Performing New Lives

Presented as part of the Year of Shakespeare in Wisconsin, Jonathan Shailor will discuss his book, and will share the most recent chapter of his remarkable journey, as revealed in the writings of the prisoners who were a part of it.
 
In 2004, The Shakespeare Prison Project was established at Racine Correctional Institution, a medium-maximum security prison in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.  After 8 months of rehearsal, “The Muddy Flower Theatre Troupe” presented King Lear to over 200 fellow prisoners, who gave standing ovations. The project was featured on FOX News, and on the front page of The New York Times. The work has continued, with productions of Othello, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and most recently, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  In Performing New Lives, project director Jonathan Shailor reflects on the first few years of The Shakespeare Prison Project, and shares the stories of 13 other prison theatre programs from across the United States. Each of these programs, in their own way, provide a sanctuary within prison walls, a crucible for personal transformation, and a rehearsal for prisoners’ re-integration into society.