In Volterra, Italy maximum security prison inmates are doing time for offenses such as armed robbery and murder. Now you may think they're working hard at producing license plates, or cooking up prison meals...and perhaps some of the prison population are, but the others are doing time in totally different way!
About half of Italy's prison have a theater program! That's right...plays and musicals, performed by Italian convicts, and in many cases...performed quite exratodinarily. Supposedly one prison program, "Compagnia della Fortezza" is quite the act, winner of several Italian theater awards, the prestigious kind. Right now the more popular program is working on production for "Alice in Wonderland, a Theatrical Essay on the End of a Civilization" which is partially based on Lewis Carroll's popular book.
Many of these theatrical permanences have toured Italy, but not everyone gets to participate. For an inmate to go on tour, consideration is taken in regards to the remaining time left to serve, potential risk of danger to society as well as the inmate's psyhcological condition.
Read more about this here
Great idea! Prison is not supposed to be just a punishment, but a way of social reinsertion.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's completely normal if prison inmates act in a country ruled by a great actor...