End of Isolation Tour Launch

An invitation

I believe the pandemic has invited all of us into a space of deeper empathy and understanding of the harmful impacts of isolation and — by extension — prison. It’s been a time of disruption and great loss, and it’s also brought things into focus.

Five years ago, many of you watched my play about solitary confinement, The BOX, come to life for the first time in San Francisco. You probably have no idea how far it’s come or the impact your support has had. 

About three years ago, I partnered with the Pulitzer Center on performances in the former penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, then we did an online adaptation last fall, and the response has been overwhelming. 

Now, I’m writing to tell you about my most ambitious project yet: The End of Isolation Tour. We’re taking The BOX on the road this Fall for a national, pop-up tour— to New Orleans, Arkansas, St. Louis, and Detroit—connecting theater to vital on-the-ground efforts to shut down inhumane prisons, jails and solitary confinement units across the country. 

Please join us at the launch event, hosted by The Pulitzer Center, on Tuesday, June 8, at 1:00 pm PST/4:00 pm EST. You will see clips and hear directly from The BOX cast members and creators, myself and actor Dameion Brown, both survivors of solitary confinement.  

Through live performance, traveling visual art, and artistic ritual, our tour will create a space for dialogue and healing. Restorative Justice Circles after each performance will invite audiences to imagine better ways to repair harm and than prison and isolation.

Please join us! Support a vision for impact-driven, scalable, theater and help bring this urgent and timely performance to the widest possible audience, in the cities planned thus far and beyond. “This tour will act like a booster shot that will infuse our community with energy for action,” says Jon Comstock of DecARcerate Arkansas.

In community, 

            Sarah Shourd and the End of Isolation Team

To give toward the tour, please click here, and list “End of Isolation Tour” under “Additional Info” at the bottom of the page. Any level of support is appreciated!