Inmate and Student Testimonies
Prison program gives voice to inmates (click to view article)
Inmate Testimonies:
“We can be human in prison. I have hope that I can come out of here and be whole.” -Paul
“After a while the audience didn’t see us as inmates. They saw us as actors in the show.” -Scott
“I will remember this experience for the rest of my life.” -Paul
“For that hour I wasn’t at Boley (JLCC).” -Fred
“People on the yard have been saying, ‘I didn’t know you were an actor!’” -CC
“I have no idea how I thought I could walk around all messed up on drugs and think I was getting away with it.” -Bear
"Dear Jodi and Linda, (1-2015 The Shu)
When a friendship is born there is no birth certificate issued, there is nothing tangible. There is just the feeling that your life is different and that your capacity to examine and express yourself has been has been enormously enlarged through very little effort of your own. It's like living in a tiny cell and your friend moves in, but instead of becoming cramped and crowded, the space expands and you discover room you never knew existed until your friend moved in with you. Prision is a much better place with Arts-Aloud in it. Thank you.
- Craig"
Pictured above is Linda Smolen, Paul, and Jodi Jinks.
Student Testimonies:
"When I was first asked to go to a prison to help (with ArtsAloud), I was shocked and couldn't imagine what we would be doing - I had never been to a prison before. The people I worked with were really talented and it was just an amazing experience. It was a great way to see a society of people I've never interacted with and actually get to know them." - Cody Finger
"Working with ArtsAloud is, by far, the greatest theatre experience I've ever had. I've never been more moved by a group of people in my entire life. I'm forever grateful for the oppurtunity and I hope that it's not my last." - Maddy Cunningham