Upcoming Events
Public Fiction Reading
Come help us celebrate the culmination of the Fiction Writing course. The fellas are prepared to share excerpts, short stories and flash fiction.
Saturday, Nov 2nd
Columbia River Correctional
1:00pm – 3:35pm
Portland, Oregon
Complete Registration to attend
A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison
a documentary film by Bushra Azzouz
October 25th, 6:30pm, followed by Q&A
October 26th, 27th, times TBD
2024
Corvallis, Oregon
Half of all ticket sales go directly to Open Hearts Open Minds. See a film and support arts in prison.
Past Events
A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison
a documentary film by Bushra Azzouz
August 18, 2024
Cinema 21
Portland, Oregon
Screening followed by a short panel discussion.
$8
OHOM receives 50% of the ticket price so your entertainment dollars are going directly to helping those behind bars harness the transformative power of the arts.
All That I Am
June 11, 2024
6:00pm
Coffee Creek Correctional
Tuesday, June 1, 2024
Columbia River Correctional
MHAOO's Peerpocalypse 2024
OHOM was invited to screen In The Beginning at the conference. Peer support rocks!
Ear Hustle Live! with OSOM guests
Outta Sight Outta Mind Radio Hour
Up A Creek Theatre presents a devised piece of songs, stories and dancing.
September 30th 2023
In the Beginning
premiere Sunday, March 26, 2023 at the Hollywood Theater
IN THE BEGINNING is a 24 minute short fiction that tells the story of a young man of color–newly released from US prison–who returns to society with the hope of beginning a new life. He discovers on his solitary journey that the world sees him only as his crime.
Some of the actors in this film have experienced incarceration in Oregon prisons. Film screening will be followed by an artist-audience interactive panel on the film and the challenges of post-prison life.
Summer Concert 2022
The Music Studio’s first performance since pandemic restrictions lifted.
Day of Empathy 2023
The Family Preservation Project asked Open Hearts Open Minds to be a part of producing Oregon’s 3rd Annual Day of Empathy.
Music From the Inside
May 23, 2022
Music from the Inside is a short documentary produced by Outside the Frame. Every week, men incarcerated at Columbia River Correctional Institution gather to work on, share, and record music.
It’s a joyous and collaborative gathering that serves as a counterbalance to the dehumanizing experience of incarceration. Music not only provides opportunities to heal and reflect, but to also build community within and across prison walls. The film focuses on the experiences of the participants and the impact that music making has on their lives.
A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison
–available for streaming until November 28th, thanks to the Shakespeare in Prisons Network–
Join us for a Zoom community talk with the director and members of the cast on November 18th at 12:00pm PST.
Day of Empathy: 3.30.2022
OHOM is delighted to be collaborating on this event with the Family Preservation Project. Oregon’s 2nd Annual Day Of Empathy invites our community to … IMAGINE, together we can. On this day we will amplify the voices of those with first hand knowledge/experience of the criminal legal system.
Fall Concert at CRCI
Mirror Mirror
October 1, 2019
Five short plays interspersed with songs and commercials. Watch the final bow. Written by Theatre at Coffee Creek participants. Workshops led by Karin Magaldi. Karin is the Associate Director of the School of Theater + Film at Portland State University (PSU).
Julius Caesar
Aug 31, 2019
Julius Caesar, directed by Open Hearts Open Minds’ volunteer, Jake Merriman was a rip-roaring success. Thanks to all of you for your hard work and support.
Coming Home
TRANSITIONING FROM LIFE IN PRISON TO LIFE “ON THE OUTSIDE”
Jun 18, 2019
Thank you for joining us in welcoming home returned citizens and hearing what they had to say about re-entry.
Program: Home for Good
Spring Concert at CRCI
May 2019
Members of Open Hearts Open Minds’ music program at Columbia River Correctional Institution will be performing in a Spring Concert this May 2019. Directed by: Mark Mojdehi
12th Night at Coffee Creek
October 2, 2018
Coffee Creek’s first Shakespeare production! Open Hearts Open Minds teamed up with Nikki Weaver of Portland Playhouse to discover Twelfth Night in this setting. And what a success! Thanks to all who helped to enliven the bard with us.
Listen to an interview broadcast on OPB Radio’s Think Out Loud.
Macbeth
September 2018
Our 2018 play was Shakespeare’s Macbeth, co-directed by a group of talented directors: Rich Wattenberg, Diane Kondrat, Michelle Milne, Jake Merriman and Sarah McGregor.
Program: Two Rivers Theatre
Summer Talent Show
Aug 7, 2018
Summer Talent Show at Columbia River Correctional Institution in our Arts in Prison Program and in our Music Program.
12 Angry Men at Deer Ridge
July 14-15, 2018
Scott Strickland, a graduate of our Two Rivers Theatre Program, started a drama club at Deer Ridge Correctional in Madras, Oregon. Partnering with Central Oregon Community College they presented 12 Angry Men.
Am I Enough?
April 17, 2018
An evening of stories, skits, songs and ukeleles.
Each year, we put on a devised piece for the other residents as well as outside guests. What is a devised piece? Our class wrote it all, with the exception of a few cover songs.
Shakespeare In Prison Conference
March 22, 2018
We’re going to San Diego!
Johnny Stallings is moderator for the discussion of Zeina Daccache’s film “Scheherazade’s Diary.” Carla Grant and Patrick Walsh are attending. We are excited to share with this growing community.
Check out the Shakespeare in Prison Conference
So You Think You Can Act? The Audition
Oct 15, 2017 – It began because the class asked about the process of auditioning. So, we made a show of it. Each actor chose one or two monologues. We ran it like a live TV production… a show within a show within a show.
One guest wrote: So many tears and such amazing performances~I bow to you all! The two daughters of the elder were behind me at the stop light, they were wiping their eyes, most engaged with one another… You are doing such extraordinary work in the world… a magic thread of levity and depth throughout the performance. I wanted to embrace them all!
A Christmas Carol
Dec 16, 2017
Two Rivers Theatre performed the classic play by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. It was a moving experience to be a member of the audience. We were entertained with the warm, harmonic tones of an a cappella group of men singing Christmas carols and we were brought to tears as we witnessed the story of a man who lived a lonely, miserly life that found his turning point, bringing an abundance of love and generosity to others. After the play, there is always a talk back session. This time the men shared what they saw as their turning point, or as Scrooge in the play experienced it, their tombstone moment.
For Inmate Consumption Only
April 29, 2017 – Our first production permitting outside guests
Dear Coffee Creek Inmates,
My wife and I came to the public performance of your play at Coffee Creek last Friday. After seeing the show I knew I had to send you a letter. Both my wife and I are artists, and over the years we’ve seen a lot of plays, many of them supposedly with “great” actors or directors. But I can’t remember being moved or touched to the great depth that you touched me. And so I had to write to you, so that you would know. A show can have great “production values” with slick lighting, beautiful sets, polished performances and on and on. But when several of you sat down at folding tables and spoke from the depth of your hearts to others who were playing the part of your visitors, you did something that is truly rare in the greatest works of art. You told the truth. This is one of the most powerful experiences a person can have, to do it or to witness it. I hope you will remember it, for it is an indestructibly strong and enduring thing to move forward with in life. I for one will never forget it, for it touched me to the core. Yours Sincerely, Andy Larkin
Po' Rabbit
Nov 22, 2017
A fun slap-dash piece interweaving Edgar Allen Poe and stories of strange rabbits.
Program: Theatre at Coffee Creek
The Tempest
June 3, 2017
Performed by members of:
Open Hearts Open Minds Theater Group
Directed by: Anna Crandall, Patrick Walsh and Victoria Spencer
Program: Two Rivers Theatre
Metamorphoses
Oct 1, 2016
Performed by members of:
Open Hearts Open Minds Theater Group
Directed by: Anna Crandall, Patrick Walsh, Victoria Spencer
Program: Two Rivers Theatre
Twelve Angry Women
By Sherman L. Sergel adapted from Reginald Rose. Costume pieces by Jenny Ampersand.
*Special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY
May 31, 2016 – Coffee Creek This was our first scripted piece and the cast rocked it! As always, there are obstacles for every production. We were permitted costumes for the show only if they were made of paper. Little did they know our costumer had already designed shows completely made of paper! However, full paper costumes would be inappropriate for the play, so we settled on paper accessories to help define each character.
The Release
Sept 22, 2015 – Coffee Creek “This performance was amazing! It helped me grow and to see others and myself in a new and more open way. It helped me begin to face my fears and see how I am more like others than I ever knew. The world seems somehow less frightening to me now. It’s helped me see that I too can be a part of something beautiful, profound and ever-changing. I feel I have become aware of a new language and incredible energy. This class has helped me learn new skills: to live in a clearer, better way, with more acceptance of myself and the world for how it is… I now have the courage to “face the monster”. I am becoming comfortable in my own skin… I feel that this last performance not only touched us but touched many others as well. Thank you for helping me see the beauty in me and how connected I can be.”
The Hamlet Project
Sept 26, 2015 – Open Hearts Open Minds dialogue group received college credit for completing this course.
Program: Two Rivers Dialogue Group
Credit for Time Served
March 2016
Performed by members of Open Hearts Open Minds’ music program at Columbia River Correctional Institution
Program: CRCI Arts in Prison and Music Studio
Unconditional Love
Feb 17, 2015
A performance for the residents, by the residents of Coffee Creek. Closed to the public.
Our inaugural show was a big hit. 150 women packed the room to see the show. The laughter reverberated and shook the walls to the very foundation. This show was raw, honest, and beautiful. We were all humbled and over-joyed by the process.
Program: Theatre at Coffee Creek
A Winter's Tale
Sept 27, 2014
Another fabulous play by Shakespeare with a rare performance by Johhny Stallings. Costumes by the wondrous Nancy Sharbauch.
Program: Two Rivers Theatre
Spring Forward
March 2015
Performed by members of Open Hearts Open Minds’ music program at Columbia River Correctional Institution
Program: CRCI Arts in Prison and Music Studio
Special Performances
Here We Are Again Still
by Christian O’Reilly
in collaboration with 21ten Theatre.
Coffee Creek Correctional 2023
Weaving Women Together
by Nikki Weaver, directed by Gretchen Corbett
Theatre at Coffee Creek brought Weaving Women Together to perform for the residents of Coffee Creek Medium. Profound and wonderful! The panel discussion was juicy. Many thanks to Nikki and the crew!
Hamilton Cheifetz
and his PSU student string quartet perform in 3 Oregon prisons. February 2019
An Iliad
OHOM and NWCTC co-produced a prison tour of An Iliad in 2018.
Performer: Paul Susi
Cellist: Amanda Fritz
Director: Patrick Walsh
Kim Stafford, Oregon's Poet Laureate 2018
Kim was inspired to write this poem and dedicated it to the men in the dialogue circle at Two Rivers.
Dance of the Skeleton Woman
February, 2017
Theatre at Coffee Creek brought storyteller, Will Hornyack to perform for the residents of Coffee Creek Minimum. He really knows how to hold an audience. Such laughter rang through the rooftops.
Three Sisters at Coffee Creek
Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative performs Three Sisters, directed by Patrick Walsh
Theatre at Coffee Creek brought Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative to perform for the residents at Coffee Creek Minimum. This production was closed to the public.
Pep Talk
by Hand2Mouth
Theatre at Coffee Creek was granted permission to bring our first troupe from the outside to perform for the residents.
This show will boost team spirit, celebrate heroes, identify obstacles and ask the game-changing question: “What are you going to do?”