WHAT IT IZ: The Spoken Wordical

A hip hop theater + spoken word production written by formerly incarcerated artists and collaborators and adapted in a creative writing workshop at the California Institute for Women - the state’s oldest women’s Pr*son.

This production aims to combine Pr*son activism, hip-hop theater, and spoken-word poetry to inform the public and legislature about the impact of incarceration on families.

Doors Open: 5pm

Art Installations by Pr*son Survivors: 5-6pm

Explore our specially curated art installations by formerly incarcerated artists and collaborators located in the Geffen Playhouse lobby, right outside the theater.

• Haiku Poems of Tyreese "King Thai" Malloy
• Canvas Work by Kenneth Webb
• Virtual Reality Reentry Program by Creative Acts
• The Privatization of Correctional Institutions by Alberto Lule
• CIW Declaration of Freedom

Showtime: 6pm

• Students & System Impacted: $20-25
• Community Groups/Partners: $25-40
• Supporters and Allies: $40-75
• Sponsors: $75-150

*Proceeds benefit the UCLA Pr*son Education Program and Center for Justice initiatives, which support the incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and justice system-impacted.

WHAT IT IZ: the Spoken Wordical is a hip-hop theater production and spoken word poetry collaboration between UCLA students, community members and formerly incarcerated artists and collaborators.

Alberto uses readymade, mixed media installations, videos, performances, and tools used by agencies of authority to examine and critique the Pr*son industrial complex in the United States, particularly the California carceral state. Using his own experiences as a formerly incarcerated person and also a researcher for the University of California, he aims to tie the Pr*son industrial complex to other American political issues, such as immigration, drug addiction, mental health, and challenges faced by unhoused people. Alberto creates artworks that explore institutional roles as gatekeepers of knowledge, authorities of culture, administrators of discipline and enforcers of punishment.

Alberto has been an art instructor in correctional facilities at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles County and the Orange County Juvenile Detention Facility in Anaheim, CA. He is currently an instructor at San Diego State University with Vistas SDSU at Centinela State Pr*son.

Doug is an Advocate, Freedom Fighter, Revolutionary, and all-around Artist and Musician. He has developed proposals and infrastructure for the government in private and public sectors, ranging over 200 million dollars. He has provided global solutions with MIT Solve, USC, and Subject Matter Expert on Legal Dialogues, disputes around policies, legislation, and more. Most recently, a GS14 over Political and Military affairs for the United States. Doug has been central to the Border Wars, Holy War, and other situations regarding the political climate and national security of this Country. This all stems from fighting the system within the Pr*son. He was born in Compton with little to nothing, and he is grateful for every bit of success and support he has received. Invited by the one and only Professor Bryonn Bain, Doug is inspired to continue walking down this path of Freedom, Truth, and Liberty. Ultimately, he has career aspirations of being a United States Diplomat.

Jennifer has a passion for personal growth and community involvement. While incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, Jennifer earned her A.A. in Communication and graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Communication this year. Jennifer's dedication to personal growth extends beyond her academic pursuits. She has served as a facilitator for several programs, including Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), Choice Theory, Project M.E. (Meaningful Existence), and Actors' Gang Pr*son Project, to name a few. Jennifer has honed her leadership and communication skills through healing programs and gained valuable experience facilitating workshops and promoting positive change in Pr*son and the community. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and little boy, traveling, and being outdoors in her free time. She is a proud mother, striving daily to provide a healthy, safe, and creative home.

Wendy has two AS degrees in Biblical Studies and Alcohol/Drug Counseling, emphasizing co-existing disorders. She was also formerly incarcerated. Having overcome her own trauma, Wendy has a passion for speaking for those who have been silenced not only by their trauma but also by our failing judicial and Pr*son system. Her journey of self-discovery was nurtured by participating in the Arts while incarcerated. She is a social/criminal justice reform advocate who has spoken at national conferences. Wendy was an inaugural 2017 UCLA Beyond the Bars Fellow, a former alumni teaching artist for The Actors Gang Pr*son/Reentry Project, and a member of The Anti-Recidivism Coalition and California Coalition for Women Prisoners. Wendy became the first alumnus of the Pr*son Arts Collective program to become an advisory board member and a special consultant on women’s programming. Wendy inaugurated Project Alice for Pr*son Arts Collective, which serves as a visual arts group and an open studio for formerly incarcerated, foster children, or anyone who is system-impacted/affected. Wendy served as a UCLA 21/22 Beyond the Bars Fellowship Project Manager. Since her release in 2017, Wendy has been an active member of UCLA’s Pr*son Education Program, and she is proud to have played a role in the transition of PEP establishing the new Center for Justice.

Most recently, Wendy founded the Women Beyond Bars Initiative to help offer resources and support to women reentering our communities from incarceration. She wed for the first time in 2022. She now lives in Mariposa, CA, with her husband to help care for her mother. She is building a locksmith business and will soon launch her YouTube Channel, “WATCH US HEAL.” Her content is built on her belief and her personal experience that ANYONE can find healing from unresolved traumas by engaging in any or all disciplines of the ARTS!

Kenneth is a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles whose journey through incarceration profoundly shapes his work. Arrested at seventeen and sentenced to fifty years to life, Kenneth found solace in artistic expression, driven by an unyielding desire for self-discovery. Initially drawn to poetry, he developed his spoken word skills, eventually transforming them into songs performed for peers and correctional officers. As his Pr*son sentence progressed, Kenneth embraced his identity as an artist, teaching himself to draw, paint, and dance. He co-created a dance class with fellow inmate Dimitri Gales, who was featured in the documentary Dancing in A-yard. Over 15 years, he produced plays, paintings, and spoken word performances to serve his community and bridge the gap between the incarcerated and the outside world. His work has been exhibited in esteemed venues, including Frieze, CB1 Gallery, and the Wende Museum. Released in May 2024 after serving 16 years, Kenneth continues to explore themes of identity and power dynamics in his art. Drawing inspiration from his relationship with music, his practice incorporates painting, sculpture, performance, and socially engaged public art, advocating for marginalized voices and addressing pressing social issues. Through his art, Kenneth amplifies the experiences of inner-city youth from underserved communities, fostering connections and sparking conversations that resonate far beyond his past. As he prepares for his first solo show in January 2025, Kenneth’s work reflects his ongoing journey of resilience and transformation.

Sabra has received international acclaim for her work as an actor and founder of The Actors' Gang Pr*son Project, including being named by President Obama a, “Champion of Change” in 2016, and being honored with a British Empire Medal for services to the Arts & Pr*son Reform by Queen Elizabeth in 2018.

As former Director of The Pr*son Project for thirteen years, and in partnership with students and teaching artists, she oversaw the program’s growth from one California State Pr*son to thirteen, as well as programs in two Reentry facilities, girls Juveniles Camps and a Correctional & Probation Officer program.

 Sabra is a Visiting Lecturer at UCLA and an Adjunct Professor at USC. She was a Bellagio Rockefeller Resident Fellow in 2018.

She is currently a member of The Independent Shakespeare Company, LA ensemble and the Executive Director of Creative Acts.

www.sabrawilliamsacts.com

Major Bunton is the Vice President of Inglewood Wrapping Arms around the Community. Major grew up in Inglewood and gained a passion for helping others in his community. Major developed his expertise through participation in programs such as Breaking Barriers, Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AA and NA), Domestic Violence, Anger and Stress Management, YAAP (Youth Awareness Adult Program), YOP (Youth Offender Program), CBT (Cognitive Behavior Treatment). He is a Teaching Artist for The Actors Gang Pr*son Project and for Creative Acts and sits on the Advisory Committee.

To round out his impressive skill set, Major is also a fitness coach and enjoys working to help others achieve their own peak fitness. 

www.iwatc.org

Christina Slue

Tyreese Malloy

Jason Dorsey

Tracy Caldwell

Baub Bidon

Bryonn Bain

Evelyn Velador

Rianne Theriault-Odom

Wendy Staggs-Sharp

Genevieve Silva

Thamicha Sawyer

Brittany Richardson

Jessica Rauschenberger

Paige Linville

Nicole Lacey

Kendra Fells

Jennifer Claypool

Karen EnsaldoElizabeth Campbell

Ruth Brill

Bryonn Bain

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, United States