Theatre in Prison? No great Shakes...

Any initiative that offers a creative outlet to young offenders at Corradino is one to be lauded, irrespective of the end result of such an initiative. When the end result turns out to be pretty impressive, reactions evolve from passive praise to down-right admiration for all parties involved.

The space within the St James Cavalier cinema is an intimate one and the lads used this to maximum effect, totally engaging the audience- Ramona Depares

This was exactly the case with the When You Hear Their Voice theatre project that was launched in February by the London Shakespeare Workout. For those who need some background, the programme was targeted at giving inmates from the Young Offenders Re- habilitation Services section the opportunity to put up a theatre production related to Shakespeare and his works.

The production turned out to be a spectacular hit on the local theatre circuit, revealing talents that the participating inmates – or their loved ones – had never previously suspected they possessed.

Four months later, the results of the project have been translated to a behind-the-scenes documentary by filmmaker Natasha Serlin that was released internationally last week.

The documentary was premiered locally at the St James Cavalier cinema, together with Muse of Fire, by filmmakers Dan Poole and Giles Terera and a feature presentation by Darrin Zammit Lupi.

Zammit Lupi’s multi-media feature offered an incisive insight into the whole production process, documenting the inmates’ journey from day one.

Providing a visual documentation of this type of project, without being obtrusive and without affecting the behaviour of the ‘subjects’ is no mean feat. This is particularly true when one bears in mind that the inmates are not used to being placed in front of a camera.

Yet Zammit Lupi managed in this quest, and the result is a very natural presentation that is at times dramatic, at times funny, always touching.

Muse of Fire turned out to be another revelation, with Poole and Terera putting paid to the accusations of ‘impenetrability’ that Shakespeare tends to attract.

Rather than coming up with a dry and academic production that would have bored the pants off everyone, the two filmmakers went down the opposite route, hunting down A-list actors famous for their Shakespearean interpretations.

The big names interviewed include A-listers like Judi Dench, Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley and Ewan McGregor, with each actor’s contribution being more an exercise in humour, emotion and sheer humanity and with no hint of the ‘high-brow’ element that the Bard is unfortunately associated with.

The winning line from the documentary has to be the part where Poole vox-pops a couple holidaying in London, asking them whether they are there to “see Shakespeare”. Their unintentionally hilarious reply – “of course not, we’re American” – had everyone in stitches.

The main item on the programme was, of course, Serlin’s cinematographic rendition of the Corradino Lads’ – as the theatrical troupe has now become known – February performance.

Footage from the show is interspersed with interviews with the participating inmates, their families and footage of the lads’ daily routine in prison.

The latter is an eye-opener. Most of us only have the ‘Hollywood’ idea of life in jail – viewing real footage is rather sobering, but it does help you walk away with the realisation that these are people like you and I, neither heroes nor villains but human beings who are trying to regain control of their lives.

The three documentary/features were interspersed by four, live theatre segments by the Corradino Lads. These were definitely the crown of the evening. The space within the St James Cavalier cinema is an intimate one and the lads used this to maximum effect, totally engaging the audience.

The first theatrical segment was led by director Bruce Wall, the originator of the whole project (who, incidentally, deserves all manner of praise for pulling this off). The performance featured original writing by British young offender Randerick Bishop and immediately set the tone for the main message of the evening: the inmates are not just a number and there’s more to them than their crime.

The other three theatrical segments were taken from Richard II, Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It. Their performance was memorable by any standard – however, when you remember that before February none of these lads had ever been on stage, it becomes doubly impressive.

Alius Zopp’s solo part from Richard II contained just the right amount of fire and humility in alternating doses. Jose Gomes’s solo from Romeo and Juliet proved that Shakespeare is not just for the old British fogeys and brought a touch of impishness to the play.

Frank Mejia’s interpretation of Rosalind’s epilogue from As You Like It was nothing short of spectacular. Here we were, looking at a male inmate playing one of Shakespeare’s most admired heroines – the fact that besides the impeccable execution Mejia also managed to bring a degree of coquettishness to his character, even going so far as to mischievously ‘flirt’ with members of the audience... well, it just goes to show that stereotypes are there to be defeated.

Kudos all around.

To view Darrin Zammit Lupi’s feature presentation, follow this link: http://vimeo.com/43886052