Beyond Punishment: Stories of Justice and Healing

Beyond Punishment: Stories of Justice and Healing is an original interview-based theater performance co-produced by the Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative (JBPC) and PCC.

Beyond Punishment follows the lives of four remarkable individuals who grapple with the intersections and impacts of interpersonal and state violence. The production is performed by the storytellers themselves, and gives insight into their lives, leadership, and healing journeys. Together, their stories encourage us to imagine justice beyond a punitive system that begets further violence.

Beyond Punishment is written and directed by long-time PCC collaborating artist, Kirya Traber, who was invited by JBPC to bring together a group of organizers with lived experience of incarceration to share their own stories in an interview-based theater production. The piece was created through interviews and workshops with the cast members. The theatrical format of the presentation is based on and inspired by the Undesirable Elements series of interview-based theater works examining issues of identity, place, and belonging. Each production is made with local partner organizations and local participants telling their own stories on stage.

This production is one part of the JBPC’s campaign aiming to address the intersections of state and interpersonal violence, and strengthen ideas and approaches to safety and justice that do not rely on punishment, domination, and supremacy. The JBPC is working to support movements in offering compelling and cohesive stories and messaging to end violence, with the goal of realizing a world with justice beyond punishment.

Learn more about the work of JBPC here.