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Shakespeare Behind Bars
SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS, by Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller, follows an all-male Shakespeare company working behind bars at Kentucky’s Luther Luckett Correctional Complex. For one year, a cast comprised of convicted felons rehearse and perform a full production of Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, a play fittingly about forgiveness.
Marking their seventh year as an acting ensemble during the film, the inmates cast themselves. Just as in Shakespeare’s day, men play all the female roles. They swear that the roles “pick them,” and this proves to be an uncanny truth, as many of the men experience powerful epiphanies. Twice a week, the inmates work with volunteer director Curt Tofteland, nicknamed “Shakespeare Dude,” who pushes them to find their own truth within each part.
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In the film, the parallels between actor and inmate, text and life are striking. On the surface level, the men rehearse their parts with Tofteland, alone in their cells or with each other on the yard. They experiment with different ways to deliver lines and gestures—how to change the meaning of a scene with one subtle stroke. On a deeper level, this constant searching within a character mirrors the constant search within the men themselves to find meaning in their past actions and present lives. The film shows men who are, in some ways, stuck in time, constantly replaying the text and gestures of their own crimes, wondering what “subtle stroke” would have changed their fates.
I was attracted to the idea of making SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS since it combined two of my greatest passions—documentary filmmaking and acting. I have studied and performed Shakespeare and have worked as an actor for many years. This background allowed me at times to tune into the creative process of these inmates and to notice blocks they were struggling with, as well as instantly recognize their breakthroughs as they were happening. Ultimately, it was incredibly gratifying to see this troupe mount a production of The Tempest after many months of internal psychological struggle, coupled with the external struggle of living in prison, where your every move is dictated by a higher authority. It made me reconsider the so-called “challenges” I myself have faced as an actor and artist. As an observer, it was also sometimes very hard to reconcile what crimes these men had committed in the past with the dedicated actors that they have become. Indeed, it is this contrast which provides a serious tension and undertow in the narrative of the film.
The men in the Shakespeare program are criminals who have performed the most heinous of crimes, but some of them are also men with shame, remorse and redemption in their hearts. Personally this was a very challenging film to make, since it dealt with such deep issues as murder, truth and forgiveness, both in the text of The Tempest, as well as in the lives of the prisoners. I was constantly struggling with questions such as: Should we rehabilitate criminals? How does art transform the human conscience? Do these men deserve any chance at recovery? What does it mean to forgive and why do we do it? Because of the unlikely setting of prison, these themes and issues are given a fresh, new angle.
Watch the film here
documentaryhowto.com/shakespeare-behind-bars-now-playing
