Conceived in 2019, the program “Formerly Incarcerated People’s Performance Project: More Than That” was partially funded by a $5,000 CA$H Grant from Theatre Bay Area and private donations. Director Mark Kenward, assisted by fellow directors Rebecca Fisher and Wayne Harris headed up the project.
The first workshop began rehearsals in January 2020 with plans for a fall performance. Unforturnately, the performance was canceled due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, the work never ended. FIPPP shifted in person rehearsals and development work to Zoom through 2020 and into 2021.
The first live FIPPP performance workshops were held in June 2021 with a full festival of two weekends of performances was held at our Oakland performance and rehearsal home, PianoFight Oakland, in October 2021. Another set of workshop performances took place in May 2022. FIPPP held a second festival at PianoFight Oakland in January 2023 as one of the last performances held in their east bay space before their unfortunately closure. FIPPP then a sold-out encore of the festival, FIPPP Encore! at Berkeley Rep’s School of Theatre in February 2023. In the summer of 2023, FIPPP partnered with Berkeley Rep, SF Jails, and the San Francisco Sheriff on a pilot collaboration in SF Jails teaching storytelling, and communication skills with other theatre skills-building exercises. FIPPP looks forward to continuing and expanding this collaboration to other jails working with more incarcerated women, men and youth around the Bay Area.
In October 2023, FIPPP became Berkeley Rep’s first ever company-in-residence, as part of Berkeley Rep’s In Dialogue initiative to place their theatre-making capacity in service of local communities. FIPPP first project as part of the partnership was their Power of Storytelling Workshop inviting formerly incarcerated people from the community to join their FIPPP Fellows for training at an extended workshop of six, two-part classes with FIPPP directors and guest lecturers, Dan Hoyle (character) and Candace Johnson (voice), in October 2023. FIPPP works year round and as a company-in-residence at Berkeley Rep, all of FIPPP’s rehearsals and performances will be held at Berkeley Rep, including their Workshop Performances with their popular post show AMA panels in May 2024, special longer solo nights of performance in fall of 2024, and culminating with FIPPP’s 3rd festival of new performances in 2025.
The first workshop began rehearsals in January 2020 with plans for a fall performance. Unforturnately, the performance was canceled due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, the work never ended. FIPPP shifted in person rehearsals and development work to Zoom through 2020 and into 2021.
The first live FIPPP performance workshops were held in June 2021 with a full festival of two weekends of performances was held at our Oakland performance and rehearsal home, PianoFight Oakland, in October 2021. Another set of workshop performances took place in May 2022. FIPPP held a second festival at PianoFight Oakland in January 2023 as one of the last performances held in their east bay space before their unfortunately closure. FIPPP then a sold-out encore of the festival, FIPPP Encore! at Berkeley Rep’s School of Theatre in February 2023. In the summer of 2023, FIPPP partnered with Berkeley Rep, SF Jails, and the San Francisco Sheriff on a pilot collaboration in SF Jails teaching storytelling, and communication skills with other theatre skills-building exercises. FIPPP looks forward to continuing and expanding this collaboration to other jails working with more incarcerated women, men and youth around the Bay Area.
In October 2023, FIPPP became Berkeley Rep’s first ever company-in-residence, as part of Berkeley Rep’s In Dialogue initiative to place their theatre-making capacity in service of local communities. FIPPP first project as part of the partnership was their Power of Storytelling Workshop inviting formerly incarcerated people from the community to join their FIPPP Fellows for training at an extended workshop of six, two-part classes with FIPPP directors and guest lecturers, Dan Hoyle (character) and Candace Johnson (voice), in October 2023. FIPPP works year round and as a company-in-residence at Berkeley Rep, all of FIPPP’s rehearsals and performances will be held at Berkeley Rep, including their Workshop Performances with their popular post show AMA panels in May 2024, special longer solo nights of performance in fall of 2024, and culminating with FIPPP’s 3rd festival of new performances in 2025.