Prison Count Standing

Prison Count Standing (2006)

Prison Count Standing is a community play created 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.

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.