CPI's Crisis Response Newsletter

Crime is Easy, Shakespeare is Hard¹
by Jerilyn C. Dufresne

The performing arts can provide an avenue for creativity and healing to youth and adults in correctional settings.

He was a handsome man who wore his crown with grace and dignity. His kingly robe sat on shoulders that were broad and strong. Edgar played the role of King Claudius in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Claudius had killed old King Hamlet. There was a chance that any of the actors may have killed someone, too, because this presentation of Hamlet took place in a prison in Missouri .

When you see Agnes Wilcox for the first time you probably would not peg her as a pioneer, an adventurer, or a firebrand. However, she is all that and more, wrapped up in a surprisingly serene persona, enhanced by short white hair and sparkling eyes. Her enthusiasm is contagious, especially when she talks about Prison Performing Arts, a program she began in 1989.

Prison Performing Arts provides incarcerated men, women, and children opportunities to participate in the performing arts as performers, crew, and audience members. I had the privilege of working with Agnes in the Hamlet Project for two years. This project ran from 2000-2002 at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center (MECC) in Pacific, Missouri . Inmates filled roles as actors, designers, and tech crew. Additionally, qualified inmates were able to earn two college credits each semester through Fontbonne University .

The Hamlet Project evolved into The Theatre Projects—year-long workshops, rehearsals, and performances of classic plays at medium- and high-security state prisons. In two of these institutions, those two college credits were the only ones inmates could earn as there are no other college programs on the inside.

Agnes teaches theatre at Washington University and is the consummate actor and director. She enjoys those jobs tremendously. But her passion is working with incarcerated youth and adults—illuminating the dark corners of institutions with the beauty of the performing arts.

I had already been volunteering in Missouri prisons for several years when I first met Agnes. While mentoring the Writers’ Club at MECC, I assisted the inmates in writing a humorous play about prison life. We were beginning to problem-solve how to produce the play when I was told that Agnes was coming into the institution to direct Hamlet. Immediately I jumped into the project and so did the majority of the Writers’ Club. And because this was a men’s prison, Agnes cast me as Gertrude. I was thrilled, even though there was no real competition for the role.

Agnes is a driven woman when it comes to teaching in institutions. I once asked her why she chose to do this, expecting perhaps a philosophical response. However, Agnes is a pragmatic woman and gave me a down-to-earth answer. She told me that when she was young, her mother did volunteer work at a prison. The first time her mother brought her “inside,” Agnes saw that the inmates were not that different from her, and that, given the right circumstances, anyone could be imprisoned (A.W., personal communication, 2000).

Local reporter Shelley Smithson interviewed several inmate actors:

The actor who plays Oedipus says Wilcox’s direction has helped him to see his own life through new eyes: “Agnes is like, ‘Yes, this is kind of deep. Yes, you will have college professors who will come in and lecture you. Yes, I expect papers, I expect you to memorize and to be on time, but these are things you can do.’ It’s like she already knows you can do this. And given the chance, you realize that you could have done it all along. It makes a person reflect – what if I had made different choices?” (2004, p. 23)

Indeed that is a frequent theme that surfaces with the individuals who are involved in Prison Performing Arts and one reason Agnes expends a lot of energy working with youth in the St. Louis City Juvenile Detention Center . The youth enjoy being exposed to new forms of entertainment, whether they are performing or members of the audience. When Agnes brought in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2001, the youth were initially skeptical, but by the time they watched other youth perform in the children’s opera The Thunder of Horses, they had a new appreciation for opera.

Both youths started the day angry; the detention center is very full these days, and they weren’t able to go to the “privilege room” on Friday night as scheduled.

“I didn’t think an opera would be so interesting,” said the 15-year-old. “I thought it would be boring. But it put me in a better mood. I think it kind of put me on a happier level. I liked the singing, and how they performed it.

“I thought it was interesting to see so many young students wanting to be in an opera, instead of a hip-hop group,” added the first youth.

“The whole story was fine with me,” said the 16-year old. “I liked having the kids sing, and the grown folks set a good example….” (Miller, 2001, G5)

Manuel had been in prison for many years. Still a young man when he was paroled, he enjoys talking about his experiences with Prison Performing Arts. "I shared the role of Hamlet with three other guys. At first none of us understood any of it, but after a while we not only understood it, we saw how it applied to our lives (M. J., personal communication, 2004)." Manuel also said, "...Hamlet was trying to determine what action he should take in avenging his father. This is a big moral issue he had to deal with. If I had taken half the time he took to contemplate my actions, I could have saved myself seventeen years of heartache" (Smithson, 2004, p. 27).

Smithson (2004) writes, "As they begin to let their guard down, the inmate actors started to understand that the moral conundrums faced by Hamlet were not unlike the choices they made in their own lives (p. 22)."

There was much introspection, but much reward as well. Following a performance of Act IV of Hamlet, one inmate said, “This is the first time in my life anyone has ever applauded for me” (Brown, 2002).

Prison Performing Arts and Agnes Wilcox are well respected by the Missouri Department of Corrections as well as many other institutions. In Reclaiming Youth at Risk, Brendtro, Brokenleg, and Van Bockern (2002) note that giving respect results in receiving respect. In a situation where rules, quite rightly, abound, obedience can be mandated, but respect can never be demanded—it must be earned.

The inmates respect Agnes because she treats them like actors. She demands from them what she demands from actors in every setting. Her sense of humor oftentimes has laughter ringing throughout the dull, cinderblock-lined hallways, but when it is time to work, everyone knows to buckle down.

Nicholas Hobbs, in The Troubled and Troubling Child (1982) writes that everyone should know some joy each day and look forward to some joyous event the next day. While working on any project with Prison Performing Arts, the individuals certainly have joyous events to look forward to. Inmates are seldom late to the rehearsal room (a classroom during the school day). Normally they are in good moods and exhibit appropriate behavior. Visitors to the PPA rehearsals consistently show surprise at how smoothly things run.

There is a lack of research on whether theatrical training makes a difference in the lives of the incarcerated, in the work lives of the staff members, and ultimately in society. However, anecdotal evidence abounds: “‘The best we could say is that while offenders are involved in the classes and the plays, their behavior improves,’ says Tim Kniest, a spokesman for the corrections system” (Schwartz, 2003, p. 4).

I have seen behavior change, but there is no way I can pinpoint the why of the change. Is it the respect Agnes and others show the participants? Is it a feeling of accomplishment, mastery, self-worth? Is it the change in routine? Is it the kick of seeing themselves on a video? It is probably a little of all of that, and more. It is a whole package, a system change in how inmates are treated. In an article about the Sanctuary model in schools (Stanwood & Doolittle, 2004, we read, “…a typical response to an outrageous behavior has been, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ In contrast the Sanctuary model asks, ‘What has happened to you?’” (p. 170). Agnes and her peers in other programs do not ask anyone “why are you here?” or “what is wrong with you?” It does not matter, as far as participating in the program. That unconditional acceptance is a new thing for most inmates, and the PPA experience becomes sacred space, a sanctuary of sorts.

Even though we never ask, some participants do tell us about their crimes. If someone tells me what they did, I listen and try to be nonjudgmental. They’ve already been judged and convicted and it’s not my place to do it again. So I do know what crimes several of them have committed. A 21-year-old young man told me he has life without parole.

I said, “I’m sorry.” He said he deserved it. He’s been in an adult prison since he was 16 for a double murder. I’m still sorry. Sorry for the two people who died, the families who suffered (including the inmate’s), and I’m sorry for his wasted life. He finds a bit of happiness in acting. Even though he stumbles through every rehearsal, he nails his lines during the performance. (Dufresne, 2001)

Most of the correctional officers and administrators I have spoken to are grateful for volunteer programs like Prison Performing Arts and others. But other officers take some convincing.

Saturday began with all six volunteers in great spirits. My colleagues were Agnes, who is the director of the play; Jeremy, the video director; John, the cameraman; Elizabeth, a professional actor who plays Ophelia; and Laurie, an acting student who worked as a production assistant. Many Correctional Officers greeted us as we entered the lobby. We're well-known since we're there so often. Then I was introduced to Officer Friendly (definite sarcasm here) who was a new guy assigned to us all day. Since we were going to be filming in several locations, including some that are normally out-of-bounds, the institution wanted to have an officer with us. Fine with me. I'm usually the one who has to run interference, but I had lots of other things to worry about—like how to look good as a Queen. My first introduction to him was when I noticed him rolling his eyes when another officer mentioned how much fun we were. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut so I said, “I remember seeing you last Monday, and you're the only officer here who didn't smile back at me.” He glared. I continued, “But I'm glad you're assigned to us so we'll have a chance to get to know each other.” I'm not much of a liar, but did pretty well with that one.

He responded with “I serve at the pleasure of the governor.” I almost retched, and silently told God what I thought of this practical joke. He used that line two more times on the way to the filming location. I conferred with Agnes and told her this would be one of the longest and ugliest days we'd ever spend inside. I was wrong. Once this young C.O. relaxed and saw that he could trust us, he was so much fun. Twenty of us sat in a huge room waiting for a few hours while the crew filmed three actors in a short scene. One of the actors with me began a game of hangman on the chalkboard. The officer played along too, including taking his turn at the board. (His first word was convict, which got some groans out of the guys.) I actually liked him before the day was over. And he ended up saying that he wouldn’t mind getting assigned to us again. (Dufresne, 2001)

While others of us, including the paid staff, might tire, I have never seen Agnes slow down. She is a petite bundle of absolute energy. Although minimal research exists to show whether or not programs like Prison Performing Arts work, talking with some of the participants is convincing evidence that their lives were changed, thanks to Agnes and her dedication and belief in them.

¹ NOTE:
"Crime is easy; Shakespeare is hard" is taken from a quote by Danny, one of the actors in The Hamlet Project. (Danny played the ghost of old King Hamlet.)

Jeri Dufresne, LCSW, is director of communications for the Crisis Prevention Institute. Prior to rejoining CPI in 2001, she worked on The Hamlet Project and also mentored the Writers' Club at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center. She can be reached at editor@crisisprevention.com

REFERENCES

Brendtro, L.K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (2002). Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope for the future (Rev. ed.). Bloomington , IN : National Education Service.

Brown, D. (2002, February 6). Captive audience. Riverfront Times. Retrieved 10/20/05 from: http://www.riverfronttimes.com/issues/2002-02-06/culture/stage.html

Dufresne, J. (2001). Personal journal. Unpublished manuscript.

Hobbs , N. (1982). The troubled and troubling child. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

Miller, S. B. (2001, October 21). Juvenile detention center provides receptive audience for children’s opera. St. Louis Post-Dispatch , G5.

Schwartz, D. M. (2003). Language liberation. Webster World, Winter, 2-5.

Smithson, S. (2004, May 26). All the jail's a stage. Riverfront Times, pp. 22-27.

Stanwood, H. M. & Doolittle, G. (2004). Schools as sanctuaries. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(3), 169-172.

Greg: …from a person who has come from one of the most dangerous parts of St. Louis streets, I wish this program was offered to teens as an after school program. A program like this would be a great safe haven for kids.... I believe if I had a teacher, a friend like Agnes when I was growing up…I might not be here.

A Bit About Agnes Wilcox
Agnes Wilcox is a theatre director, actress and teacher. She is Artistic Director of Prison Performing Arts in St. Louis , MO. As part of her work she is directing Oedipus Rex at a high-security state prison near St. Louis , where she spent 2000-2002 directing Hamlet, one act every six months. Agnes teaches acting and improvisation at St. Louis City Juvenile Detention Center every week and takes professional performers—dancers, actors, musicians, singers—into five local jails, prisons, and detention centers. Agnes holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in English from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in Nashville , and an M.F.A. in Directing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has taught at New York University , the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center (Waterford , Connecticut), Webster University , and Washington University , where she has been an adjunct faculty member in University College for the last eighteen years. Agnes is currently working on a book about Hamlet.