Our Story

Maine Inside Out’s mission is to ignite collective creativity and inspire social action by engaging youth and adults impacted by systemic oppression to create and share original theater. 

MIO envisions communities and systems that see each person’s humanity, our shared connection, and our place in the natural world. Our vision is to transform a culture of punishment and isolation to one that thrives in connection, dignity and accountability. 

MIO values are trust, consistency, creativity, connection, love, and purpose.

Since 2008, MIO has been facilitating theater projects designed to support system-impacted young people and prevent youth involvement in the justice system. MIO teams are designed to be a mix of identities including people who have direct lived experience of systems and those who do not.

From 2009-2019, MIO engaged incarcerated youth in weekly collaborative theater programs at Maine’s juvenile detention facility, Long Creek Youth Development Center. More than 250 youth incarcerated at the facility shared their lived experiences by creating and performing original plays inside Long Creek and in communities across the state. 

Since 2014, youth returning home after incarceration have collaborated with MIO to lead community projects, supporting one another to reintegrate from incarceration and be supported in the community. These MIO artists created dozens of original plays and toured across Maine and to Boston, Washington DC, and Michigan.

In 2021, we opened our first community site in Lewiston, which has since become the hub of MIO activity statewide. This physical space is a pilot laboratory for community-led theater projects with system-impacted adults and at-risk youth, a place for peer support and leadership development, as well as a landing pad for incarcerated participants returning home. 

MIO has partnered with prisons, community organizations, and middle schools to offer multi-week theater workshops, in which participants create original plays based on their lived experiences and perform for audiences of peers and community members. 

The play creation process offers a container for self expression, peer support, and advocacy as participants navigate the often compounding trauma experienced in school, at home, and in the community. Our model creates pathways for trusted relationships, access to resources, consistent support, and community belonging. 

Performances are designed to engage audiences in dialogue about social conditions and the artists’ visions for change. Audience members are “spect-actors” and are invited to actively participate in dialogue. When system-impacted young people transform personal stories into powerful, collaborative art, communities have an opportunity to witness and engage with them as artists and leaders. 
MIO offers public events throughout the year, including theater performances and community dialogues, workshops, open mics, and other community gatherings. All are welcome to join us.