On With Living and Learning
in collaboration with Fort Point Theatre Channel

presented

HIDDEN FACES OF COURAGE

Conceived by Mary Driscoll
Directed byTasia A. Jones
Music by Allyssa Jones

November 8-10, 15-17, 2013

Click here to view production photos.

This new play combines monologues, spirituals, and rap to amplify the voices of women reentering the community from prison. As the women connected with one another, they explore and define their strengths and resiliency and build enduring connections.

Hidden Faces of Courage lifts the veil that enshrouds an unseen group of women reentering their communities from prison. Portraying the struggles of innumerable women living in similar circumstances, the script was conceived by OWLL founder Mary Driscoll and created by her and seven formerly incarcerated women.

According to Driscoll, who is also a Fort Point Theatre Channel co-artistic director, she conceived of the play from workshops that blended writing skills with performance art to build biographical histories. OWLL weaves together personal testimony and research to explore social justice issues.

The production was directed by Tasia A. Jones, with original music by Allyssa Jones. Hidden Faces of Courage was performed by professional theatre artists who worked in conjunction with the women whose stories are being told.

A notable feature of the production was the music of Alyssa Jones, a critically acclaimed vocalist, composer, and educator. Just as the script emerged as a collaboration among the OWLL women, Jones worked with the actors in creating the score. Each woman fashioned a "musical aura" for herself, and Jones then wove these themes into the play's soundscape.

Rick Dorff's set, reflecting his background as installation artist, evoked the history, the present, and the future of previously incarcerated mothers and their children. His multilayered set was integrated into the nontraditional venue of The Botton Factory, a new art space converted from a boiler room in Fort Point, Boston. Chris Bocchiaro's lighting design defined environments and illuminated the emotional journey from reentry to home.

As Driscoll points out, not only are the voices of previously incarcerated mothers rarely heard in discussions of prison reform, but they are also notably absent in the artistic world--a world that can engage a broader community in reform and foster greater understanding between the individual and diverse audiences.

The Cast

Shalaye Camillo
Theresa Chiasson
Alissa Cordeiro
Chris Everett
Maria Hendricks
Johnnie McQuarley
Dayenne C. Walters
Amy S. West

The Staff

Tasia A. Jones, Director
Allyssa Jones, Composer/Sound Designer
Karthik Subramanian, Production Manager
Chris Bocchiaro, Lighting Designer
Rick Dorff, Set Designer
Forrest Walter, Costume/Prop Designer
Molly Burman, Stage Manager
Jadira Figueroa, Assistant Stage Manager
Amanda Coffin, Dramaturg
Nick Thorkelson, Graphic Designer
Daniel J. van Ackere, Photographer
Marc S. Miller, Marketing