Piven Theatre Workshop – EPIC
"I have been incarcerated five years, and this program has been a release. It makes me forget I'm in jail and helps me to remember I'm still human." -Jennifer, participant in PTW's Ensemble Play in Cook County (EPIC) program
Piven Theatre Workshop (PTW), founded in 1971, aims to preserve a process of creative exploration that celebrates each individual’s unique voice through an ensemble-based, community-oriented approach to theatre training and performance.
PTW extends their mission to individuals who are incarcerated through workshops that incorporate theatre games, original devised stories, improvisation, and poetry writing. The extension of PTW’s work entitled EPIC (Ensemble Play in Cook County), started in the women’s division of Cook County Jail in 2016 and invites women in medium and maximum security to meet for weekly classes and develop pieces for performances each semester.
Envisioning Justice initiative’s funding will be used to support and evaluate the EPIC program. PTW hopes to gain definitive, quantitative proof of its benefit to participants to assist in promotion, financial support, and expansion.