sabra williams
Actor + Activist + Speaker
Sabra Williams has received international acclaim for her work as an actor, host and founding director of The Actors' Gang Prison Project, including being named by President Obama a, “Champion of Change” in 2016, and being honored with a British Empire Medal for services to the Arts & Prison Reform by Queen Elizabeth in 2018.
Sabra is co-founder of Creative Acts, a Social Justice initiative that uses the Arts as the tool for transformation. Creative Acts has Civic Engagement programs in juvenile facilities and a new Virtual Reality Arts Reentry program in adult maximum security prisons, for people returning after life sentences.
Sabra is a Visiting Lecturer at UCLA and an Adjunct Professor at USC. She is a Bellagio Rockefeller Resident Fellow and an in-demand speaker on justice and Arts issues.
She is currently a member of The Independent Shakespeare Company, LA ensemble..
acting
Sabra grew up in theatrical family, her mother is a Director, her step-father a Playwright. As a young child sitting on the side of the stage, she realized that the magic of the theatre was something beyond entertainment and has the potential to be life-changing. As an artist Sabra understood the responsibility to both change the narrative around the importance of the Arts in our culture and to ensure access for all. When she joined The Actors' Gang and started The Prison Project, her philosophy grew legs and has been the turning point for thousands of people who are, or were, incarcerated. She's also a respected, in-demand, kick-ass actor with an extensive resume on stage and screen.
speaking
Sabra is a highly respected thought leader and influencer in the Social Justice world. She is called on for her inspirational key-notes, panels and workshops. Through her company, Creative Acts she tailors unique training and anti-racism workshops for clients wishing to create more value in their work, become more effective and develop a creative work culture that is inclusive and anti-racist, as well as those wanting to work with systems-impacted and incarcerated communities.
Sabra is a Rockefeller Resident Fellow and speaks at Universities across the country. She has given three TEDx talks and is a visiting lecturer at UCLA and Adjunct Professor at USC. Her areas of expertise are the Arts, creativity and play, social justice, criminal justice reform, racial and social equity, incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry and the intersection of mental health, tech and creativity.
She is currently writing a book about her work called, ‘Beauty In The Beast: The Power of the Arts Behind Bars’.
activism
Issues & Focus
+ The Arts, Play & Creativity
+ Social Justice
+ Criminal Justice Reform
+ Racial & Social Equity, Truth & Reconciliation
+ Incarceration, Rehabilitation & Reentry
+ Intersection of Mental Health, Trauma & Creativity
Sabra established strategic program partnerships with the Obama White House and US Department of Justice and many organizations including the Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, Revolve Impact, the ACLU, the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and Homeboy Industries. With Creative Acts, she has partnered with the national leaders from March For Our Lives to meet and engage with young people who are incarcerated. She was invited by President Obama's Senior Advisor, Valerie Jarret to co-produce an event at The White House around innovative programming and the Arts in Criminal Justice Reform. She has been honored by President Obama as a Champion of Change and Queen Elizabeth II for services to the Arts and Prison Reform. Sabra has been a tireless and successful advocate for including the Arts in legislation and criminal justice reform- together with Tim Robbins, she led the charge to get a line item in the California State Budget, ensuring Arts programs in all 35 prisons for the first time and she successfully got the word, "Arts" added to ‘The First Step Act’ passed by Congress in 2018.
What we do at Creative Acts and why we do it.
Podcast Hosting
Contact: sabrapublic@gmail.com
Sabra was asked by Wondery to coach a Podcast host, which turned into ongoing support for many of their hosts.
“With patience, enthusiasm, and great skill, Sabra has transformed our hosts into dynamic performers. If you’re looking for someone who will help you find your voice, look no further.” Caleb Bissenger, Associate Producer, Wondery
“Sabra Williams is an incredible coach who has worked with the hosts of several hit Wondery podcasts. From first-time narrators to those with more experience her coaching is always tailored to the individual host’s voice and story. In her video sessions Sabra fosters a supportive and fun atmosphere. She takes the time to understand the story the host is telling and then works with them to help bring out the most journalistically important or emotionally significant aspects in their performance. I highly recommend working with Sabra.”
-George Lavender, Senior Vice President of Content at Wondery
current news
news + current
POETRY
In the spirit of the work I do with people who are incarcerated, I will be sharing some of my poetry from time to time. It’s not about whether it’s received well or not, but rather, walking my talk by sharing, warts and all, as a gesture of solidarity. Vulnerability and discomfort are a central part of this work.
This one is my most recent. Inspired by pandemic living. October 2021.
QUIET
Remember when it was quiet?
A quiet that no one breathing had ever been swaddled by
No vibration
No undercurrent hum
The birdsong cresting
Like the volume had been turned
All the way up
And us
Home and quiet too
Undercurrent fear
And astonishment
A sudden new world
Ruled by an invisible hand
One that can take you by the throat
And
Stop
Your
Breath
So we bake
And we garden
And we work in boxes
Trying to adapt
To isolation
And the swell of inequity
Sniffing at our heels
A dawning of the sun
Of realization
A sun that both nurtures and burns
A light that throws a glare
On our ignorance
Our delusions
Our inability to accept
That we don’t know
Our willingness to cling to the coattails
Of
A past that gallops into the future
A white horse
With blue eyes
Hooves crushing underfoot
Screaming in the silence
A silence without borders
An intake of breath
Awakening to the fact
That for all our money
Our power
Our technology
Our chokehold on the natural world
We will be brought to our knees
by the onward, unrelenting march
Of an invisible visitor
That rides on an exhale
That winds itself into the red darkness
And shows us that
time
And life
And death
Await in the silence