The project was covered by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and then picked up by the Associated Press and republished in several news outlets including NBC News and U.S. News & World Report. UGA’s student newspaper, The Red & Black, did two features (see also here). The team received an honorable mention for the National Council on Public History’s Outstanding Public History Project Award in 2020. Testimonies Skip Hulett, a librarian who has been researching incarceration for years wrote: “it is a deeply, almost inexpressibly touching and empowering moment of recognition, of long-sought affirmation and priceless consolation, for anyone who has seen the carceral system swallow or damage a friend, a father, mother, brother, son, sister or ancestor. Very very beautiful.” We shared a video of the show with our incarcerated collaborators and enclosed a letter inviting feedback. Their responses reminded us of the reasons we do this work: the stories that need to be told, the historical legacies and contemporary realities that need to be confronted. One collaborator wrote: “Thank you for your passionate performance and willingness to transform those powerful words into beautiful movements. This was beyond just a wonderful performance that was extremely impactful and also informative. […] The play has and will cause so much awareness for our everyday life.” Several referred to a scene as “my truth.” A student performer wrote in a letter: “This form of theater requires a level of personal involvement from its devisors that I had not ever experienced beforehand. This factor combined with the nature of the material was a recipe for a highly emotional process. Dr. Sahakian was aware of what she was asking from us in unpacking such raw stories and made a conscious effort every step of the way to accommodate our mental health. Every moment that I spent in that rehearsal process, I felt as though that I was in a safe space—a space where I could share my true feelings void of judgment and have my voice and opinion heard.”
