Audience Responses

Responses to The Strength of our convictions: The Auburn Redemption

“I had to sit on my hands not to applaud after each piece. I wished my brother could have been there and all the writers from my writers’ group. I was hyper aware that we were in a space dictated by rules that we couldn’t dare violate (and had been warned not to), but at the same time, I wanted to divvy out hugs the same way I would have following any performance where I had been that deeply moved. I felt challenged to reflect on what I think freedom means, to read more, to pay more attention, and re-evaluate my relationship to theatre.”

“The PPTG presentation offered a very rare opportunity to hear the voices of incarcerated people, their words, thoughts, memories, perspectives, and personal journeys, expressed on their own terms…”

Responses to This Incarcerated Life

“I find it so hard to believe that some of these men will never make it out of prison; there are some people who should be in prison forever; but there should be an opportunity for some people who have changed in a way that these men have changed to be released.”

“I was deeply moved and highly entertained in equal parts throughout the evening, and humbled by the performers’ trust when they shared what are ultimately very personal experiences with us.”

“It’s hard to put in to words how incredible the performance was. Words like extraordinary, transformative, breathtaking come to mind, but even these words feel trite and insufficient…”

Responses to An Indeterminate Life

“This presentation was one of the most impressive, awe-inspiring events I have ever been to. I feel so lucky that I was able to be in the audience.”

“The pieces in “An Indeterminate Life” were at once poignant, unsettling, humorous, sad, loving, educational, and profoundly moving. Clearly the Phoenix Players Theatre Group gathers all of us – audience and performer – into “a community of transformation through the power of self-discovery.”

“The work these men put into the production, the openness with which they wrote and the willingness to act out/relive these experiences was beautiful.”