the criminal justice system unfair to the poor and people of color?

Jungels and his fellow performers, including Grace Bevilacqua, Ari Brisbon, Christopher Johnson, Jahlill Prince and Sokeo Ros, use piles of cinder blocks to evoke the feelings of isolation and oppression of prisoners.

The Freedom Project ends on a hopeful note. It is a call for society to be more loving and to reach out to minority communities to lift them up from poverty and despair. Too many of our fellow citizens are wasting away behind bars.

This is a show everyone needs to see.

The Freedom Project runs through October 18 at Everett Stage. 9 Duncan Ave, Providence. $25 – Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm (Sundays are pay what you can.) For tickets, go to www.everettri.org or call 401-831-9479.