Description
This poignant play, written by current and formerly incarcerated authors, uses gripping truths and soulful dialogue to reveal the human cost of America's for-profit justice system. The story follows Omar, pulled back into the prison system after trying to lift his family out of poverty, who struggles to maintain a sense of humanity while fighting to keep his loved ones close. According to NJ.com, "From institutionalized racism to addiction to the prison-industrial complex, this is a play about a great many large, pressing social challenges, but at its core it is a play about one family and its struggles to remain united as their world steadily crumbles. Impactful, warm, and unrelenting, this play that began as an experiment turns out to be an excellent examination of the human cost of a harsh and inhospitable world." For every print copy of Caged purchased from Haymarket Books through June 1, Haymarket will donate a copy of the book to prisoners and their families working with the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons Consortium (NJ-STEP). All profits from the book will go to a prison re-entry fund run by The Second Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey to help the playwrights secure housing and continue their schooling upon release.
Galleys available Performances of the play in major US cities Chris Hedges is a well-known journalist with a large social media following (73.2K followers on Twitter and 107K followers on Facebook) Coordination with Theater Communication Group to participate in conferences, media outreach and get magazine coverage
About the Author
The New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative is a committee that includes not only the 28 formerly incarcerated participants but also six theater professionals, who worked on the script's development. Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, Truthdig columnist and host of the Emmy Award -winning RT America show On Contact. He is the author of the bestsellers American Fascists and Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, and was a National Book Critics Circle finalist for War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. His most recent book is America: the Farewell Tour, published in 2018. He teaches in college credit courses in prisons in New Jersey.
Reviews
"While the play's characters ring with authenticity, Caged never neglects its serious political messaging. The play illustrates Black lives in dialogue with a racist system, in which state power reinforces cycles of violence while moments of extraordinary integrity and bravery break through the cracks. Fifteen minutes before the play begins, a dimly lit stage reveals a barred cell. Inside, Shaky Brown, 'a gifted blues musician serving a life sentence,' plays the blues. Throughout the play, his cell haunts the stage. Yet, his music-at once marginal and persistent, beautiful and full of grief-remains as well." -Temerature Check, PEN America
Book Information
ISBN 9781642590241
Author New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative
Format Hardback
Page Count 122
Imprint Haymarket Books
Publisher Haymarket Books
Galleys available Performances of the play in major US cities Chris Hedges is a well-known journalist with a large social media following (73.2K followers on Twitter and 107K followers on Facebook) Coordination with Theater Communication Group to participate in conferences, media outreach and get magazine coverage
About the Author
The New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative is a committee that includes not only the 28 formerly incarcerated participants but also six theater professionals, who worked on the script's development. Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, Truthdig columnist and host of the Emmy Award -winning RT America show On Contact. He is the author of the bestsellers American Fascists and Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, and was a National Book Critics Circle finalist for War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. His most recent book is America: the Farewell Tour, published in 2018. He teaches in college credit courses in prisons in New Jersey.
Reviews
"While the play's characters ring with authenticity, Caged never neglects its serious political messaging. The play illustrates Black lives in dialogue with a racist system, in which state power reinforces cycles of violence while moments of extraordinary integrity and bravery break through the cracks. Fifteen minutes before the play begins, a dimly lit stage reveals a barred cell. Inside, Shaky Brown, 'a gifted blues musician serving a life sentence,' plays the blues. Throughout the play, his cell haunts the stage. Yet, his music-at once marginal and persistent, beautiful and full of grief-remains as well." -Temerature Check, PEN America
Book Information
ISBN 9781642590241
Author New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative
Format Hardback
Page Count 122
Imprint Haymarket Books
Publisher Haymarket Books
