J une 19, 2018 The following blog was created from a recent, written exchange between Still Point Managing Director Hector Alvarez and former Persephone Project participant, Yolanda Burgess. Today, Yolanda Burgess is happily married and a doting grandmother to her six grandchildren, including a set of identical twin infant grandsons. She has been working in social services for 12 years, and is currently employed by A Safe Haven, a facility that serves people of all ages who a

Ap ril 3, 2018 I recently spoke with Sarah Ailey, Professor in the Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing at RUSH Medical Center (pictured center in photo), about an exciting collaboration with Still Point that began last year. Sarah helped to organize the PATH-PWD (Partnering to Transform Healthcare with People with Disabilities) Conference in March of 2017 after receiving funds from the Agency Healthcare Research and Quality and the Special Hope Foundati

The state Senate voted today to remove the heads of Wisconsin’s Ethics and Elections commissions from their posts. We get the details. A theatrical piece based on poetry written by formerly incarcerated women will be performed in Appleton this week. We hear from two people involved in the production. We also look at how local National-Park-Service-maintained sites are faring with maintenance backlog, learn why makeup can still be important to female inmates.

Octo ber 3, 2017 This photo was taken after a performance of Haunted by God that Lisa performed at St. Isaac Jogues Church in Rapid City, South Dakota, on the tail end of her participation in the Satyagraha Institute’s summer session in the Black Hills. In a week that has offered us yet another horrifying example of the violence in our world, let us balance the scales with a reflection on some of the people on our planet who are devoted to cultivating peace and understanding.

Ap ril 18, 2017 Grace House is a transitional home in Chicago for women exiting the Illinois prison system. The facility provides interim housing, emotional and spiritual support, and professional counseling to the residents. On February 23, Still Point launched a new performance program at Grace House designed to foster an emotional support system while also building important communication skills. Almost all of the women currently living at Grace House are participating, an

Still Point’s Sage Theatre Workshop for seniors has recently expanded to include a program at Sunrise Assisted Living that has a unique twist. Still Point facilitator Maria Vorhis began conducting a program at Sunrise at the end of November. The hour long sessions are currently held twice per month, with Maria leading a group of 6-14 seniors. While our other Sage Theatre facilitations follow a model similar to Still Point’s Imagination Workshop, in which participants develop

November 15, 2016 On September 24, Curt Tofteland took part in a panel discussion that was moderated by Still Point Founder and Artistic Director Lisa Wagner-Carollo and presented by Chicago Shakespeare as part of the Shakespeare 400 Festival. The discussion focused on using Shakespeare in prison arts programming. As Founder of Shakespeare Behind Bars, Curt was a must-have member of the panel. This organization serves incarcerated and formerly incarcerated juveniles and adult

August 21, 2016 In anticipation of a new session starting up on August 24, I recently talked to longtime Still Point Facilitator Laura Callahan-Hazard about her work with the Ravenswood Players. This facilitation of Still Point’s Imagination Workshop for adults with developmental disabilities is open to people from various agencies and the general public. We have been presenting original public performances of the ensemble’s work in the basement theatre of Ravenswood Presbyte

July 28, 2 016 Last Thursday, July 21, Still Point presented a celebratory performance entitled I Can See Clearly Now, in honor of 25 years of the Imagination Workshop. Still Point Founder Lisa Wagner-Carollo began the program at Esperanza Community Services all those years ago, and directed fifteen participants from two classes for this presentation. I was incredibly sorry to have missed the performance. I began teaching the Imagination Workshop with Lisa in 1992, and have s

May 23, 2016 At Still Point Theatre Collective, we aim to work with top-notch professionals when producing our original plays. No one could argue that we have found such an artist in Actor Randy Steinmeyer, who recently took over the role of Fr. Doug Doussan in our play Living Water: The Story of St. Gabriel the Archangel Church. Randy’s background reveals that he is a quintessential Chicago actor – and happy to have made a good living in his chosen field. After earning a Bac