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The Proscenium Cage: Critical Case Studies in U.S. Prison Theatre Programs Laurence Tocci

The Proscenium Cage: Critical Case Studies in U.S. Prison Theatre Programs by Laurence Tocci

Alongside the empirical study of sample theatre companies that produced theatre by and for inmates, this book, a first study of its kind, is a groundbreaking and important contribution to theatre studies.

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  • Hardcover ISBN 9781934043752
  • Pages 372
  • Date September 2007
  • Size 6 x 9 in or 229 x 152 mm

The Proscenium Cage is an examination of sample companies that produce theatre with and for prison inmates. The book is a compilation of comprehensive case studies of three such producing companies. Based on personal interviews, newspaper reviews and articles, and other testimonials from participants, each case study catalogs the working processes of the given company, the conditions they faced working in the prison environment, and how the theatre-artists tailored their work to meet these conditions. Alongside the empirical study of the companies, the author has employed prevalent theories from criminology and penology, as well as applicable performance theory, to discuss the significance of the theatre work as a social phenomenon within the very specific culture of the prison. From these individual studies, the author draws conclusions about the potential importance and place theatre could have in the penal system.

This book, a first study of its kind, is a groundbreaking and important contribution to theatre studies. The foreword is by Dr. Lorraine Moller, Assistant Professor of Performance at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Artistic Director of Rehabilitation Through the Arts.

"Currently, there is a deficit of literature written about the drama-based programs in corrections, in part because the life of these programs is so precarious, dependent on the political climate and funding...In this rich, inter-disciplinary analysis of three prison theatre programs, Laurence Tocci deconstructs how these programs endured, engaged prisoners in the creative and the communal, transforming lives in the process, and provided virtual respite from the harsh reality behind the walls..." - Lorraine Moller, Assistant Professor of Performance, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Artistic Director of Rehabilitation Through the Arts

Laurence Tocci is Visiting Lecturer of Theatre & Speech Communications and English Literature at Salem State College. He received his Ph.D. in Drama and Theatre History from Tufts University. He also holds two Masters of Fine Arts from Brandeis University, and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. In addition to being a scholar and educator, Dr. Tocci is also a produced playwright, having received, among other distinctions, the 1998-99 Steinberg Prize for Best Original Play.

Foreword by Lorraine Moller

Acknowledgments

Introduction

“A Grand Theatre for the Trial of All New Plans in Hygiene and Education”

Rehabilitation Through the Arts and Shakespeare Behind Bars

Identifying and Defining the Research Problem

Research Strategies and Methodology


Chapter One

On Stage in Stir: Theatre for the Forgotten

Program History

The Acting Workshops

The Rehearsal Process

Aesthetic Mode

Theatrical Communion Behind Bars

The Performer-Audience Dynamic

Operating Philosophy

The Repertory

Reception by Prison Officials

Impact on Participating Inmates

Summary


Chapter Two

Coup/Coop de Théâtre: The Cell Block Theatre

Program History

The Workshops in Prison

The Stage Productions in Prison

Workshops and Productions in the Crucial Bridge-Gap Therapy Program

Impact on Participating Inmates

Summary


Chapter Three

“The Best Two and a Half Hours in Prison”: Prison Performing Arts

Program History

The Academic Seminars

The Acting Workshops

The Rehearsal Process

The Hamlet Project

The Oedipus Project

Reception by Prison Officials

Impact on Participating Inmates

The Future of Prison Performing Arts


Summary

Conclusion

Appendices

Appendix A: A Cursory History of Theatre Programs in U.S. Prisons

Appendix B: Plot Synopses of Plays Produced by Theatre for the Forgotten and Prison Performing Arts

Bibliography

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