Written by Olivia

After an incredible session on Tuesday, the energy had clearly shifted. We arrived at programs just before 6:00 as the ensemble began to gather.

The group was excited to be together, and to dive into reading. It was clear that several of them had been reading their scripts over the weekend, as many came in with new ideas about which characters they were interested in playing. One announced to the group that she wants to play Kent right as she arrived. She told us that she had been sharing the script with some people throughout the facility and getting everyone excited to see our production.

Our question of the day was “How does Shakespeare impact how you connect to/belong in the ensemble?”

The ensemble had many different ideas about what role Shakespeare really plays in Shakespeare in Prison. Building off of the energy of a fun last couple of sessions of games and deep, meaningful reading and conversation, it wasn’t surprising that most of the ensemble felt that Shakespeare was just a small part of the bigger picture:

Ensemble Member: We’re all working toward a common goal, which is Shakespeare. 

Ensemble Member: Shakespeare is who brought us here, and we wouldn’t know each other otherwise. But he’s not as important as the people. 

Ensemble Member: I love identifying with the character and stepping into the character. Whenever I step out, I always want to come back. 

Ensemble Member: It has nothing to do with Shakespeare why I love everyone. I felt good my first show. I love the group. I love the people, I love the facilitators. 

Ensemble Member: It wasn’t Shakespeare, it was the radical fear work. You have to pull yourself out of your own mind or you’ll lose it. We’re bringing comedy to our fellow inmates. 

Ensemble Member: Shakespeare didn’t bring me here, I was trying to find my place in this prison. I don’t fit in, and it’s lonely. I feel like I fit in here and now I love Shakespeare.

For some other members, Shakespeare is a primary reason they participate in the ensemble!

Ensemble Member: Shakespeare brought me here. My bunkie and I loved the Bible and Shakespeare, we sat and did it all together. Shakespeare was me coming home. I love making people laugh. I don’t have a shy bone in my body.

Ensemble Member: I only read Romeo & Juliet but I was always intrigued by it and the style and era. The characters and writing and how they only used men. I wanted to change that dynamic. 

Another responds: “Isn’t that cool that they used to be all men and now we’re doing it all women?” 

Ensemble Member: Lowkey Shakespeare is my identity in this prison. 

After discussing Shakespeare’s impact on our ensemble, we do a quick warmup and the ensemble is eager to get reading. We start Act 2! I noticed that today, many of the new members were confident and excited to volunteer to read. And they were fabulous! Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 are full of trickery, disguises, and insults. Upon realizing that Edmund is setting his brother up, one ensemble member exclaimed: “Ooh, how treacherous!”

The ensemble was excited by the possibilities that come with staging intrigue and deception, and we discuss these at length. Then, the conversation takes a more thoughtful turn:

Ensemble member: “I can’t help but think about how this happens in real life, how quick we are to believe what people say who don’t have our best interests at heart. Loving someone almost makes it easier to trick them. Your relationship makes you capable of taking advantage of them.”

Ensemble Member: “When you love someone, you can’t see that they’re a villain. You think ‘Oh, my loved one wouldn’t do that.'”

We discuss the difficulty of human relationships and trust, and how they change over the course of our life.

The tone changes again once we get into a classic Shakespearean event – a long monologue of insults from Kent! We all find these hilarious, so after finishing the scene, we have a roast battle using Kent’s dialogue. We read the section several times in different voices, which energizes the ensemble and feels electric!

After finishing Scene 2, we do the ring and wrap up the night.

We are cooking through reading this script, and finding more and more joy in this classic tragedy every day!