Shakespeare in prison sparks strong emotions
“What’s it like performing in prisons?”
That’s the question we get the most about the Delaware Shakespeare Community Tour. It takes us into homeless shelters, psychiatric centers, low-income senior apartments and prisons.
This fall, the Delaware Department of Corrections will host three performances of our Community Tour production of "The Merchant of Venice."
This will be the third year we have performed in prisons, starting with Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in 2016, adding Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in 2017 and then adding Sussex Correctional Institution this fall. We perform in the chapels at each.
First off, you have to make a lots of lists.
Every single item that we want to bring in for the performance has to be detailed on an inventory. Every costume piece. Every musical instrument. Every prop. Every set piece.
The entire list has to be preapproved by security staff, and sometimes this can be quite a journey because we ask to bring in some bizarre things.
Our set pieces are made by University of Delaware sculpture professor David Meyer. For our 2016 production of "Pericles," the set involved two large aluminum sculptures that looked like giant palm fronds, three curving steel stools and a rolling coffin.
The first response: “You can’t bring any of those things into prison.”
But the DOC worked with us, visiting a rehearsal to see how we were using the pieces and making a few suggestions. Ultimately, we were able to bring all of the items in with only a few modifications.
When we arrive at each prison, every item on our inventory list is checked in by security staff — and then checked out when we leave.
Although a very serious process — if anything we bring in does not come out, there might be a lockdown until the item is found — it can also lead to some light moments.
This year's show refers to a knife, but we didn't even suggest bringing one because we know it would be a no-go. It's just going to be a smooth, oblong, small piece of wood which the actors will endow with the qualities of a knife.
Our first year, the costume designer had included socks for all the actors but many had decided just to wear their own socks, taking their already-inventoried socks out of their garment bags.
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As the security staff worked through the inventory list, actor after actor told the staff there were no socks in their bag. Finally, it got to an actor who did have socks, and there was much rejoicing by the security staff.
“All right, Trevor’s got socks!” the staff yelled out. (The female officers also wanted pictures with Trevor after the show. I do not believe it was because of his socks).
Intermissions are a foreign concept in prison. Prior to our first performance, we explained that the running time of the production was 2 hours and 15 minutes with a 10-minute intermission.
“What are we supposed to do with the inmates at an intermission?” the officer asked. “They aren’t going anywhere.”
Ever since then, our intermissions during prison performances have been much shorter.
But once the performances begin, they feel much like any other performance, with one caveat: The audiences are just about the best audiences you can imagine.
This will be the third year we’ve performed at Baylor and our first two performances are two of the highlights of my professional life. For "Pericles," the women viscerally connected with the story of a person who perseveres through several extreme life events before being reconnected to a loved one the character never thought he would never see again.
Dry eyes were rare during the emotional conclusion.
From the first lines of last year’s "As You Like It," the reactions were so raucous it was like there was a laugh track playing. At one point early in the story, an inmate got caught up in the moment and stood up, gesturing with her entire body for the actor near them (Trevor, again) to take action.
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I saw an officer take a step in to control the situation before he realized it was just an enthusiastic response. It was the first time I had to be concerned with riotous laughter at a performance.
We played at Howard R. Young (or Gander Hill, as it is also known) last year and went in expecting the same kind of vocal reactions. The male inmates were much quieter. I worried they were not enjoying themselves.
The actors assured me, however, that the men were very much into the performance — listening intently and independently. The survey responses afterward proved that the men were very grateful for the opportunity.
One man wrote: “Thank you for the time and effort your troupe gave to us. Art for the sake of art, interactions with humans who behave humanely, and unbridled expressions are a refreshing change here.
"Also, thanks for the opportunity to hear live music for the first time in 13 years.”
For this year’s "The Merchant of Venice," we’ll be performing in Sussex Correctional Institution for the first time. We look forward to once again collaborating with the Department of Corrections staff and to performing for an audience who will bring their life experiences to this story of justice and the competing impulses of mercy and hate.
Our actors love to perform in the prisons and for prison audiences. The feedback we’ve gotten from DOC staff has indicated they value the opportunity as well. At the end of last year’s performance at Baylor, I had the chance to speak with the major, who leads the security operations.
“It’s good for the ladies. It’s good for the facility,” he said, before looking over at his colleague. “It’s even good for him. I think it should continue.”
This is very much our hope as well.
And this year, we’ll remember whether we need socks or not.
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Behind the scenes is an occasional column by Delaware arts leaders. David Stradley is producing artistic director of Delaware Shakespeare.