This American Life reporter Jack Hitt followed a group of inmates at a high-security prison as they rehearsed and staged a production of the last act—Act V—of Hamlet. Shakespeare may seem like an odd match for a group of hardened criminals, but Jack found that they understand the Bard on a level that most of us might not. It's a play about murder and its consequences, performed by murderers, living out the consequences.
For more information about the program these prisoners were involved in, visit the Prison Performing Arts website.
Wow, this is an interesting project. Not only are the inmates doing something that is proactive, but relating to how their crimes fit in with Shakespeare's storyline. I did a quick search to view what this project is all about, and found a YouTube documentary about this project. It seems to be a very moving and a personal redemption for the inmates.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Working with inmates is definitely a challenge for both the inmates and for the artists involved. It can truly be a rewarding experience. Having had the opportunity to work for about a year with women inmates in the prison near Gig Harbor, WA, I can attest to the profound impact it had on my life, and the obvious transformation that took place in the eyes of my actors. Many of them started weaning themselves off the medications they were taking prior to joining the theatre group, and the expression, experiences and creativity they shared grew with each visit.
ReplyDeleteThe most difficult part was that we left, and they didn't. Every time we checked out, many of the women had to disappear because they couldn't watch us leave. It was too painful for them. I can only imagine, after we had our big performance for the prison, how anti-climatic it was to have us leave for a final time. Actually, only a short time after we departed, two of our performers escaped for a couple of days. They had fallen in love during the show and made a break for it. They were caught, but it made for fascinating news.
So the question remains, did we do good or did we do damage. Were we responsible for these escaped inmates and their extended sentences? Perhaps we were.