Today we welcome artist Nadira Simone, who wrote the breath-stealing new play The Killing of Kings. The drama weaves a tapestry of Black families in America dealing with mass incarceration and police brutality, grappling with Black Lives Matter, and surviving racism. Simone achieves this by homing in on the King family, as patriarch Patrick King returns home from a second stint in prison. But what kind of life awaits Patrick King now that he is out?
We dig into the struggles of transitioning out of incarceration. Experts Anthony Dixon of the Parole Preparation Project and Esther Matthews of Gonzaga University rewind to the conditions that lead to imprisonment and recidivism—the tendency of a formerly incarcerated person to become reincarcerated. We learn why words like “re-entry,” “rehabilitation,” and “reintegration” are inaccurate and counter-productive and reset terminology to use the word “transition.” Simone, Dixon, Matthews, and host Ruthie Fierberg discuss possible reforms inside prisons to transform residents and how we as the receiving communities can facilitate the transition for people who get out to become integrated members of society.
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Referred to in this episode
Ruthie Fierberg, Host
Ruthiefierberg.com
IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater
IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain
Learn more about our guests at bpn.fm/whywetheater.
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Why We Theater Now: April 2022
ADDRESSLESS meets Choose-Your-Own Activity
ADDRESSLESS and Homelessness
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA meets The Prophet
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA and Expanding Our Thinking to Solve Problems
Re-Release: IF I FORGET and American Jews, Anti-Semitism, and Tribalism
THE COLOR PURPLE meets Prayer for the French Republic
THE COLOR PURPLE and Generational Trauma
SANCTUARY CITY Meets The Sun Is Also A Star
SANCTUARY CITY and U.S. Immigration Reform
Why We Theater NOW: January 2022
THE KILLING OF KINGS meets The Prison Within
BONUS: THE KILLING OF KINGS continued with Esther Matthews
INTERSTATE Meets Multiple Recommendations
INTERSTATE and Authentic Trans, Queer, and Asian-American Representation
Why We Theater NOW: November 2021
RINSE, REPEAT meets Brave Girl Eating
RINSE, REPEAT and Eating Disorders
WITNESS UGANDA meets The Good Doctor
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