THEATRE FOR THE OPPRESSED: THE EFFECT AND INFLUENCE OF SHAKESPEARE IN PRISON

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the powerful effect that Shakespeare has in prison settings. My research will prove that Shakespeare has clearly significant demonstrable influence on human beings in detention, particularly when they are speaking Shakespeare, and that speaking and acting Shakespeare’s words moves human beings in situations of incarceration or confinement in deeper and more unusual ways than in other contexts and thus enables them to reconnect with their humanity and the society they are removed from.

The thesis begins with a general overview of the pervasiveness of Shakespeare in the modern world with an overview of a spectrum of diverse areas where Shakespeare is particularly valuable. It then moves on to explore the development of a number of global Shakespeare prison programs. The centrepiece of this dissertation concerns a case study based on my participation in the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble’s 2011 Prison Project, which took place at a high security detention facility in Ipswich, Queensland. The QSE prison project is the only one of its kind to-date in Australia. It uniquely combines the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed with conventional drama practice and the Kristin Linklater method of voice training. This case study narrates the Shakespearean journey of a group of male prisoners and highlights the potential effectiveness of such a program in transforming violent offenders.

The final chapter scrutinises in greater detail a number of the more exceptional Shakespeare prison theatre programs and their outcomes and links them to the Australian case study for comparative analysis.