Written by Kyle Fisher-Grant

It’s been a little while since we have posted… A lot has happened! The end of the summer and the early autumn were filled with exciting news, difficult decisions, big changes, and new beginnings. 

You may remember we got word we could re-enter Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility last winter, and in February 2023, we were thrilled to head into the facility for our first season back in person since the pandemic. SIP normally begins our seasons in September and we traditionally spend nine full months working together towards a capstone performance, so we knew from the start (in February - not September) that this year was going to be different in every way. AND since we knew that so much was unknown in our first season back, we decided that it would be wise to avoid putting pressure on the ensemble after such a traumatic few years—so we decided that we would not schedule a final performance in advance. We devoted the early months to finding a new normal and creating a new rhythm within a greatly shortened timeline, and we did so with an almost entirely new ensemble! Great challenges and great opportunities came from discovering new ways of working. Some of what we learned the ensemble would like to keep in place as we get back to a longer timeline (deep text analysis and more time for character exploration and PLAY) and some things we will all gladly say goodbye to (not having a capstone performance—we ALL missed that!). Here I share with you the good and the difficult and the learning and growth that came along the way!  

Last season the ensemble worked our way through Hamlet and explored the play in depth in a luxurious way we haven’t been able to before. In seasons past, getting the show up on its feet and getting to the final performance has been a thrilling way to establish momentum and focus for the ensemble, and at the same time the looming deadline and benchmarks have, in some ways, confined and limited playful deep exploration. In this first year back at Women’s Huron Valley, as we reestablished the ensemble, we experienced great freedom without the pressure of performance. But we also experienced great disappointment of missing out on that excitement and closure.  At first we thought we would perform scenes for a small group but towards the end of the summer, the ensemble began to shrink; several members needed to leave for reasons both positive and challenging—several members were released between mid-August and mid-September, and there were members who faced disciplinary issues. By the end of September we determined that with so much change in the ensemble, even our small  performance would not be possible. So we made the tough decision to switch gears and  continue our work on the material, but let go of the dream of a performance. We still took pride in reestablishing the in-person program, and we have set our sights on a performance next season building on the progress and learning we have achieved together since February.  

Here is what we have landed on and how…  

Sometime during early September, one of the ensemble members began reading from the complete works. One of the plays she read, among many, was A Midsummer Night’s Dream and she was hooked! She brought it to the group and we were even able to begin work on some of the old monologues that had been approved by the facility years prior. We talked at length about the setup and plot of the play and, although I didn’t know it, had laid the groundwork for the next season. There was a buzz to the ensemble and, as much as we loved its infinite layers, we quietly realized that we were getting ready to let go of Hamlet. This was not an easy decision, nor was it our ideal. The SIP facilitators, the ensemble, facility staff– just about everyone it feels like– weighed in at one time or another that they wished there was a way we could perform. There had just been so many gains and achievements since February it was disappointing to think we couldn’t show them off somehow. However, we had to decide between starting Hamlet again– from the beginning– with a new ensemble, or starting a new season fresh. It was not easy for anyone to say farewell to Hamlet (for now), but the choice was clear. The ensemble voted unanimously to move on and, while this decision was not without some heavy-heartedness, it was definitely the right decision. Hamlet holds a special place for the ensemble; it is complex, philosophical, layered, and deliberative, and was the source of hours of debate and conversation within the group. If ever there was a play that we, as an ensemble, would choose to mull over and explore with no agenda Hamlet would be it! It was perfect for us at that place and time, and I can’t help but think this first season back on the inside played out exactly as it should have. 

There was another layer to this transitory phase we entered. Letting go of Hamlet and moving on to a new season corresponded with saying farewell to Frannie Shepherd-Bates. Frannie is SIP’s founder and led the program for its entire existence until this Fall. As you can imagine, Frannie’s choice to move on was difficult for everyone and no part of the transition was taken lightly. As our first season back in person was coming to a close, all these different dynamics were converging; I found myself in a new role as SIP Director, with the ensemble at a turning point, and the program entering a new stage. A central theme of Hamlet is inaction and the paralysis of introspection and, after years of pandemic-necessitated waiting to return to work on the inside, we needed, as an ensemble and a program at large, to put away Hamlet’s brooding; we needed to be activated and energized, and dammit we needed to have some fun!

We are pleased– nay, ecstatic– to announce the start of a new season of SIP at Women’s Huron Valley! We will be working on A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and we are  working towards a performance in late June. We have opened up the callout so new ensemble members can sign up for the program, and currently have seventeen members, many of whom are brand new to the ensemble, to Shakespeare, and to theatre. They are thrilled to be in the ensemble and already are establishing a culture of safety and collaboration. 

A Midsummer's Night Dream couldn’t be further from Hamlet, and although letting Hamlet go has been bittersweet for all, this fresh start has served as a wonderful catalyst for a very active group. The  characters are so direct—they say what they mean with little ambiguity, so while we have less to analyze with Midsummer than we had with Hamlet, we get to spend a lot more time speaking the language, loving the poetry, on our feet playing with the scenes– and we get to spend a lot more time laughing.

Even with no culminating performance, this past summer was time well spent! Free from the pressure of a performance deadline, the ensemble was able to focus more on process—on artistry and analysis—and less on product, so quality of the acting was quite extraordinary and we had more time to let the text breathe and let moments land. We had time to explore the text and play without a time crunch. There were epiphanies and breakthroughs weekly, and the ensemble grew together as a group in equal measure. The operational and theatrical processes (see our case study and follow up report) were in full effect, and we didn’t lack for new discoveries with the characters. I’m glad it wasn’t A Midsummer’s Night Dream we poured over–there aren’t nearly as many layers to mine—and I am grateful for the lessons we learned from having the luxury of time!

Some of our best sessions were the physical work that we did using Micheal Chekhov’s technique. One ensemble member performed “Oh what a rogue and peasant slave…” while walking a tightrope, another performed it as if their feet were in concrete blocks, then another as if they had no spine, and again as a duo playing ‘tug-of-war'. It was an incredible night of rehearsal and theatre, and one that only could only have happened without being tied to a strict performance schedule. Another night we built and stepped into our characters using an exercise called the Imaginary Body exercise and the ensemble seemed to just love working through the creation of their characters.

We finished the season by watching a filmed version of Hamlet, something we have not  had the luxury of doing for many years, in part, because of the time constraints of production.  We were able to view the old Laurence Oliveir version of Hamlet from 1947.  It was a great way to finish the season—with an extraordinary performance. We all debated Olivier’s use of the soliloquy in voiceover, his cutting of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, all the Fruedian nonsense (we decided), and his staging of the play-with-in-a-play. We, as an ensemble, have loved Hamlet, and we have learned so much from it! And now we are ready for something new—a new play as we embark on a new season with a new ensemble and new leadership.

Look out for the next installment of the blog at the beginning of December and we will keep sharing insights and info on the new season!