"In Shakespeare in Prison, no one is invisible. We all matter: we matter to each other. We’re more than our crimes. We’re more than our sentences. We’re people."

- SIP ensemble member, as cited in Matthew van Meter (click here).
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Shakespeare in Prison empowers incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to reconnect to their own humanity and the humanity of others. The members of our ensemble work together to create a safe environment for personal growth and connection, both while in prison and after release. They build the confidence and self-esteem needed to positively impact their communities. And they disrupt conventional notions of who "owns" Shakespeare, theatre, and the arts.


Shakespeare in Prison
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Shakespeare in Prison

Process Theology in Action
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Shakespeare is challenging for almost everyone. His language is elevated and, for us, antiquated; his characters and plots are complex; and aspects of his plays can be offensive due to their colonial presuppositions. And yet, his works present "relatable" people who are as multifaceted as we are—complex, flawed, and deeply human. Their relatability includes both the ugly and the beautiful.

Shakespeare’s plays are like life itself. They are typically open-ended—free of clear judgments, definitive conclusions, or overt moralisms. They raise more questions than answers, inviting interpretation rather than prescribing it.

This openness resonates deeply with process philosophers, who value complexity, ambiguity, and the evolving nature of truth and understanding. Shakespeare’s works offer a space for exploration and reflection, aligning with the process philosophy ethos of ongoing inquiry and relational engagement.

In the process community, we likewise recognize that performing Shakespeare’s plays in ways that are liberated from elitism—and that empower people to bring their own experiences and perspectives to the text—can be profoundly transformative. This approach allows participants to engage with Shakespeare not as an untouchable cultural icon, but as a collaborator in their own journey of self-discovery and creative expression. By interpreting and embodying his characters, individuals can explore their own complexities, wrestle with unanswerable questions, and find meaning in the ambiguity that defines both his work and their lives.

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It goes without saying that there are many ways to incorporate the creative and performing arts into prison rehabilitation—not simply through theatre arts, much less Shakespeare. Yet it also goes without saying that efforts like these are exactly what is needed, not only in our time but also in more ideal times.

Process philosophers and theologians hold as their aspirational ideal an Ecological Civilization, where the fundamental units are just and compassionate communities in which people live with respect and care for the larger community of life and one another. While overly romanticized visions of such a civilization may imagine it as being free of prisons, a more honest response acknowledges that crime and incarceration will still exist, even in an ideal world.

The challenge, then, is to ensure that incarceration in such a civilization is humane—guided by principles of justice, compassion, and care. It must nurture the human spirit, enabling growth and transformation rather than perpetuating harm. In this light, the spirit—and perhaps also the practice—of programs like Shakespeare in Prison must be integral to such systems. Through creative engagement and the arts, even within the confines of incarceration, individuals can experience empowerment, healing, and the possibility of a meaningful future.

We also recognize that the distinctions between being in or out of prison are not always as clear or as meaningful as they seem. So many of us are “in prison” in our minds, even if we are not physically incarcerated, trapped by our own thoughts, fears, or limitations. Conversely, there are people who are physically incarcerated but free in their minds—free in the sense that they have found ways to transcend their circumstances, to live with purpose, creativity, and dignity, even within confinement.

This freedom, which is ultimately a freedom of the spirit, speaks to the transformative nature of the spirit of creative transformation at work in the world, which process philosophers and theologians name God. And at a practical level, it speaks to the potential of programs like Shakespeare in Prison. By engaging with the creative and performing arts, individuals can break through internal barriers, confront their struggles, and reimagine themselves and their futures. This process reveals a truth central to both process philosophy and Shakespeare’s plays: that freedom is not merely the absence of walls, but the ability to grow, to create, and to find meaning—even in the most constrained of circumstances. 

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True, physical incarceration is a difficult and often unjust situation. But mental incarceration can be even more painful and self-deceptive. It is a prison we construct within ourselves—through fear, guilt, shame, or limiting beliefs—keeping us trapped in patterns of thought that stifle growth and possibility.

This form of imprisonment can affect anyone, regardless of whether they are physically free or behind bars. Yet it is also in this space that the creative arts, like Shakespeare in Prison, hold their greatest transformative power. By engaging with stories, characters, and collaborative performance, individuals can break free from these mental confines, discovering new ways of seeing themselves and the world. This inner freedom—marked by creativity, self-awareness, and connection—can exist even in the harshest physical conditions and offers a pathway toward healing and empowerment.

As Shakespeare reminds us, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2). The challenge, then, is to recognize and dismantle the prisons of our minds, embracing the possibility of transformation wherever we are.

Shakespeare in Prison

Philosophy, Approach, Why Shakespeare?

from the Shakespeare in Prison website. Click here.  
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Philosophy​

Every person is accepted in their totality. Our past informs our present, but it doesn’t define it. Everyone is valued. Everyone has the ensemble's unwavering support.

Shakespeare is for everyone. We interpret these plays through our own experiences. While we value theatrical, literary, and cultural traditions, our ensemble members' perspectives are more important.

"Empowerment" is not one-size-fits-all. Theatre is the mechanism by which empowerment is accomplished; artistic quality is secondary to personal growth. Challenges and goals are unique to each person; there is no one standard for "progress" or "success."

This is a safe space. Theatre provides opportunities to take healthy risks in a safe space. Ensemble members build trust through games, text work, and collaboration.

This is an ensemble. The SIP process is fully collaborative. All voices carry equal weight, which means that things sometimes move very slowly. The frustrating nature of collaboration is core to its value: it teaches us patience and the ability to welcome others’ ideas—and to speak our own.

Approach

The SIP approach attempts to avoid the pitfalls of “doing Shakespeare” with marginalized people by centering the program around the voices and experiences of our participants: specifically, by creating an environment in which ensemble members can empower themselves.

Shakespeare in Prison prioritizes process over results and personal empowerment over artistry; it is, very explicitly, neither a class nor a traditional rehearsal process. Facilitators are not “teachers” or “directors,” and incarcerated ensemble members are not “students.” We resist anything that enforces the norms (and power dynamics) of a classroom.

This non-hierarchical approach democratizes Shakespeare by giving participants complete ownership of the process, from interpreting the text to conceptualizing the performance.

Facilitators are fundamentally unconcerned with our own views of Shakespeare and his plays; we are deeply concerned with our participants’ views of Shakespeare, his plays, and everything else.

Most importantly, we are concerned with our participants’ personal growth—as defined and achieved by them.

Why Shakespeare?

Almost none of what is described above seems to have anything to do specifically with Shakespeare. It would be reasonable to ask whether our objectives could be met just as well (or better) by using some other type of text or some other format.

It is especially important to think about our chosen texts now, in the midst of a global movement to “decolonize” or “democratize” Shakespeare. No one who works with Shakespeare can claim ignorance of the material’s potential to perpetuate harmful cultural narratives, particularly when working in marginalized communities. Practitioners’ sensitivity when exploring the text with program participants is key.

We also believe that Shakespeare’s texts are uniquely suited to our approach. So perhaps the question is better put this way:

Why Shakespeare—the SIP way? We’ve never been satisfied with a facile response to that question, so we put it directly to our alums. Here's some of what they said:

Shakespeare's plays are open-ended. “It’s so easy and it’s so natural to dig into yourself when you get into Shakespeare because there’s so many ways you can interpret these characters. And there’s so many avenues you can go down, especially when you’re working with other people who are also figuring out how many ways they can interpret these characters.”

Shakespeare's characters are "relatable." “When we were reading through Iago and really diving into his character flaws, I felt a shift within myself that said: look at how everyone is reacting to him and what ugly things they say about him. Do you want to be that person anymore? Is that who you want to be? No.”
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Shakespeare is challenging for practically everyone. “It’s one of those things that people think that they can’t do. And then they do it. And then they feel a sense of accomplishment.” “Shakespeare seems impossible for some people. And once you conquer the impossible, you know that anything is possible.

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