Playwrights Project Celebrates National Recovery Month With FINDING OUR WAY

 

A group of playwrights at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) created the play, Finding Our Way, in which personal reflections explore the cycle of addiction in a kaleidoscopic view of recovery, from first time use through the spiraling journey of recovery. The playwrights developed the play in Playwrights Project's Out of the Yard program at RJD, conducted by teaching artists James Pillar, Mabelle Reynoso, and Cecelia Kouma (Playwrights Project's Executive Director). The program is provided in partnership with the William James Association, with support from the California Arts Council and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Finding Our Way will be presented at Moxie Theatre on September 21, 2019 at 7:30pm.

Directed by Ruff Yeager, this production is part of Playwrights Project's Mosaic program, which features professional productions of plays drawn from underserved communities. Mosaic honors the spirit of Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company and the generosity of Mo'olelo supporters, who supported their work before it closed its doors.

Finding Our Way was originally written as a companion piece to Other People's Kids by Mabelle Reynoso, written as a commission to Playwrights Project from the U.S Attorney's Office and Social Advocates for Youth San Diego in responses to the influx of arrests for methamphetamine related crimes in San Diego.

Playwrights Project is appreciative to be working with RJD to ensure that inmates across 4 yards at the facility will be able to witness this production of Finding Our Way, including some of the playwrights who collaborated to write this script 2 years ago. This is the first time Playwrights Project has brought a fully realized production into a correctional facility.

September is National Recovery Month, which promotes the societal benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery for mental and substance use disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment and service providers, and promotes the message that recovery in all its forms is possible. Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover. The 2019 theme is Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Are Stronger.

In celebration of San Diegans in recovery and those who support their efforts, Playwrights Project will present at Recovery Happens, a free family-friendly event taking place from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, September 14th at San Diego's Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway. This event is free and open to the public. At Recovery Happens, Playwrights Project will present short scripts written by youth on themes of substance abuse and will raffle off a limited number of free tickets to the September 21st performance of Finding Our Way.

Playwrights Project developed Out of the Yard in 2014 with support from the James Irvine Foundation to voice the stories of individuals who have experienced incarcerated. Recognizing that we are all capable of redemption, the program supports individuals in creating fictional plays that examine hardships, explore positive peaceful solutions, and reflect on the impact of choices and actions. Through this exploration, participants gain new insights and literacy skills, practice social skills such as communication, problem solving, patience and compromise, and further their rehabilitation.

This program made possible by: The William James Association Prison Arts Project, California Arts Council, City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture, and the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4330488

For more information, visit Playwrights Project's website at: http://www.playwrightsproject.org/productions/community/

 

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