Cage Rhythm by Kia Corthron, Fall 2001 (Photo: Leslie Jones and Heather Alicia Simms) In the fall 2001 Sightlines produced the New York premiere of Cage Rhythm by Kia Corthron, author of Breath Boom and Force Continuum. This project was a collaboration between Sightlines and The Point, a community development organization in the Hunt's Point neighborhood of the South Bronx. Playwright Kia Corthron is one of the most prolific and well-regarded young writers in contemporary theatre and participated in the rehearsal process and surrounding workshops. The subject of Cage Rhythm catapults the audience into the lives of a group of incarcerated women. The play juxtaposes frank scenes of daily prison life with moments of lyrical imagery born of the women's yearning for their distant children. Corthron's language, both musical and edgy, is coupled with riveting sketches of women serving lengthy sentences under the draconian Rockefeller drug laws. The result is a poignant and hard-hitting observation of the race, gender and class inequities in the criminal justice system. Cage Rhythm was presented at The Point for eight free performances and then brought to New York Theatre Workshop's Fourth Street Theatre for four performances. In conjunction with the production of Cage Rhythm, Sightlines hosted a panel discussion focused on the Rockefeller Drug Laws and also taught three free acting and writing workshops over the summer with the local community in the South Bronx. In addition, Sightlines and The Point brought scenes from the play into several detention centers in the New York area including Rosewood High School for girls on Riker's Island, Bridges Juvenile Facility in The Bronx, and Taconic Correctional in Westchester.
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