Staff:
Bob David Managing Director
Dev Luthra, Artistic Director

Assistants:
Marie Therese Verbruggen
Yvonne Murphy

Interns:
Peter Bearman

2005, Spring
The first Mens Speaking Circle and the first Women's Speaking Circle have run very successfully. Dr. Embers, Nat Warren-White, and Bob David are all participants in the Side-by-Side Community Circle, a weekly support group for the formerly incarcerated, their friends and family, people in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, people who work or volunteer with the above, and anyone else from the greater community who is interested. (Bob David co-founded this group under a different name in 2001 and continues to coordinate it.) These three begin brainstorming about a next step after the Speaking Circles. Other personnel from the previous Houses of Healing Therapeutic Community, the Ariel Group,City Mission Society, and the Side-by-Side Community Circle are invited in to begin strategy meetings. The Ariel Group agrees to donate $9,000 to the project and City Mission Society donates Dr.Embers time and other in kind services; the Public Voice Theater Project is born.

2005, Summer
A series of planning meetings are held. Lani Peterson, lead coach from the Speaking Circles, and Dev Luthra are selected as artistic co-directors for the project at a meager stipend. All production,managerial, and coaching staff are strictly on a volunteer basis. A recruitment process is devised and implemented and the first group of participants is selected.

2005, Fall
The first round of 10 intensive training/rehearsal sessions is undertaken. Nine of the original group of 14 participants completes these sessions (7 ex-prisoners and 2 people who have had loved ones incarcerated). Participants choose And Still We Rise!as the title of their performance piece. Three public performances are held at the Actors Workshop in South Boston, MA, in mid-November and a fourth at the Boston YMCA Central Branch in mid-December. Each performance is followed by a talk-back with the audience moderated by a prominent figure well versed in criminal justice issues (including former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger and Massachusetts State Senator Jarrett Barrios).All performances are extremely well received and enthusiasm amongst the participants is high. Participants are paid a small stipend for their participation throughout.

2006
Staff and performers agree that all decision-making is to be done jointly. Dr. Marrey Embers leaves her position at City Mission Society, and City Mission Society ends its direct involvement with the project. The Ariel Group commits $2,500 for the project's continuance. And Still We Rise Productions is chosen as the new name for the project. Irregular planning meetings are held through the year. Available staff decrease in numbers. Dev Luthra continues on as artistic director. Bob David continues as managing director. Rehearsal space is procured and recruitment is done, much in part from the graduates of the latest Women's Speaking Circle.

2007, Winter
The second cycle of trainings/rehearsals is undertaken. The number of sessions is increased to 18. A group of 6 performers, including 2 from the first cycle, completes the sessions.

2007, Spring & Summer
The second version of And Still We Rise! premiers on April 26^th at Roxbury Community College on the opening night of the Hope and Inspiration! Festival sponsored by St. Francis House, the largest provider of services to the homeless in New England. Four more performances follow, each in a different month in a different church or community setting. As of this writing (November 4^th), there are four upcoming scheduled performances and two more prospective ones. Of the upcoming performances, two are sponsored by a college or university and one by the Dorchester Court Probation Department.

2007, Fall
The third cycle of training/rehearsals is currently underway. Dev Luthra and Bob David remain as volunteer artistic and managing directors. Five of the six participants from the previous cycle are continuing on, along with 7 strong new recruits.

2008, Spring

The third incarnation of AndStill We Rise! opened at Bromley Hall, Jamaica Plain MA on March 14th2008. The performance was well received and the company looks forward to a full touring schedule for this show.

2008, Summer and Fall

The third cycle of And Still We Rise! enjoys a fruitful tour culminating in shows at Northeastern University Law School andUMass/Boston. Connections are made with Horace Small andJackie Lagerson of Union of Minority Neighborhoods with a view toperforming the show for legislators in the spring of 2009.

2008, Fall
With a view to formalize and structure recruitment, a series of informational workshops and one on one interviews with prospective members are conducted by Dev Luthra to recruit participants for the 4th cycle of And Still We Rise! A group of 6 new participants join 4 continuing members to form the new company starting rehearsals in January 2009.

Winter 2009
A fourth cycle of And Still We Rise takes shape. Rehearsals take place at the Factory Theatre in the Piano Factory/ We open the show at Boston College sponsored by 4Boston, a student social service organization. Dev recruits a fine team of interns to provide logistical help at rehearsals. Regular production meetings are held every week. Whittier Street Health Center provides office space and facilities.


Spring and Summer 2009
We are granted our 501 C 3 tax-exempt status after our first Invitational Showcase recruiting supporters and potential members of a Board of Trustees. Touring shows include Eliot Church, Haley House and Harriet Tubman House. Invitational Showcase a success. As a result, Project Place offers And Still We Rise free rehearsal space. ASWR have a home. Meetings held to plan governance and shape future plans for the company.

Fall 2009
ASWR continues to tour its Cycle IV show, including its first out of state performance in Albany NY. The entire company participates in a Forum Theatre master workshop thanks to a very successful fundraising initiative by its new Board of Trustees. Recruitment starts for the Cycle 5 show. And Still We Rise is invited to participate in Open Doors' Second Chance mentoring training program in Providence Rhode Island.

Winter, 2010
Rehearsals for the Cycle 5 show begin in our new rehearsal room at Project Place. The staff consists of Artistic Director Dev Luthra, Assistant Marie Therese Verbruggen and Yvonne Murphy and UMass interns Peter Bearman and Matthew Robertson. We receive our second grant award, this time from the Boston Cultural Council.

Spring 2010
Cycle V show opens March 20th at the Great Hall in Dorchester MA. Performances at Curry College, Stonehill College and Wheelock College follow. The company starts work on developing scenes for the Mentoring Project sponsored by OpenDoors, RI.