Shakespeare in Prison Director Sophia Esch joined Marie Osborne on Michigan Voices to discuss the impact of Shakespeare in Prison and its collaboration with Wayne State University’s production of Julius Caesar.

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Frannie Shepherd-Bates a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frannie Shepherd-Bates.

Written and directed by Sarah Shourd, who was once held as a political prisoner in Iran, and with many of its cast and crew survivors of solitary confinement, “The Box” sheds light on a concerning corner of incarceration in the U.S.

“Honestly, at first, a guy like me would get teased doing something like that,” Gabriel Odlum, a returning citizen, says of performing in a Shakespeare in Prison program. “But it was empowering to know, regardless of where you’re at, that type of stuff is valued. Through it, we found out who we were, and what our strengths were.”

Most, if not all, of us know who William Shakespeare is, or at the very least we know something that he has written. His work has had an impact on the lives of many people throughout centuries of time. But did he ever think his work would be used to inspire, empower, and heal incarcerated people in the 21st century?

Frannie Shepherd-Bates founded Shakespeare in Prison in 2012. Nine years later, SIP is the signature community program of the Detroit Public Theatre and has worked on a total of eight plays with a women’s ensemble at Huron Valley Correctional Facility and a men’s ensemble at Parnall Correctional Facility. When a member of the men’s ensemble suggested that SIP should find a way to share their work to make it easier for others to approach, his idea inspired a new project: a planned critical edition of Richard III that pairs Shakespeare’s text with the ideas and perspectives of incarcerated women who worked with the play over the course of 2016 and 2017.

When a theater professional with a commitment to social justice sets her sights on bringing Shakespeare to incarcerated people, the result is Frannie Shepherd-Bates’ remarkable Shakespeare in Prison program.

With in-person access to Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility cut off since March, organizers are mailing activity packs to offer prisoners a continuing connection to the program, the community, and themselves.

Shakespeare in Prison (SIP), Detroit Public Theatre’s (DPT) signature community program, empowers incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to reconnect with their humanity and that of others; to reflect on their past, present, and future; and to gain the confidence, self-esteem, and crucial skills they need to heal and positively impact their communities. SIP has been going strong at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility (Ypsilanti) since 2012; we have also worked at Parnall Correctional Facility (Jackson) and several youth facilities. Our post-release program offers SIP alumni ongoing mentoring for professional development and support.

Detroit — In playing the title character from Shakespeare’s “MacBeth,” Sarah Lauderdale not only had to carry the heaviest of acting loads, she had to look within for answers as to why she was doing it in a prison setting.

How friendship and a love for the stage led three women to start Detroit Public Theatre.

In the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg are joined by Shakespeare in Prison founder Frannie Shepherd-Bates. Just in time for the Bard’s birthday, Shepherd-Bates shares insights and outcomes of the program’s history and its lasting influence on prisoners given the chance to rehearse, produce and perform some of Shakespeare’s greatest works.

Frannie Shepherd-Bates founded Shakespeare in Prison (SIP) at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, MI in 2012 and expanded the work to Parnell Correctional Facility, a men’s prison in Jackson, Michigan, in 2017. Read Part One and Part Two.

Frannie Shepherd-Bates founded Shakespeare in Prison (SIP) at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, MI in 2012 and expanded the work to Parnell Correctional Facility, a men’s prison in Jackson, Michigan, in 2017. Read Part One.

Most theaters in America have to meet multiple challenges. Almost always, there are budgetary constraints. Sometimes the playing space is inadequate, storage space is worse, shops are underequipped or far from the theaters themselves, equipment is old. Now, multiply those problems by the biggest number you can think of and you’ll have an idea of what it’s like to put on a play in prison.

Formerly incarcerated individuals and corrections officials make a strong case.

“Work in Progress” is a new Stateside series about what it’s like to be at opposite ends of the same career path. You’ll hear conversations between two people —one who’s just starting out in a job and one who’s been working in the field for a long time. Learn more about all kinds of fields out there— from the leading a Catholic church to teaching high school music. Here’s a highlight on a rookie and veteran farmer talking it out.

“When I first go on stage I’m nervous, but as I go I feel exhilarated. I feel like I am the only one out there and that’s amazing.” Keta says she’s making a lot of changes in her life. (We are using only the first names of the inmates in this article). She’s serving a roughly 20 year sentence for a crime she commiteed nearly 10 years ago. She’s one of the actors with Shakespeare in Prison, a program of the Detroit Public Theater. It’s her first year participating in the program and tells me she’s really enjoying it.