April 24, 2012

We did our usual physical and vocal warm ups. Then we played one game to increase our physical energy, and another game designed to increase focus and quick thinking. We also played a new improv game, at which they excelled. The participant performing Rosalind’s monologue went first today. She had lost her script, so we had to go back over when in the monologue the character is speaking to the shepherdess, when she is speaking to the shepherd, and when she has an aside. This participant is still being way too nice with this monologue, and we all encouraged her to be more nasty with her insults. She wound up getting right up in the participant’s face who was “playing” the shepherdess. She is showing improvement, but is still stumbling over a lot of the words, which we discussed means she needs to work the piece more on her own.

Then the participant performing Othello performed. This time, she had not lost the power she found last week, which is very encouraging. We discussed again when she gets rid of her weapon, and when she touches dead Desdemona. She is beginning to clearly delineate between when Othello is talking to the others in the room, when to Desdemona, and when to the “devils” who will torment Othello after his death. Her passion increases each time she performs, and she is becoming more comfortable with the mourning emotions at the end of the piece.

Then the prisoner performing Emilia took the stage. She is still stumbling over her words quite a bit, but she gets better every time she performs. I asked her if she could make the piece more sexy, which she was somewhat able to do, although she lost that feeling when she got to the language that is still tripping her up. The next time, I asked her to try to make Desdemona laugh with the monologue. It really took flight, more so than the time before, and she commented that she likes that approach. We all encouraged her to keep practicing the piece on her own to get more comfortable with the language. I absolutely love how supportive the group is of her. She gains confidence and comfort every session.

Next was the prisoner who is performing the King’s monologue from Hamlet. Her first reading was very casual and lacked passion, so we talked about it. She said that she is having a difficult time accessing the emotion in the piece because she’s never been THAT guilty about something and has certainly never murdered her brother. I told her that a tool she could use would be to recall a time when she felt guilt of any kind, and to call up that memory and amplify it to get more into her character. She performed again, and about halfway through she really “fell in” to the piece. She became passionate and clearly frustrated by the character’s inability to pray and be forgiven. It was a remarkable improvement.

Then the participant performing Hermione’s monologue took the stage. She did her monologue sitting down and gave a very honest reading, although it lacked passion. We decided that the piece worked better when she was standing up and leaning on the back of a chair, so she decided to do it that way. I then asked her to lash out more with her anger at her situation, especially at the end when she calls on the jury to believe her over her husband. She fully committed to the emotion and gave a very powerful reading. She then said that she felt good about the anger but felt that she was being too physical for how weak her character is. I asked her to remember a time when she felt anger and couldn’t express it, and how tense her whole body became at that time. She then performed the piece with that in mind, and it improved again. She is really loosening up and gaining confidence, and she is proving herself to be a powerful actress on top of that.

Another participant declined to perform because she wants a more comedic monologue than any I have provided. I will be looking for one to give her next week, and hopefully she’ll like what I bring in.

We had one new participant today who was very positive throughout the session. I asked her at the end if she wanted to continue to come, and she said that she did. I will be bringing monologues for her next week so that she can join us in that work.

Everyone continues to loosen up and become more comfortable with the group. They are growing individually and together, and it is a privilege to be a part of this process.

April 17, 2012

After a hiatus last week due to my being ill, we were back at it! We warmed up, played an improv game, and moved right on to Shakespeare. The participant who is performing “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” performed first today. She had a lot of trouble getting through the piece – she was stumbling over words and frustrated by her inability to connect to the piece. She stopped short several times. We encouraged her to slow down, and we talked about the tension the character must feel between his grief, his anger, and his desire not to endanger himself with his talk while still arousing the crowd to anger. We likened this tension to “fight or flight” and asked her to think about a time when she was in a situation in which her adrenaline was pumping. We also asked that she slow down, and she asked how to do that while still being powerful. I suggested she think about how Barack Obama speaks – very measured, and with a lot of power. She performed again, and was very strong, until she stumbled over a word and stopped. Several people, including me, shouted out, “No! That was great! Start again, the same way!” She did, and her reading was very strong. We really “bought” what she was doing. She said she felt better, but something is still missing for her.

The participant doing Othello’s monologue then performed. She had lost some of her fire over the last couple of weeks that we haven’t been working on monologues, so we had to pump her up again. I reminded her that at this point in the play, Othello is crazed with guilt, swinging his weapon around, calling on hell to swallow him up. She then launched into the piece with an intensity we hadn’t seen before, culminating in the most convincing calling on hell and mourning Desdemona that she’s done yet. Everyone cheered. She says she is feeling much more connected to the piece now and understands it better.

Emilia’s monologue from Othello was then performed by the participant who has a learning disability. It was clear that she hasn’t worked on her piece very much by how often she stumbled over words and phrases, with which she had been much better last time we worked the piece. We encouraged her to sit closer to “Desdemona” (another participant sitting onstage with her) and make it more like “girl talk.” She did improve, but I suggested that she start working on memorizing the piece so that it will flow better for her. The participant onstage with her offered to help her with this outside of the program.

Then one of the participants, who has not performed as much as some of the others, got up to read Hermione’s monologue from The Winter’s Tale. She sat in a chair as she read it, and showed a thorough understanding of the character’s physical weakness and grief. Everyone applauded, but then one of the participants suggested that she stand while performing and lean on the back of a chair, much like she would at a podium in front of a jury. We also asked her to experience more of the anger of her character while maintaining her nobility and frailty. She took all of these suggestions and did a beautiful job.

Another participant is performing “Gallop apace…” from Romeo and Juliet. She has this teenage girl thing down. We all felt like we were spying on a girl just going on and on about her love… and her desire for him to come and consummate their marriage. She was able to show us the character’s vulnerability, eagerness and budding sexuality and was delightful to watch. We asked her if she could take it further her second time reading, and she did. She seemed very happy with her performance.

There is another participant who is performing “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” She read the piece in a very straightforward manner, obviously trying to incite the crowd to action, with a lot of power and charisma. Everyone was very impressed. We asked her to see if she could slow down more, lending more emphasis to everything she said (I again invoked the example of Barack Obama). She performed again, and it was wonderful.

At this point the other participant performing this piece was so inspired by what she had just seen that she asked if she could read hers again. This time she was much more grounded and strong, and we all agreed that this was the best yet. Her confidence clearly increased, and I am really looking forward to seeing how she will continue to grow with this and other material.

We followed up on last session’s discussion about possibly meeting twice a week. My contact at the facility had told me that Friday mornings were open, and none of the participants present today have any conflict with that, so we will probably do it.

This was a very constructive session with a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy from all involved. As usual!

April 3, 2012

Today we watched the award-winning documentary Shakespeare Behind Bars, by which this program was inspired. There was some running commentary throughout the screening, and then we reflected on it together afterward. The participants liked that the group was able to perform not just for other inmates, but also for their families. They think that being able to perform for their families would give them even more motivation to fully commit and do their best because it would mean more to them with their families in the audience. Not all facilities allow this, but I am going to ask to see if it is possible.

They were impressed by the camaraderie and mentor situations in the film, as well as by the power the men found in the language. One participant said that she is inspired by what she saw to achieve that same result in her work. They thought it was great that the men in the film took everything so seriously. They were very amused that the men played two games in the film that we have played in our program.

The participants reflected on our program in reaction to the film, discussing the parallels there. Their observations here really moved me. They said that the class is an escape, which they also saw in the documentary, and that they really appreciate the bond and the unity that the group has formed. They said that it keeps them focused on something positive, which they generally find difficult. One participant said that although she did drama in high school, she spent a long time being shut down due to her drug use, and that, since she began our program, she has begun to access those parts of her that were buried for so long. She is re-connecting with her former self – she used the metaphor of a light bulb being switched on.  Another said that the program is helping her to overcome her shyness, which is a recurring theme among the participants.

The participants all agreed that they love this program, and several said that they cannot stop talking about it and are trying to recruit more participants, since we’ve lost some. They feel that the program has “opened up everything” and that it has been “life changing” – and we’ve only been at it for nine weeks. They found, however, that the people who have been there regularly have formed such a tight bond – one person said “bubble” – that it is difficult to integrate newcomers. Despite that, they would still welcome more participants.

The group also agreed that they want to meet more than once a week. They feel that they will need the additional rehearsal time, since they live in various units and can’t all get together on their own. I am going to explore that possibility.

This was a great day in which the participants were inspired by the documentary, which has inspired me, and in which I was deeply inspired by their honest revelations about the program. I have so hoped to create the atmosphere that we have created, and we have succeeded. I could not be happier.

March 27, 2012

After most of the participants informed us that they would have to leave significantly early for a variety of reasons, we decided to do a brief warm up and then jump right into Shakespeare, since that’s what they are most enthusiastic about. The first participant to perform was the one who chose one of Othello’s monologues. She told us she had been working on it on her own. She then performed it, and she showed a remarkable improvement over the last session. She is really embracing the language and the heightened emotion of it. We all felt that she needed to go further, and one of the participants volunteered to lie across some chairs on the stage as if she were dead Desdemona. This caused the performing participant to connect even more with the piece. The third time she performed was the best and elicited cheers from the rest of the participants. She is really getting into her piece and shedding her nervousness and fears about truly connecting with it.

One of our new participants from last week chose Rosalind’s monologue to the shepherd and shepherdess from “As You Like It.” She read through it once, and then we broke it down bit by bit to glean all the meaning we could out of it, and to make sure we all knew when she was talking to each of two people. She performed again, and showed that she intellectually understood what was going on, but she was having trouble connecting to the piece and her imaginary others. She asked if two people could come onstage with her so she could talk to them. They did, and she showed a much better understanding of the piece playing off of them.

The participant who chose Romeo’s “But soft…” had a lot of trouble today. She was having difficulty accessing the energy and emotion necessary for the piece, and, even when another participant joined her onstage as Juliet, she still could not connect. She then decided to abandon that piece in favor of one that she could better relate to, possibly the piece from Hamlet that we initially explored as a group. I’m looking forward to seeing what she chooses.

Our participant with the learning disability followed her instincts this week and performed her monologue sitting down. She is progressing beautifully on her piece and clearly understands it, even when she stumbles on words. Inspired by what the others had been doing, she asked if someone could come onstage with her as Desdemona. With this added intimacy, her monologue got even better – she had more attitude and emotion, totally appropriate to the piece she has chosen. The words seemed to come more easily this time as well. When I checked in with her afterward, she told me that she is feeling much more confident with the piece and will continue to work on the words that are troubling her.

Of the other participants who performed, all are showing improvement and beginning to connect with their pieces. There is absolutely no one in this group who is taking backward steps or doing poorly. They are all fully committed and are growing into their monologues.

The participants asked if, during the showcase, they could have other people onstage with them during their monologues, the way most of them did it today. We all decided that it would be a good idea, so we’ll do it.

After most of the participants had left, those of us who were left did some breathing exercises and played a circle game that most of them knew, but that was new to me. I'm not kidding when I say I'm learning from them all the time! The game was a lot of fun and totally appropriate to the program, as it encourages quick thinking.

Everyone is still showing growth and increased confidence. They are progressing so well, and so quickly. They are a joy to work with.

March 20, 2012

We had three new participants today. We got them oriented prior to and during warm ups, and we all introduced ourselves to the new people and made sure that everyone knows everyone else’s names. I wanted to introduce them to a new game, and I chose a game that involves a song/chant that the group does together and then calls each other out individually, in rhythm. This group did something that I haven’t seen happen before in other groups – rather than trying to go as quickly as the game requires, they slowed down the tempo as a group to make it easier, without discussing it. This shows their growth as an ensemble and their ability to work as a team.

In response to the new participants’ apparent reservations about playing the game, one participant remarked that she knows that the games, even though many of them seem silly, really accomplish something. She said that, through playing, she has become very comfortable with the group, though she is normally very shy. She says that the games have increased her confidence and she is becoming more “outspoken” in her every day life. The other participants all nodded their heads in agreement.

The first participant to perform her piece today was the one with the learning disability. She is working on a monologue by Emilia in “Othello.” She warned us beforehand that she would stumble on some of the words, and we were all very supportive of her. As she read her piece, various participants assisted her with the words with which she had trouble in a very kind and compassionate way. We broke the piece down bit by bit, and I asked her if she could put some more of Emilia’s attitude into the piece. She improved a bit, but stopped in the middle to apologize for stumbling over words. We all encouraged her to perform again and take the attitude up a notch, and she definitely gave it her all. She did not want to read again, but asked if next time she could sit in a chair while she performed. Of course I said yes, and I am heartened that this means she is really taking ownership of the piece and interpreting it in her own way.

Another participant has chosen Hermione’s monologue at her trial in “The Winter’s Tale.” This is a very powerful monologue by a woman whose life has been destroyed by her husband’s jealousy. This participant showed a solid intellectual understanding of the piece, so we worked with her on connecting with the emotion of it. Taking it piece by piece enabled her to access more of the detail, and when she read again it was much more powerful. She clearly connects with the piece, and I look forward to working with her further on it.

There was a second participant who has chosen Hermione’s monologue. Her interpretation was more quiet and reserved than the other woman’s, and we noticed that she was standing with her hand in her pocket. We encouraged her to embrace the feelings in the piece of anger, sadness and courage… and to keep her hand out of her pocket! She expressed that she was not sure when each emotion comes in and out of the piece, and I assured her that that is something that she will discover as she works on it more. She performed again, and kept her hand out of her pocket, but now fiddled with the bottom of her shirt. She said this is because she is still nervous getting up in front of people, but she knows she will get more comfortable as time goes on.

In the end, we talked about the final performance. Some of the participants will probably not be in prison in November, so we need to take that into account. One of the participants asked why we could not do a “mini-play”, so we explained the group’s reasoning to her, although I assured them that there is still time to adjust the plan if they want to. I told her that we would connect our various monologues and scenes with narration, and that we would all develop the performance together. She felt better after the conversation and said she understood it more. Several of the participants want to include improv in their performance, and we decided that if it fits, we’ll do it.

I am going to continue to introduce new games and exercises, since they really enjoy learning something new every week. I have found a number of great exercises for breathing, and when I asked if they’d like to get into those next week, there was a lot of enthusiasm. This group is growing so much each week, making discoveries about themselves and truly embracing the work they are doing, together and individually. They can only get stronger, as a group and individually. I so look forward to this program every week!