we are alchemists;
we hold our pain
and spin it to gold-
we perform miracles.
—Angela Davis
SpiritHouse is preparing to launch programming that includes community theatre classes and free therapy services post-release, including therapeutic groups. This is our prison-to-performance pipeline, and it is based in our foundational belief in continuity of care, post-traumatic growth, and the importance of community for healing.
In Texas, recidivism rates range from 15-20% over a given three year period and many individuals post-release struggle with mental health challenges. Providing continuity of mental health services and theatre engagement from the jail to the community setting creates a much needed bridge, as well as purpose and meaning, for participants.
Theater programs have a proven record of reducing recidivism and easing the post-release transition in the United States. Programs such as Shakespeare Behind Bars and Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) have demonstrated significant success in reducing recidivism rates. As a city dedicated to the arts, we believe it is high time for Austin to have its own theater program in SpiritHouse.
“Storytelling is inherently ritualistic. We tell stories to connect us to ourselves. They inform us, serving as a tie to the past, while prompting us to imagine bright, limitless futures beyond possibility. Ritual theater contains the potential to heal, elevate and transform those involved. I believe that the telling of our stories can provide catharsis for past and present generations, and I see this company as an act of public service. SpiritHouse is about reclamation, about connecting, about dreaming in that space of Magical Blackness. Our aim is to honor our ancestors with our work, to acknowledge them in ourselves, and to keep the “spirit” of the work alive.”