ACT Ensemble (an initiative of Grapefruit Lab)

ACT Ensemble (Action Change Theatre) is a program operating in three Colorado prisons, co-founded by Julie Rada and Misty Saribal and currently under the shared leadership of Julie Rada, Joanna Rotkin, and Diana Dresser.

ACT Ensemble is an investigation at the intersects of performance, art, dance, aesthetics, narrative, and the meaning of theatre/performance in prison. ACT focuses on original ensemble creation, rooted in personal and communal history.

ACT Ensemble Philosophy

• ACT Ensemble is fundamentally about creating spaces of possibility.

• ACT Ensemble’s approach is philosophically oriented toward the potential for liberation through art, specifically the creation and exploration of the performing arts as an inquiry into the human condition. Storytelling and embodied practices are how we get there.

• ACT Ensemble believes high-quality, aesthetically-rich art should be available to all, rather than inaccessible and elitist. We believe in the intrinsic value of art for all lives. We believe all people possess the capacity for wonder and art.

• ACT Ensemble envisions a world of accessible art spaces, shared and abundant resources for artists, and a world without punishment and retribution. As we strive for this horizon, ACT has the privilege of creating outstanding art alongside the brilliance of incarcerated artists in the here and now.

• We share curiosity, joy, and humanity by accomplishing the near impossible – performing art in spaces of confinement.

• We believe anything worth doing is worth doing together.

• The connected relationships between individuals, groups, and ideas are of particular interest.

• We move at the speed of trust.

• We listen. We respond.

• We are oriented toward holistic growth.

• We show up as individuals and as an ensemble. We attend to both—self and group—as sites of inquiry. We are accountable to one another and to ourselves.

• We practice emergent strategies. We look to nature for inspiration. Like any ecosystem, we recognize the value and strength in our diversity, our different roles to play. We expect change to occur; it always does. We seek collaboration.

• We believe in transformative justice. No person is disposable, no act is unforgiveable. All harm carries the possibility of repair. We search for root causes. We acknowledge agency. No one is broken. No one requires saving or fixing.

• We engage in reflection, sustaining inquisitiveness about ourselves and others.

• We ask questions. We embrace complexity. We strive toward a sense of belonging.

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University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI)

From September 2019 through fall 2021, Julie worked full-time at the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative, as Director of Programming and Lead Affiliate Faculty, in partnership with Ashley Hamilton. She contributed her expertise to the expansion of the program statewide and the development of its key practices and principles. In this role, Julie facilitated and oversaw programming in 12+ prisons in the state of Colorado, directed plays, collaborated in the artistic direction of a full production season, led workshops (Ensemble Theatre, among others), trained and supervised approximately 45 affiliate faculty, participated in research, and facilitated a team of 13 incarcerated editors and reporters on The Inside Report newspaper and a team of writers on Reverberations Magazine. The volume Tell It Slant: An Anthology of Creative Nonfiction by Incarcerated Writers Julie edited was a finalist for a 2021 Colorado Book Award.

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Monologue Mixtape (An ACT Ensemble Performance)

by participants in Action & Change Theatre (ACT) at Sterling Correctional Facility
Curated and directed by Julie Rada

Monologue Mixtape ​is designed as a showcase--a mash-up... an old-school mixtape... theatre style--in which you will meet each of these characters, in a slice of life from their world. We have tried to weave it all together, but you will not hear a single story tonight. Instead, imagine each monologue as a tiny play, with a world unto itself. The actors will try to make the world their characters are in come alive through their bodies and voices alone. These are published plays, many quite acclaimed with multiple playwrights represented who have won Pulitzer Prizes. There are diverse perspectives and voices represented in this performance.

Performance: Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

Sterling Correctional Facility, Sterling, Colorado

(invited guests only)

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Mercury in Retrograde (An ACT Ensemble Performance)

by participants in Action & Change Theatre (ACT) at Sterling Correctional Facility
Compiled by Julie Rada, edited by Misty Saribal

Co-facilitated with Misty Saribal, May 2018 - August 2018

Performance: Thursday, August 9th, 2018

Sterling Correctional Facility, Sterling, Colorado

(invited guests only)

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WEBS of Support

W.E.B.S. is an acronym for Women Empowered Building Support, a program named by incarcerated women serving time at Denver Women's Correctional Facility, for the purpose of healing, organizing and learning about issues that effect women in prison.

A twelve-week program with a solid foundation in anti-oppression theories, discussion about violence in society, and opportunities to train for community building. Utilizing the unique talents of attendees and facilitators to reach these ends, including: Theatre of the Oppressed, improv theatre, other art modalities, and backgrounds in academic fields.

Co-facilited with Misty Saribal

September 2017 – January 2018

Denver Women's Correctional Facility, Denver, Colorado

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Every Moment is an Ocean

Close Relationships in Life and Art

In collaboration with Lisa Diamond, Professor of Psychology at the University of Utah and author of the book Fluidity, this semester-long workshop will alternate between group discussions of the psychology and science of close relationships and interactive exercises, informed by the function of intimacy in performance, both in the emotional/visceral connection in the audience-performer contract and in proximal relationships in performance contexts. Participants will get up, move around, and reflect on their own experiences and their own relationships (including the matrix of structural oppression and representation in their social relationships), culminating in a final performance. This course is offered as part of the Cultural Diversity programming through the Office of Ethnic Minority Resources at the Utah Department of Corrections.

November 2015 – February 2016

Performance: Friday, April 15th, 2016

Timpanagos Unit at Draper Prison, Draper, Utah

(invited guests only)

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The House on Bitterbrush Lane 

A short-term artistic residency at the Timpanogos Unit for Women at Draper Prison, spring 2015. Originally scheduled as an eight-week workshop and abridged to five weeks, participants developed personal narratives about family, history, and their hopes for the future, all situated within larger conversations about identity and diversity. Participants created a script based loosely on their reading of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, which culminated in a workshop performance on May 18th, 2015, for invited guests. This course workshop was offered as part of the Cultural Diversity programming through the Office of Ethnic Minority Resources at the Utah Department of Corrections.

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Grounded: It's Breathtaking

by participants in the drama workshop at Eyman State Prison
Edited and compiled by Julie Rada

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Performance: Friday, April 11th, 2014

Eyman State Prison, Florence, Arizona

(invited guests only)

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In completion of her MFA, Julie facilitated the development of an original, ensemble-based performance with 20 inmates at a men’s medium-security yard. Using techniques borrowed from contemporary performance practices, Julie facilitated the development of a full-length production in twice-weekly sessions, engaging in voice and movement experiments and discussions about aesthetics and community. The performance addressed the theme of "dreams," including the complexity of the so-called "American Dream," and incorporated participants' visions for a better, more-just world.

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Click HERE to read or download the script of Grounded: It's Breathtaking.

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Click HERE to read or download the ASU Prison English Newsletter, which covered the performance.

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Post-Performance feedback from participants in the Eyman Prison Drama Workshop:

"I feel happy, understood, accepted, and grateful to be part of it. There were some ciphers out on the yard that night, I freestyled. I made connections with people I never met. I finally got to get my shine in. I am proud of myself. And all of us. That took courage."

"I feel blessed and overjoyed. The performance seemed so short. It flew. I felt like a celebrity out on the yard after, especially all covered in glitter."

"Thank you. In the performance and after, I felt free. I could forget I was held here and wouldn’t see my family, maybe ever again. For the first time, I was actually thankful I was in prison so I could experience this."

"I was trying to go through every moment of Friday as slowly as possible so I wouldn’t forget it. I want to remember everything. I was sad before it was even over. But, it’s not the outcome; it’s the journey."

"I am still deeply moved and exhilarated. I know something inside changed and I am not the same man. But I am writing more now. And I feel more of a desire to write. There’s so much more inside me."

"When I started this workshop I thought it was going to be something totally different. I didn’t think it would have a lasting effect on my life, but I was wrong." 

"Thank you for giving a voice to the thoughts of a group of men who felt abandoned by the world at large. I don’t know if there are words that can accurately describe the feeling I have from the response to our performance. You have given us an opportunity to impact the lives of others and show that we are all the same. The last three months have been the most meaningful and breathtaking of my life. The work and creation of our performance was an amazing experience, and I will never forget it, or you, no matter what."

"I came into this workshop expecting to learn some perform and learn some theatre. Instead, I grew as a person and got in touch with my inner self. I have learned to channel and mold my emotions into passion for creation and how to trust my fellow man in ways I never knew I was able to before." 

"Thank you so much for believing in me and in us."

"I enjoyed every second [of the workshop] and I wouldn’t trade this experience for a free ticket out."

"Everything flowed seamlessly, and for the first time in my life, I felt absolutely proud of something I had done."

Other prison-based arts and education workshops:

+National Endowment for the Arts & Bureau of Prisons Artist-in-Residence Program

   Federal Correction Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, Summer 2014

(selected but due to site complications, the program was not completed; NEA reference available upon request)

+Critical Media Studies, Humanities Behind the Walls

   Perryville State Prison, Goodyear, Arizona, Summer 2014

+ Performance and Movement, Humanities Behind the Walls

   Perryville State Prison, Goodyear, Arizona, Spring 2014

+ Physical Dramaturgies, Humanities Behind the Walls

   Perryville State Prison, Goodyear, Arizona, Fall 2013

+ Introduction to Shakespeare, designed and co-taught with Tina Cai

   Florence State Prison, Florence, Arizona, Fall 2013