In celebration of the publication of Ashley's new book, Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration, we have three sessions involving practitioners and participants that played a pivotal role in the development of this work. The Q&A sessions will be split into two parts to make space for the contributors to these roundtable discussion.
SESSION #1:
Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration: Scholar Karen Hamer Interviews Author Ashley Lucas
Scholar Karen Hamer interviews Ashley Lucas about her new book Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration (Methuen Drama, 2020). The book offers a uniquely international account and exploration of prison theatre. By discussing a range of performance practices tied to incarceration, this book examines 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. Lucas's writing offers a distinctive blend of storytelling, performance analysis, travelogue, and personal experience as the child of an incarcerated father.
SESSION #2:
Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration: Author Ashley Lucas Interviews a Panel of Actors
When conducting research for her new book Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration (Methuen Drama, 2020), Ashley Lucas traveled throughout ten different countries to observe as many theatre companies inside of prisons as she could. The formerly incarcerated actors on this panel represent three prison theatre programs in the United States and one in Australia. They discuss what being a part of a prison theatre company has meant to them during and after their time in jail or prison.
SESSION #3:
Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration: Author Ashley Lucas Interviews a Panel of Prison Theatre Program Directors
When conducting research for her new book Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration (Methuen Drama, 2020), Ashley Lucas traveled throughout ten different countries to observe as many theatre companies inside of prisons as she could. The directors on this panel represent prison theatre companies in Canada, the United States, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil. They discuss the challenges of making theatre in prisons before and during the global pandemic.
Originally published at shakespeare.nd.edu.