The Playground Ensemble Presents
Redemption Stories
Returning to Life After Incarceration
Redemption Stories is an artistic experience supporting reentry & reducing recidivism.
In the fall of 2021, The Playground Ensemble partnered with Remerg, a non-profit doing amazing work in Colorado to help people reenter society after incarceration, to present a unique concert program that raised awareness of recidivism.
The evening featured multiple pieces of music involving texts written by people that were or are incarcerated as well as two brand new Playground commissions, including a work written by a recently incarcerated composer. The concerts were so powerful, and SOLD OUT, so we presented another set of concerts in December 2022.
This time we paired three Playground composers with a formerly incarcerated individual to create music that helped to tell their stories.
Show Details
Run time is approximately 75 minutes. Performed by 11 musicians - string quartet (2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello), guitar, flute, clarinet, piano, electronics, narrator, and conductor.
Show may include a talk-back panel discussion with Remerg Founder Carol Peeples and a selection of Remerg storytellers.
There are mature themes and explicit language in this show.
What The Press Are Saying
December 2022 — Colorado Public Radio — “This new performance uses music to help the formerly incarcerated tell their stories — and keep others from returning to prison” by Eden Lane
Thanksgiving 2022 — The Denver Post — “Classical group pairs with people who served prison time to create music exploring incarceration, rehabilitation, hope” by Elise Schmelzer
February 2022 — Denverite — “Claud Kasiah started writing Playground Ensemble’s latest concert while he was in prison” by Maggie Donahue
Remerg storyteller & show co-producer Roohallah Mobarez, Remerg Founder Carol Peeples, and Playground Director Conrad Kehn following the first Redemption Stories concert in February 2022.
About the Storytellers
Ashley Furst
Roohallah Mobarez
David Coleman
About Remerg
Remerg is a Denver-based 501(c)3 founded in 2017 to break down the barriers to re-entry and disrupt the revolving door of recidivism, one resource at a time. We believe that by connecting justice-involved and formerly incarcerated populations to employment, housing and other community resources, we can empower those individuals to take ownership over their future, turn their lives around, and never return to incarceration. Since our inception, we have successfully helped thousands of formerly incarcerated and justice-involved populations– regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or type of offense– connect with critical re-entry resources.
Carol Peeples is the founder and executive director of Remerg, a nonprofit based in Denver, Colorado, that works to reduce recidivism to jail and prison. At one time a teacher in public and private schools, Carol became interested in mass incarceration after teaching in a prison in southern Colorado. Following this experience, she founded a statewide voter education project for people with a criminal history and developed the first two editions of Getting On After Getting Out: A Reentry Guide for Colorado, the first written statewide re-entry guide for people leaving prison in Colorado. Carol founded Remerg in 2017 in order to provide remerg.com, a public service website for people coming out of jail and prison in Colorado. Since then, Remerg has expanded and now provides mentoring and housing programs for formerly incarcerated people.
About the Composers
Conrad Kehn
Silen Wellington
Ryan Fiegl
About The Playground Ensemble
The Playground Ensemble is the Rocky Mountain Region’s premiere new music group. We are professional musicians, composers, educators and fans dedicated to presenting chamber music as a living art form.
Collaboration is at the heart of the Playground’s artistic vision; we commission new works by living composers, perform in support of touring improvisors, and perform regularly. We work with dancers, poets, spoken word artists, visual artists, and multi-media artists, finding inspiration across disciplines and exploring new, hybrid artistic forms.
Our efforts have been recognized and supported by numerous regional and national organizations including the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Chamber Music America, The Amphion Foundation, The American Music Center, New Music USA, the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, the Singer Foundation and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
