Poughkeepsie - "The performance [of Time In] and the whole experience took my breath away," said Nina Felshin, curator of the Zilkha Gallery at Wesleyan University. "The brew of warmth, love, pain, emotion, and survival, moved me and paralyzed me at the same time."
Time In
is an innovative and moving performance piece written by former female inmates about their time inside a maximum-security prison. The mixture of dance, song, and story will be performed on Saturday, February 14th, at 8:00 p.m., in the Martel Theater of the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film. This event is free and open to the public.
The piece incorporates the words and voices of dozens of women inmates at the maximum-security York Correctional Institution in Niantic, CT, who participated in a yearlong arts residency with Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble (JDPE) and the a capella gospel singers of Women of the Cross (WOTC). The residency included an intensive five-day session in June that culminated in two performances of Time In at the prison, with inmates performing alongside JDPE dancers and WOTC singers.
In a uniquely authentic and unusually provocative way, Time In focuses on the theme of time from the perspective of imprisoned women, including mothers, daughters, and wives. Many of the women who share their stories have battered histories of physical abuse, drugs, and street life. For these women, the experience of participating in the project is life altering.
"This has been a tremendous experience for me and has given me an opportunity to face some demons that had been buried for many years," wrote one inmate. "I feel like an anvil has been removed from my chest. This program is a good start for many of us who want to heal and don’t know where to start."
This is one of several programs, which is scheduled during the spring semester in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Africana Studies Program.
