Saturday night I had the opportunity to enter a world completely foreign to me, thank God. How it all came about was through my very talented cousin, Vali Forrister, who is a gifted playwright, teacher, actor, director, producer, you name it… long story. But here’s what I’ve seen evolve in the past year.
Act Like a Grrrl is a project Vali started a few years ago were teenage girls get together for a few weeks, form relationships with others in their age range, write about themselves, share what they’ve written and learned through sharing these thoughts/ideas with their peers, and the end game is a performance. I attended a performance last summer and was amazed at what was coming out of these young people/performers. Coming to grips early on with everything from boys to Mom and Dad, the future and the past. They wrote songs, they read performance pieces, and I’ll never forget the incredible 2 headed parent monster.
Vali is also a professor at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, and DLU sponsors an educational program at the Tennessee State Women’s Prison. Here’s a link to see details. So without trying to dissect this event too much, what happened was an 8 week course of study that took place within the confines of the TN Prison for Women. Participants were prisoners, correctional officers, DLC students and collaborators on the Actlikeagrrrl project.
Last night, Sat. Dec. 5,2009, a performance was given by all these women to an audience mixed with inmates and free world people. The participants were allowed by the warden to wear free world clothes as part of the performance. Some had not had the opportunity to wear anything other than a prison uniform in 10-20 years. It was an emotional experience to both performers and the audience, and I was allowed access to document the event. A few of my observations follow…
PINIMAGEthe sky
PINIMAGEThis was not an episode of Lock Up or other prision documentaries, but people who made bad choices working to improve themselves.
PINIMAGESinging
PINIMAGEAn inmate wearing free world clothes for the first time in 15 years.
PINIMAGEA poster promoting the event. Our Stories, Our Selves.
PINIMAGEThe Circle prior to the performance.
PINIMAGEthe audience
PINIMAGEthe bow
Hearing these people’s stories really makes you think, which is what it’s intended to do. I’m thankful for the opportunity to document this day and I wish the very best for all who attended or participated.
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sarah Bryant - That was beautiful. I was an original member of the first lipscomb group. I was released in 2008 and continued to go to lipscomb. You really captured the meaning, feeling, and need.