Thousand Kites is the title of both a play script and an interdisciplinary project by Narrative Arts artists in partnership with Roadside Theater Company and MUGABEE addressing the system of mass incarceration.  Thousand Kites was scripted from the personal stories of people affected by the U.S. criminal justice system, including incarcerated people and their loved ones, prison employees and their families, and those living in communities where prisons are sited.

The play has three acts without intermission. Act 1 is a scripted performance or reading. Act 2 builds on Act 1 by turning to the audience for comments and testimony. In Act 3, a moderator asks cast and audience to focus on actions to be taken based on the analysis flowing from the first two acts.

Articles, Research, and News about Thousand Kites

Maggie Sava (2020) To Send a Kite: Simone Weil’s Lessons in Ethical Attention for the Curator. Philosophies
Nato Thompson (2012) Living As Form: Social Engage Art from 1991-2011. Creative Time Book, MIT Press.
Linda Frye Burnham (2011) A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change. Animating Democracy -American for the Arts.
Creative Time (2011) Presentation at Living as Form: Thousand Kites. Creative Time / YouTube
The Cube Space Project (2013) Thousand Kites. TCPS
Center for Social Media / American University (2010) Thousand Kites Project – An Explanation. Center for Social Media / YouTube.
Lisa Dent (2013) Nick Szuberla Organized for Criminal Justice Reform. Creative Capital.
Making Contact (2008) Thousand Kites: Organizing with Art. Making Contact+
Arlene Goldbard (2006) New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development. New Village Press.