PPA Supporters,
While the COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis, it has impacted each of us personally. Whether you or a loved one is physically affected by the illness, or you’re adjusting to working remotely (some with your kids at home!), a business owner feeling the stress of a recession, an artist suddenly out of work, a student whose semester was dismantled … we all are feeling the magnitude of the virus.
Another community is bracing for impact: those who live and work at adult and juvenile correctional facilities. Studies show that contagious illnesses spread quickly in those environments, and an outbreak could have a devastating reach.
In accordance with the “stay-at-home” guidelines in St. Louis City and County, PPA staff will be working from home through April 22. Additionally, PPA has suspended programming in all correctional facilities out of extreme caution and concern for the well-being of the individuals we serve. Chris and Rachel continue to work closely with staff at each facility to determine a realistic timeline for resuming all activities and will keep you updated.
PPA will continue to support our teaching artists and guest actors through this crisis, keeping them engaged in program development. For example, they are creating arts-based lesson plans that can be shared with our youth participants (via facility staff) during this suspension. We will do our part to help mitigate the risks that our artistic collaborators face in a gig economy. Our production calendar for this summer and fall is packed, and we will maximize our impact with careful preparation.
For the last 20 years, Prison Performing Arts has inspired hope, even when circumstances seem hopeless. We shine a light on that which brings us together, instead of what threatens to divide. The same holds true today.
In a time of uncertainty, there is one thing we are sure of: we are stronger together. Your support through this means we can continue to inspire in the darkest seasons.
Thank you for being such an important part of our PPA family. We cannot wait to see what powerful stories we write together during this crisis.
The show will go on!
Sincerely,
Shannon Durio - Managing Director, sdurio@prisonartsstl.org Christopher Limber – Artistic Director, chris.limber@prisonartsstl.org Rachel Tibbetts – Director of Youth Programs, rachel@prisonartsstl.org