When we arrive on Thursday, we have a packed house! Just like last week, we have a reading spirit. As we are going to begin reading Act 4 tonight, the group sets their sights on trying to finish the script by next Thursday. Before we jump into reading, though, Sophia has one of her last documentary questions. It’s a real moment of centering and reflection for the group. Sophia asks: “What does it mean that 15 years of SIP has come before you?” The group reflects for a moment.

When we arrive on Thursday, it’s clear that it’s going to be a big reading night. As November creeps up and the ensemble is getting excited to cut and cast the show, the energy and drive to read as much as possible is high! The ensemble settles in, and opens up the evening with a conversation about memorization, commitment, and attendance.

On Thursday, we had a small but mighty crew. We began Act 3 and we were able to read three scenes with everyone taking a part. Because our group was small, we were able to explore so many conversations – what it means to cheat out and play open to an audience, our favorite musicals, their favorite Shakespearean words, and dreams for the future of the program.

Sometimes the biggest moments in rehearsal happen before we even open the script. We arrived at the programs building around 6:00 to a relatively small group. As we settled in, one ensemble member casually announced that she wanted to read King Lear that night. I was thrilled.

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 prodcution.

I don’t think I realized that was going to happen when we first arrived at the programs building on Tuesday. It was just after 6:00, and only a handful of ensemble members had gathered. We chatted about other programs, shared stories, and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. One participant asked me what our question of the day was, and I told her we were asking everyone to reflect on when they first felt like they belonged in the ensemble.

We got to programs around 5:55. As we get more members in the room, we start check in. We start around 6:30. One member leads the ring for the first time.

Today, we moved forward with Act 1, Scene 3, which is a very short scene. After reading it through, the ensemble discusses what is happening in the scene. They seem to connect to Goneril’s anger toward Lear. One participant said: “She sounds angry, she wants to be left alone.”  A participant: “You rocked that,” she tells the reader.

Today, we moved forward with Act 1, Scene 3, which is a very short scene. After reading it through, the ensemble discusses what is happening in the scene. They seem to connect to Goneril’s anger toward Lear. One participant said: “She sounds angry, she wants to be left alone.”  A participant: “You rocked that,” she tells the reader.

I ask the group what they want to do today. One participant wants to bring up a concern. She says people are getting bored because we are sitting and reading and talking. We talk about the importance of this part of the process, in which we read the play scene by scene as an ensemble and discuss its meaning, impact, and dreams we have for staging it. An ensemble member advocates in support of this process, while two other ensemble members don’t want to stop much for reflection.

We picked up where we left off in Act 1, Scene 1, but before moving forward, ensemble members who had been present at our previous session helped catch everyone up. One member recapped what had happened so far, while another jumped in with additional details. Already, understanding the play was becoming a shared responsibility.

This week, the books were finally in our hands. After several weeks of monologues, introductions, experimentation, and conversations about what everyone hopes to bring to the ensemble this year, we officially began reading King Lear. Before opening to Act 1, Scene 1, we spent some time getting acquainted with the play itself. We went through the characters together, practiced pronouncing their names, and talked about how our first read-through works: anyone can read any role, everyone should try different characters, and no one needs to worry about getting every word right.

Before opening the script for King Lear, we wanted to spend one final session exploring monologues and, more importantly, learning about the people who will make up this year’s ensemble. After check-in, the ring, and a name game, we began our three questions ritual

This week, we continued our exploration of Shakespeare’s monologues, but something began to shift. Ensemble members weren’t just reading the words anymore. They were standing up, moving, experimenting, making choices, and beginning to discover what happens when Shakespeare moves from the page into the body.

This session began with a reunion. One ensemble member was the first to arrive, and I was especially excited to see her after she had taken a short break from the program. As we caught up, I told our new facilitators, Lulu and Olivia, about her talent for writing lyrics. Almost immediately, that turned into an idea: what if King Lear began with a rap that summarized the story? It was only one idea, but it was a preview of where the ensemble would take us that night.

This week, we welcomed a new group of members into Shakespeare in Prison. The room was incredibly full when we arrived, and there was an immediate sense of excitement. Some of our new members were encountering SIP for the first time, while others already had connections to the program. One new member even recognized Kyle from The Taming of the Shrew in 2015 and shared that she had participated in theatre outside of SIP. When we asked who had seen an SIP performance before, most of the new members had attended our recent SIP & Beyond performance. We began where every new ensemble begins: with our information packet, our values, and a conversation about what exactly it means to be an ensemble.

September 1 marked the first session of a new Shakespeare season, and after a summer spent creating and performing original work, the ensemble returned to Shakespeare with curiosity, humor, and a willingness to experiment. After check-in and the ring, we shifted our attention toward the season ahead. Before jumping directly into King Lear, we spent the evening exploring monologues and scenes from several Shakespeare plays, giving ensemble members the opportunity to try characters, discover objectives, and simply play.

With our summer performances behind us, our final session of the summer program gave us an opportunity to come back together, reflect on everything we had accomplished, and begin looking toward what comes next for Shakespeare in Prison. Before we even made it into the ring, the evening began with conversation. One participant shared good news about her niece, who had been in a coma and was beginning to wake up. She was only able to stay long enough to say goodbye before leaving to call her family. Before she left, we found ourselves talking about some of the realities of life inside. At one point she told me, “I’m glad you guys see how it really is.”

This was the ensemble’s final performance of the summer. The ensemble returned to the stage for one final show, bringing the production to an energetic and celebratory close. Before the performance, ensemble members set the space and prepare props and costumes. The energy was light as the cast chatted, laughed, and complimented each other’s hair and makeup. Past ensemble members returned to watch the final show, adding to the sense of community in the room. Before the curtains opened, the ensemble gathered for check-ins, the ring, and a warm-up. An ensemble member also led a moment of silence before the performance began.

After weeks of writing, rehearsing, blocking, and preparing, the ensemble finally took the stage for their first performance of their original works! The night was filled with anticipation. Ensemble members arrived early to prepare the stage, set up props, and get dressed before the show  The ensemble closed the curtains as guests poured in. Many in the audience knew the cast members, so there was plenty of excitement and anticipation as everyone waited for the show to begin. Before the performance, we did the usual check-ins, the ring, and a quick warm-up.