To be, or not to be? Behind bars.

Although an unconventional venue for theatre, last Sunday's broadcast of This American Life on NPR featured inmates from the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center, a high-security prison near St. Louis.

The prison participates in a program called Prison Performing Arts, and the episode follows the troupe as they tackle the weighty Shakespeare tragedy, Hamlet. The actors prove to be surprisingly capable of bringing their personal experiences to their roles.

One of the interesting revelations? Since prison regulations don't allow large numbers of prisoners to be gathered together for extended periods of time, only one act at a time could be performed. It took over six months to complete the five acts.

You can download the episode, or listen online if you didn't catch it on air: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=218

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PTC Blog was created to help foster a dialogue between Pioneer Theatre Company, its patrons, staff, artists and the Salt Lake City theatre community. We hope you join the discussion. Feel free to use this entry as a springboard for your comments and questions. Thanks and Enjoy!