Maine Inside Out Launches Fundraiser to Support Prison Theater Tour

The Press Herald reports that Maine Inside Out is working to raise $25,000 to continue its statewide tour of Broken Clock, an original play created and performed by the nonprofit’s ensemble of system-impacted individuals. The fundraiser comes after the organization lost federal grant funding that previously supported 20 percent of the tour's budget.

The nonprofit, which has been creating theater in correctional facilities and communities since 2008, is known for its work amplifying the voices of those affected by incarceration. Maine Inside Out co-executive directors Chiara Liberatore, Joseph Jackson, and Noah Bragg have led efforts to bring Broken Clock to prisons and public venues across Maine.

"This isn’t just about one show," the organization said in a message to supporters. "It’s about amplifying voices of system-impacted people to ignite collective creativity and inspire social action."

Broken Clock covers a wide range of topics related to incarceration, including motherhood, gun violence, generational trauma, and the effects of imprisonment on families. The play was developed through the creative contributions of its cast members.

“It really comes from the creative expression of each member of the ensemble,” said Liberatore. “We didn’t start off saying we wanted it to be about this or that. It just emerged.”

The play first premiered at a Juneteenth festival in Lewiston one year ago and has continued to evolve through performances at venues including Mayo Street Arts in Portland, the University of Maine Farmington, Bates College in Lewiston, and Colby College in Waterville. The current tour includes prison performances at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham and upcoming shows at Mountain View Correctional Center in Charleston.

The organization hires an external facilitator, Amanda Huotari, to guide the creative process. Performances include audience dialogues that help shape and deepen each subsequent production.

"After every show, we have a dialogue with the audience," said Bragg. "We’re talking about it with them, and they’re talking about it with each other. Those experiences have also deepened the play."

Performances inside correctional facilities have been particularly meaningful for both cast and audience. After a recent performance at the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center, one incarcerated audience member said, "So many of the things I’ve lived through I didn’t know about before they happened to me. I think everyone needs to see this performance."

“They could relate to every single moment that was happening in the play,” said Bragg. “From laughter at certain lines, tears, people holding each other’s hands, audible gasps. The experience of performing was alive.”

The costs of the tour include transportation, rehearsal time, facilitation, and travel to venues that often do not have budgets to host such performances. The loss of the $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts has made private fundraising critical to completing the tour as scheduled.

“They are not going to have the funding to book the show, but we know it’s important to be there,” Liberatore said. “Like the prisons. There’s no funding to bring us into the prisons. The tour costs money. We’re coming together and rehearsing on a regular schedule. We’re driving places. We’re hiring a facilitator. So there’s real cost that goes into the tour and all the work that goes to book the tour.”

The next public performance will take place June 17 at The Public Theatre in Lewiston. Doors open at 6 p.m. for food and activities. The program starts at 7 p.m. and includes an original short film, the performance of Broken Clock, and a community dialogue. The event is free, with an option to donate to Maine Inside Out. Tickets and information are available at maineinsideout.org/brokenclock.