Rehabilitation Through The Arts Launches Kickstarter Campaign: The Yellow Brick Road To Sing Sing

OSSINING, N.Y. - May 5, 2015 - PRLog -- Community guests and prisoners’ families will be treated to a tornado, a fireball and flying monkeys as prisoners sing “Ding dong, the witch is dead!” in a full-scale performance of The Wizard of Oz in Sing Sing Correctional Facility on May 28-30^th 2015. Produced by Rehabilitation Through The Arts (RTA), two performances for the prison population and one for invited community guests will be held in the prison’s visiting room.

For the first time ever, families of prisoners in RTA will be allowed to attend the performance. Study after study consistently shows that maintaining positive family relationships during incarceration has a significant impact on the prisoner’s success when released.

A new Kickstarter campaign for the project aims to raise $9,500 to cover the cost of licensing, scripts, music, costumes, props, set, videographer, transportation “up the river” and a reception for prisoners’ families and community guests. The campaign, which ends on May 30^th, can be found at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1109579780/the-yellow-brick-road-to-sing-sing

A long-time RTA prisoner-member at Sing Sing says, “It feels like this time isn’t wasted ... we are still alive and doing big things.”

About Rehabilitation Through The Arts

RTA is a transformative program that focuses on the critical life skills developed through creative projects - collaboration, communication, goal-setting, problem-solving and self-expression - prisoners need to succeed in work, family and community on release.

Starting as a small theatre company in Sing Sing in 1996, RTA now operates theatre, dance, creative writing, music, voice and visual arts programs in five New York State maximum and medium security, men's and women's prisons. Workshops and productions are far-ranging, and include storytelling, physical theatre, comedy writing, monologues and improvisation. Full scale productions include classic, musical, original and modern plays.

For more about Rehabilitation Through The Arts, visit www.rta-arts.org or www.facebook.com/rtalive