A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison

“The three hours we spend down here – it’s almost like not being in prison,” says Zeb, a prison inmate in rural Eastern Oregon. Zeb and his fellow cast members are putting on a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Most have never even considered acting, and were simply drawn in by the opportunity to break up the monotony of incarceration. In rehearsals, as they work together and learn more about each other, the men find unexpected new perspectives about their lives – past, present, and future. As their dramatic odyssey unfolds, themes of gender identity and the challenges faced by BIPOC prisoners are deftly explored, and the power of the arts to challenge and heal, even under the most difficult circumstances, is affirmed and celebrated. “The three hours we spend down here – it’s almost like not being in prison,” says Zeb, a prison inmate in rural Eastern Oregon. Zeb and his fellow cast members are putting on a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Most have never even considered acting, and were simply drawn in by the opportunity to break up the monotony of incarceration. In rehearsals, as they work together and learn more about each other, the men find unexpected new perspectives about their lives – past, present, and future. As their dramatic odyssey unfolds, themes of gender identity and the challenges faced by BIPOC prisoners are deftly explored, and the power of the arts to challenge and heal, even under the most difficult circumstances, is affirmed and celebrated. “The three hours we spend down here – it’s almost like not being in prison,” says Zeb, a prison inmate in rural Eastern Oregon. Zeb and his fellow cast members are putting on a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Most have never even considered acting, and were simply drawn in by the opportunity to break up the monotony of incarceration. In rehearsals, as they work together and learn more about each other, the men find unexpected new perspectives about their lives – past, present, and future. As their dramatic odyssey unfolds, themes of gender identity and the challenges faced by BIPOC prisoners are deftly explored, and the power of the arts to challenge and heal, even under the most difficult circumstances, is affirmed and celebrated. “The three hours we spend down here – it’s almost like not being in prison,” says Zeb, a prison inmate in rural Eastern Oregon. Zeb and his fellow cast members are putting on a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Most have never even considered acting, and were simply drawn in by the opportunity to break up the monotony of incarceration. In rehearsals, as they work together and learn more about each other, the men find unexpected new perspectives about their lives – past, present, and future. As their dramatic odyssey unfolds, themes of gender identity and the challenges faced by BIPOC prisoners are deftly explored, and the power of the arts to challenge and heal, even under the most difficult circumstances, is affirmed and celebrated.