Truthworker Theater Trilogy

Created by the Truthworker Theatre company, Truthworker: Boxed in & Blacked Out in America depicts the prison industrial complex through the lens of a dozen youth directly impacted by mass incarceration. Comprised of three original hip-hop theatre productions, the trilogy moves from the school-to-prison pipeline, through the impacts and practices of solitary confinement, and into re-entry on the “outside." Written with and performed by 16-24 year old performing artists, Truthworker’s deeply personal performances interrogate the many aspects of mass incarceration and its impact inside and outside of prison walls.

Much of the trilogy's material is sourced from the true stories of the young people in the company, most of whom have immediate family members who are currently or formerly incarcerated. Through hip-hop theater, compelling narrative, multimedia, dance, and testimony, Truthworker brings three uniquely powerful stories to life–looking deeply at the ricocheting impacts of incarceration and re-entry on family systems.

In|Prism: Boxed in and Blacked Out in America examines solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, tracing the spiritual journey of California death row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters. Part 2, Bar Code is an analysis of the school to prison pipeline, drawing connections from Willie Lynch to Trayvon Martin. Re:Vision | A State of Emergence explores the profound but often untold journeys that people take after release from prison, addressing reintegration in the age of mass incarceration.

Truthworker Theatre Company is a social justice based, hip-hop theatre company for high school and college aged youth in Brooklyn. Using theatre & media to examine history & learn about models for creating social change, Truthworker calls upon poetry, dance, rap, step, & critical thinking skills as tools to develop solution driven communities.