Rivka Rocchio

Rivka Rocchio, an Master of Fine Arts in theatre for youth student in the School of Film, Dance and Theatre, recently received several awards for her work with inmates from Eyman and Florence state prisons. She was awarded the Humanities Rising Star Award from Arizona Humanities and the Volunteer of the Year Award from Eyman and Florence state prisons.

Currently, she is working on a project called “"Theatre Across Prison Walls,"” which will bring together three Arizona State University students and 15 inmates from Eyman State Prison to create a new piece of theatre. It is expected that this partnership will build the creative capabilities, develop best methods of creating in community-based ensemble models, and expand understanding of issues surrounding incarceration for the students involved, as well as investigating new ways that prisons and universities can partner with one another.