In May 2018, Julie Rada and Misty Saribal founded ACT Ensemble (Action Change Theatre) at Sterling Correctional Facility. ACT Ensemble performed two productions in Sterling’s West Programs Building for audiences of invited guests and facility staff:
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Mercury in Retrograde (August 9, 2018), an original devised performance developed by the ensemble based on the adventures of the god Mercury as he flew through time, disrupting moments of everyday peoples’ lives.
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Monologue Mixtape (February 2, 2019), a showcase of monologues excerpted from award-winning contemporary plays of the U.S. American theatre and arranged into a collaborative hour of performance.
In spring 2019, Rada was recruited to facilitate with the newly founded University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI), and co-directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with Ashley Hamilton – working with many of the same artists who had been part of ACT Ensemble. ACT took a hiatus from late 2019–2022, as Rada became DU PAI’s Director of Programming – developing key principles and pedagogical practices, training dozens of DU PAI facilitators, launching several cornerstone initiatives, and establishing DU PAI as a statewide initiative.
Now ACT Ensemble has re-emerged and has been going strong. We are currently facilitating ongoing ensembles in four Colorado prisons, with additional short-term offerings planned for additional facilities.