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The jail theater programs offer valuable lessons about life By Susan Sandberg, volunteer for New Leaf/New Life, Inc. Susan Sandberg is a Bloomington City Councilmember At Large, and also the coordinator for the Arts Administration program at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs with Indiana University. She volunteers at the Monroe County jail with New Leaf/New Life in partnership with the County Government. This past year I joined a number of New Leaf/New Life volunteers by bringing classic plays, scene studies, film discussion and poetry to the inmates of the Monroe County jail. I was matched with the gentlemen on F-Block in a therapeutic pod designed for special programming. Mark Helmsing, my friend and English teacher at Bloomington North, came on board as co-facilitator of the theater group. We had no idea what to expect or how play acting would be received by the participants. Mark and I tested the waters with writing exercises, discussions, and read-throughs of short scenes and complete works. The positive response was a welcome surprise, and it became a real joy for us to lead the F-Block theater group. Preparing for the group I viewed the documentary Shakespeare Behind Bars about a successful theater program in a medium security prison in Kentucky. We showed the film to the gentlemen in F-Block and then read The Tempest by William Shakespeare. The Tempest was first studied by reading a modern translation to better grasp the plot, but the gentlemen also read scenes in Shakespeare’s original language. They preferred Shakespeare’s version for its poetry and vivid dialogue that revealed themes of revenge, forgiveness, and redemption. We read August Wilson’s play, Fences, prompting discussions about family dysfunction, prejudice, thwarted dreams, and overcoming adversity. The theater group has discussed great poems collected by Garrison Keillor. We’ve acted out short plays by David Mamet and done character studies. We applauded the courage expressed in the Langston Hughes poem, “Mother to Son.” The group read Inherit the Wind, the classic play based on the Scopes Monkey Trial. We then talked respectfully about science and evolution, religion and creationism, conflict and how best to resolve it. We watched the Coen Brother’s movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and acted out a few of the comical scenes. Viewing that film generated conversations about injustice, inequality, hypocrisy, and the power of satire and humor. We observed Jack Nicholson’s acting skills in the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That prompted a discussion about rules and rebellion, power and oppression. In reading through the plays, some of the gentlemen would try the women’s roles, and this led to talks about gender roles and expectations. We received copies of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and read it along with the rest of the city during the One Book One Bloomington reading campaign. This book sparked discussions about censorship and free expression of ideas. As individual members told us about their reading preferences, Mark and I brought in books and resources to help them study other poets and writers. During the theater group, several gentlemen began to write. One talented participant wrote a powerful short play called “Addiction” about his ongoing battle with drugs, the demons that kept him in jail. The theater group helped him in the editing by reading through his script. Another young man wrote an insightful poem that reflected his feelings about watching the world go by outside the prison windows while his life was on hold. His words expressed an urgency to be free and to strive for a better life. Another writer’s poem talked poignantly about his struggle for self-esteem. One gentleman, inspired by Native American poetry, sketched an illustration of Chief Dan George Salish introducing us to his drawing talent and Native American heritage. When Mark and I facilitated the theater group, we didn’t ask the gentlemen about what they did and why they were in jail. Instead we concentrated on the materials presented each week that started good conversations and self-reflection. The group said they enjoyed the theater projects, mostly because for those two hours each week they had the chance to mentally escape imprisonment to discuss interesting topics. It helped them deal with the reality that they were not free. It took them away from the routine that is prison life. The theater group gave them an opportunity to explore abilities and unique talents. Conversations about plays led to revelations of fond childhood memories, but we also talked candidly about their fears. The men don’t know what their release will bring, but for many the prospects are bleak. Their poor choices created victims, lost them family, jobs, and homes. Chances for employment are limited, and they know they face a rough road in their journey to recovery and freedom. They worry about the negative influences on the outside and the temptation to return to the life that earned them a stay in the county jail. The enthusiastic response from the gentlemen of F-Block is a good indicator that we’ve addressed a need and brought something positive to their eventual transition to life on the outside. Mark and I gained as much from the experience as the gentlemen we’ve had the privilege to work with on F-Block. We hope the participants get out and stay out of jail, but we know it will be a tough challenge without hope, opportunity and the acquisition of life skills. As I believe in the healing power of the arts, I believe the theater program through New Leaf/New Life is a positive effort that may become increasingly useful in keeping participants from returning to jail. In the Monroe County jail theater group we do more than read Shakespeare. In discussing the good and the bad of our human condition, we also affirm the road less traveled and celebrate a life well lived. Nothing does that with more power than a shared experience in the arts – good medicine for us all.
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PAID FOR BY SANDBERG FOR CITY COUNCIL, TOMI ALLISON, CHAIR, CHARLOTTE ZIETLOW, TREASURER |