Caged

by New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative

This poignant play, written by current and formerly incarcerated authors, uses gripping truths and soulful dialogue to reveal the human cost of America’s for-profit justice system. The story follows Omar, pulled back into the prison system after trying to lift his family out of poverty, who struggles to maintain a sense of humanity while fighting to keep his loved ones close.

According to NJ.com, “From institutionalized racism to addiction to the prison-industrial complex, this is a play about a great many large, pressing social challenges, but at its core it is a play about one family and its struggles to remain united as their world steadily crumbles. Impactful, warm, and unrelenting, this play that began as an experiment turns out to be an excellent examination of the human cost of a harsh and inhospitable world.”
For every print copy of Caged purchased from Haymarket Books through June 1, Haymarket will donate a copy of the book to prisoners and their families working with the New Jersey Scholarship and  . 
All profits from the book will go to a prison re-entry fund run by The Second Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey to help the playwrights secure housing and continue their schooling upon release.

Genres: Plays, Social Justice, Fiction

122 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2020

Reviews

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s amazing to think this started in a prison writing class and over time turned into this heart wrenching play. Something needs to change!

[Ahmari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the hard work and vulnerability that went into creating this play. Caged was relatable, wise, honest, and moving. I wish I had more eloquent words and lengthier feedback, but this piece truly touched my spirit in a way that's difficult for me to describe. What I can say is that I will be sharing this beautiful work with others and working to create a world in which these struggles are a thing of our past.

[Masha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, very vivid. Play written by New Jersey Theater cooperative.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really excellent. The old adage about "write what you know" has never been more true.

[Rose Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since reading August Wilson's Century Cycle and discovering Dominique Morisseau, I've been searching for more contemporary plays to bring into my classroom. Caged illuminates the generational effects of mass incarceration--and brings up questions for me about whether including eerily real depictions of life like this in my curriculum is healing or re-traumatizing.

[Jess Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, heartbreaking, enraging. It's easy and comfortable to not think or learn about America's corrupt and violent prison system, and to never learn know the names of those trapped/ enslaved inside. And it's hidden from us- why would the system want us to know?

As with the last book I read, the word that comes to mind is 'honor'. It is an honor to read the combined stories of the New Jersey Prison Theater Cooperative and of their families, also acknowledging that there are many thousands more not shared. Required reading.

[Erin Loken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the fastidious, clever art of it all, but also a backup star because of the importance of facilitating art amongst society’s most oppressed people. Dare I suggest this was punchier than anything a celebrity “attacking” systems of oppression could offer…

[Jacqueline Murdocca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Amazing story!