Sixteenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

With established and emerging programs in jails and prisons throughout the world, an awareness of the potential benefits and challenges of teaching Shakespeare to incarcerated students is growing. Many educators and performers interested in working with incarcerated students, however, may not be sure where to begin. Drawing on the presenters’ experiences in working with incarcerated students, as well as in teaching Shakespeare as text and in performance, this paper provides an overview of the benefits of teaching Shakespeare in jails and prisons and offers some practical considerations to help individuals interested in carceral Shakespeare get started. Two case studies are presented: the first provides an overview of a series of introductory acting exercises (modified for security protocols) used to teach incarcerated students about acting Shakespeare. The second case study describes the speaker’s experiences teaching Inside-Out style courses and book clubs at a regional jail, drawing particularly on examples of how teaching Much Ado About Nothing enabled discussions about the effects of language. Students in this course considered how the way we talk to and about each other creates profound effects on the decisions we make. We review materials and participate in exercises designed to spark creativity in developing workshops and lessons for incarcerated students.