Theater nurtures spirit of prison population

The documentary begins with two men rehearsing dialogue in what appears to be a wide-open field. They seem content, dedicated and talented. But then, the camera pulls back and reveals a guard tower, fences and the faces of other prisoners.

We're in Kentucky's Luther Luckett medium-security facility, where a group of jail mates are probing not only Shakespeare, but their own lives and crimes. For anyone who thinks theater is a hoity-toity art form strictly for the highbrow, I'd recommend checking out the 2005 Philomath DVD "Shakespeare Behind Bars." It demonstrates how drama can play a major role in bringing self-forgiveness for those who feel they are beyond mercy.

The folks there, under the guidance of Kentucky Shakespeare Festival artistic director Curt Tofteland, put together a show a year. This time out, it's "The Tempest," about a very different group of people -- including a sorcerer and a half-man, half-beast villain -- stranded on an island. At first, the amateur actors approach their roles in a very false, cerebral way. Tofteland spends much time getting them to connect emotionally to every thing they say and do. Ultimately -- after some temper tantrums, false starts and personality clashes -- the actors relate to their roles on very personal levels. It makes for a series of painful and valuable self-discoveries.

A murderer says he too feels like a half-man, half-beast, and that he doesn't think he'll ever redeem himself until he looks at himself as a full-fledged human being. Another notes that the sorcerer in the play has the power to destroy his enemies, yet, chooses to forgive. There's a lot of talk about forgiveness -- toward self, crime victims and victims' families. At one point, a man lowers his head and whispers about his wife, "I shouldn'tve killed her."

Each year the program loses at least one actor to solitary confinement or transfer. One prisoner, though, asked for and received a stay in his parole so that he could complete the production. "I never finished anything in my life," he says.

The film doesn't suggest that these prisoners should be free. It's chilling to hear them describe their crimes. And it's obvious some of the men don't have the emotional maturity to handle simple conflicts. But the warden points out, it's not a prison's job to simply lock people away. "Prison should make a difference," he says. "We have to move forward, in whatever way that may be. Personally, I believe education is the way to change people's lives."

Since the DVD release, Tofteland has been trying to get wardens, actors and educators in other states to recognize the value drama has in awakening and nurturing the spiritual side of our forgotten population.

You can get more details at info@philomathfilms.com.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.