Performing Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ in Prison

William Shakespeare's words have long had the power of speaking to our human condition, helping us face truths both personal and universal. Now, the old bard's prose is finding new life behind the bars of California's Solano State Prison. Inmates in the prison’s Shakespeare company are using theatre to break down social barriers while creating a cathartic escape for themselves and others. Through characters like Hamlet, the prisoners are learning how to access and tell their own stories.
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[@missparklyunicorn]

Incredible. You could tell the inmates understood Hamlet and performed it from the depths of their souls. Bravo.

[@cookycandy4]

It's sad how so many people these days will declare the arts useless. *This is what art does*. It gives meaning to life otherwise defined by survival.

[@lumluk]

kat heck most people think it's useless in the sense that it produces no money for people who choose to pursue it as a career but that's a very true statement.

[@alessandrodonadi1368]

kat heck art is not usless as long as it's not a business or a place were you can brag about the amount of money you have. Just compare modern conceptual art with *any* other art. Look at the sistine chaple, that is art... And that was during the 16th century, what now? A bunch of trash glued together is suddenly art?

[@cookycandy4]

alessandro Donadi I find it interesting that in the discussion of art it's always a past vs. present discussion. Frankly, I find your comment exaggerative. I personally have witnessed mind blowing contemporary art that I felt was far more interesting than anything made in the past. I think it's important to make note of the fact that art isn't science; it's subjective, and it has different meanings and perspectives to everyone. That "trash being glued together" might seem ridiculous, but perhaps the artist saw a shape or form in that trash. Hell, maybe they saw a story. And maybe they really did glue random pieces of trash together; does it necessarily mean they don't care? Perhaps that's the statement being made. Not all art is easy to understand, nor particularly hard to do, it just has to mean something to *someone*. It's concerning how now more than ever people hate contemporary art across all fields (music, for example) I'd think, as artists (or art appreciators) we'd encourage this change in art and it's methods of construction and purpose. Art can be serious, yes, but I also think it deserves to be fun. If we all painted Mona Lisas, Mona Lisa would get boring. If we all refused to paint and look only at Mona Lisas, it would get boring. Change is necessary, no matter how difficult it can be to understand.

[@alessandrodonadi1368]

kat heck i agree... I actually like most of modern art. I find that it's amazing what we can now achieve in architecture, music and the new ones, like cinematography, photography and animation. The thing though i have jet to understand is why so many people are willing to pay exorbitant prices for art pieces whom value is debatable, for example "levitated mass" by M. Heizer is a massive art piece near the art museum of LA. It costed the museum $10 million. Why are some people putting that amount of money into putting a massive Boulder near a museum and not other art pieces?

[@thebearstreetballs]

kat heck art is love and shout out morphious orphious

[@adlibby6448]

What better people to preform these tragedies than those that have been through tragedy? This is amazing. It reminds me of the repot I heard on NPR about the veterans preforming The Iliad. Preforming material close to your heart is some of the best medicine. Art is life.

[@frozenwater2370]

I'm holding back tears... This video is so powerful

[@craigelon]

omg i love y'all

[@Aethed]

You'd know what I meant if you watched cowbelly. ;>

[@jxd3699]

Frozen Water hello food?

[@Skurt44]

food machine broke

[@noahgonzalez1882]

Cowbelly is real with this section 😂

[@Conundroy]

This proves there are still lights on this world, even in the deepest pit. Thank you GBS

[@realn1na]

Well, better to perform Shakespeare than to play around by shaking spears.

[@nickada]

n1na n1

[@Skurt44]

W

[@gunnaryoung]

wow... that's deep...

[@Skurt44]

I thought more of it like 'better to be doing Shakespeare than to be violently raping your cellmate'

[@realn1na]

Xeryun yea better to be performing Shakespeare instead of shaking your _spear_ ;)

[@bushidotestu1997]

this channel just keeps on surprising me with all these prison programs that really make me question why they dont get more attention

[@TJWatsnthescyfytraveler]

art is a powerful thing. it can be used for good and evil. what this prison is doing is absolutely monumental! not all people in prison are bad people, they just made the bad decisions.

[@hpispwn98]

this is amazing. i'm in a shakespeare play right now, and this has given me a new lease on it - THIS is why i need to put my all into this character. theatre heals 💕

[@apeiron1700]

They were arrested for... TOUCHING MY HEART!

[@coolguy-ze1gs]

I overdose on cringe from this comment

[@beastmode2660]

cool guy says the guy named cool guy

[@sychomadman]

cool guy i overdose on cringe on your name. XD

[@yourdestination6897]

See, society? Just because somebody is in jail doesn't mean they're a bad person!!

[@BigPooprr]

they still deserve to be in jail for what they did

[@devanjanaka2605]

BigPooprr but they've already realised what they've done and learned their lesson n shit

[@JohnDoe-yq5bd]

CrayDude345 // RageEX so they got to county by donating kit kats and slim jims to purple heart recipients?

[@BigPooprr]

Devan Janaka so if a person who killed 100 people realised what theyve done and learned their lesson they should be set free?

[@sebyiuga2184]

BigPooprr if they're no longer a danger to society then like yes. right?

[@uniworkhorse]

love these insights into prisons

[@susana9795]

Underrated channel, this is defenetly an underrated channel

[@ctoacu6188]

This channel has taught me so much and showed me how dedicated people can be to what they are doing. Thank you so much for these videos.

[@OgnjenCirkovic]

This is one of the best channels on youtube.

[@bentrainer6840]

This channel deserves more subscribers

[@Neptunyan]

this is beautiful!

[@MyLifeAsLouis]

A truly remarkable story

[@jerardovalle6589]

great videos keep it up

[@anonymousstout4759]

how people can disliked this are the content disappointed.?

[@claytoncaple]

This is a really cool story! Im so glad *Great Big Story* exists

[@vaughangarrick]

i minute in and I'm already crying ..this is so inspiring

[@Deaboy-cm7sb]

I see one dislike...must been a miss on the like button

[@susana9795]

ALMOST 1 MILLION DUDESSS

[@AW-xv7dq]

wish there was full copy of this performance

[@stargirl7646]

This is really touching

[@johnlee9570]

why isnt this viral yet

[@victoriactor]

We need more of this. How could I get involved? Is there an Oregon chapter?

[@pvpvo6717]

When I made this account I was already subbed to this channel ,idk why , guess it was destiny .

[@Fernando-gy7wd]

2: 26 - 😂

[@jrawr1310]

This was an episode of This American Life!

[@nashkijoseph5795]

I love this play by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

[@RKerns]

yay hamlet!

[@ohlookmarki]

Alexander Hamlet.

[@motor5737]

I want to see them perform Hamilton honestly.

[@Airinnnnnn]

Amazing!!

[@taraestelleadelizzi9975]

Holy shit, I would give anything to see his Hamlet. Probably better than some of the finest trained actors

[@hi.im.nikita]

wasn't this in This American Life?

[@nindi1396]

I remember Spongebob made a play so he could escape from prison😂

[@Dreadheaad]

I really could imagine the Hamlet actor to take up acting after he gets released... he kind of has somthing

[@fordsmith1774]

if you like this video you should check the this american life episode on prisons. really great episode

[@JoaoVictor_18]

Liked !

[@weekendatcollege]

I bet this is all a part of an elaborate prison break

[@momosfavorite3727]

School making me watch this 🙃🙏🏼

[@brandonluck159]

Hamlet dies wow spoiler alert DX

[@brandonluck159]

Joey Baseball XD yep

[@luciasato4371]

This is so cool

[@mugale2137]

nice

[@rizeei1165]

I'm going to camp Shakespeare this month

[@shobamacintyre6856]

Very cool

[@willeats]

Very very interesting...but I guess the video begs to differ the experiences of Jailbirds (those who often have life or a really long sentence in prison) and prisoners who just got in or are in for a short time. These men have had time to think back and realize what they've done wrong, to come to terms of inner peace. That is why they seems so normal, because this habitat is normal for them, they've become used to it.

[@easilydistracted5192]

I wonder what version of the play they used, an Elizabethan performance would have been 5 hours long.

[@daisyinthelife]

this is beautiful

[@SelinOh]

Dr Laura Bates also does something similar here in Indiana! www.google.com/amp/relay.nationalgeographic.com/proxy/distribution/public/amp/news/innovators/2014/04/140428-innovator-laura-bates-prisons-solitary-confinement-shakespeare so good to see the widespread and beautiful impact art can have

[@jmcarbungco2303]

👍👍👍

[@templarking6819]

wow really cool nd good

[@lil.floral]

love it

[@havefunbesafe]

It would be more authentic if played by members of the death row.

[@molpmanwery2767]

this is interesting

[@Irie2286]

Love.

[@iHalliex]

i bet they are the outcasts of prison lmao

[@DanielHarris579]

iHalliex nearly all the prisoners there are white so this is probably normal to them.

[@p3arl38]

@Treyvon Johnson for real?

[@atsukana1704]

So who plays Ophelia and the Queen?

[@dahliafiend]

Good question. In Shakespeare’s time men played those parts as well.

[@cichlidtanks2509]

This is so sad man

[@eversolulu]

Wasn't this on This American Life?

[@nickdias2720]

To be or not to be.... In prison

[@user2144]

YEAAAAH! *I am the 50,000th viewer!* Take that, 8th-form History teacher, Mr. Johnson! And you said I would never amount to anything or achieve greatness in life... Well, joke is on you. I am... Oh, wait - I am only the 49,508th viewer. Oops!

[@lozange8345]

i live here lol

[@actorpoet53]

So beautiful 😍

[@lukejohnson8427]

The guy with the long hair killed both of his parents

[@aerojetrocketdyners-2538]

at least theu dont drop the soap

[@MisterMander]

what did they do as a crime

[@SlyRy]

This is awesome but they need to bring in Tairy Greene to teach some real acting.

[@katowo6521]

that's the thing with prisoners. They seem normal and harmless, but if you meet them in person, their presense is eerie and you get a subtle feeling that something's not right with this guy.

[@kidperfect1522]

#2

[@manzipe]

00

[@Luna.potatou]

when he said "to be or not to be, that is the question" Grell from black butler came out of my mind

[@shellbacksclub]

should prison be this fun? 😦

[@enz4946]

first (one of)

[@ellejay2439]

What about the victims who suffered due to these criminals? Why not help them instead to overcome the pain where's there healing?

[@african8855]

Why not both?

[@jaiyapapaya]

Pokemon Pokemon think about it, the victims are already on the way to healing. The perpetrators are in jail, or the person convicted since not everyone in prison is guilty, society is on their side, and they can move on with their trauma (if given any). Now the reason why some European prisons do better than American, is because they focus on recovery. They have several therapies, remedies and classes to bring the criminals back into a civil state of mind. And it works! The criminals go back out as people, they rarely recommit crimes again.

[@coolkids6746]

first dislike

[@chachin6680]

Cum

[@sorrynotsorry5466]

shakespeare is too overrated