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Motivate. Inspire. Transform.

DIRECT ACTION

A Writing/Performance Workshop
for Inmates at Ramsey County Correctional Facility

 
“I will treasure this experience forever.”

Need

In recent years, the prison population in Minnesota has escalated significantly. In 2004, it increased by 13%. Upon release, inmates are required to face the challenges of finding employment, maintaining healthy relationships and connecting with a supportive community.

Project

In the Direct Action Workshop, clients participate in theater and writing exercises, and develop a performance piece based on their life-stories.

At the culmination of the workshop, clients present their work in a live performance for an audience of up to 100 of their fellow inmates at the correctional facility.

Merits / Goals

As clients utilize the creativity, self-discovery and discipline involved in developing live performance, they improve their self-awareness, self-esteem and public speaking skills, and improve their likelihood of finding employment, maintaining strong relationships and connecting with supportive communities upon release.

Everyone has stories to tell, stories of joy, pain, love, loss, adventure and redemption. When we share our stories, we heal, transform and connect...

Live performance engages the whole body, voice and intellect of the participants, and creates opportunities or increased awareness, communication and cooperation.

The complete physical and emotional commitment that this engaging creative process requires engenders a profound transformation in the participants.

Testimonials

  • “This workshop has potential to enhance inmates' self-confidence and help them transition safely back into the community.” -- Tom Johnson, President, Council on Crime and Justice
  • “The Direct Action Workshop provides the opportunity for inmates to receive training to develop their writing, speaking and creative expression. The self-awareness and insight into some of their behaviors and difficult pasts that can be discovered during this process may be invaluable to them in not returning to self-defeating lifestyles.“ -- Ron Bergee, Program Coordinator, Ramsey County Correctional Facility

Participants' Testimonials

  • “This is an experience that will stay with me forever, the only bright spot in this dark part of my life.”
  • “After this workshop, I feel like a human being again.”
  • “If it weren't for this workshop, these men and I would not be saying one word to each other.”
  • “This class made a real change in me. Before, I was terrified of speaking in groups. Now, I'm not afraid to speak.”
  • “This class helped me improve my self-esteem by helping me come out of my shell.”
  • “This class gave me hope. By looking inside myself, at my past, my relations, inside and out, I feel determined to never return to jail.”

Instructor

Heidi Arneson is a multidisciplinary artist with over twenty-five years in theater. She is renowned for her plays about American archetypes, including Ten Bedroom Heart, Degrade School, and Mary Margaret Please Appear.

She has performed as featured artist for Franklin Furnace and Dixon Place in New York, Merced Playhouse in California, N.A.M.E. in Chicago, Cleveland Performance Art Festival, and nearly every venue in the Twin Cities, including Walker Art Center, Weisman Museum, Jungle Theater, Southern Theater and Red Eye.

Arneson is a recipient of the Bush Artist Fellowship, Franklin Furnace Emerging Artist Award, Core Alumna of the Playwrights' Center, and 2005 nominee for the Alpert Award in the Arts. She has taught Workshops at the Loft, U of M, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, College of St. Thomas, Grace Trinity Church, Tesseract International School, Dixon Place, New York and Mount Mercy College, Iowa.

Advisory Panel

  • Joe Selvaggio, Founder of Project for Pride in Living (PPL)
  • Ron Bergee, Program Coordinator, Ramsey County Correctional Facility
  • Salvatore Salerno, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, MCTC, Concordia and Inver Hills.
    Salerno also serves as a consultant / photographer for the project.

Community Investment

The Direct Action Workshop is an investment in the safety of the community. Inmates who take part in the Workshop will return to the community with improved self-confidence, self-awareness and speaking skills, and improved ability to cooperate and relax under stress, thus they will return with a greater likelihood of obtaining employment, connecting with support groups, and finding safe alternatives to crime.

Funding

Direct Action Workshop depends upon individual donations.
Please send your tax-deductible donation to our fiscal agent:
 
  Intermedia Arts
  Direct Action Workshop
  2822 Lyndale Avenue South
  Minneapolis MN 55408