FellowSpeak: "Prison Theatre: Performance and Incarceration"

Obscured behind concrete and razor wire, the lives of the incarcerated remain hidden from public view, despite the many journalistic and cinematic portrayals which try to imagine or rationalize a nation's practices of imprisonment. Inside the walls, prisoners stage their own theatrical productions, articulating their identities and experiences for audiences carefully monitored by gatekeepers. Ashley Lucas’s forthcoming book Prison Theatre: Performance and Incarceration examines performances within prisons across the globe, offering a uniquely international account and exploration of prison theatre. By discussing a range of performance practices tied to incarceration, this book looks at the ways in which arts practitioners and imprisoned people use theatre as a means to build communities, attain professional skills, create social change, and maintain hope.