Inmates See Tragedy of Power Grab in Dramatic Form
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company chose the murder tragedy Macbeth for its debut at a maximum security penitentiary in Maryland.
The actors had to substitute wooden swords for the stainless steel variety, and two parts played by child actors were eliminated because of security concerns, the Washington Post reports. The warden of Patuxent Institution, John Wilt, is a Shakespeare-quoting fan who came up with the idea.
More than 150 prisoners paid the $5 admission to see the play, which was donated to a scholarship fund for students to attend historically black colleges. About 200 visitors also attended.
“It feels odd to perform acts of violence in front of people who were sent here in many cases for those very same acts,” said actor Charlie Mitchell, who played Macduff, the Scotish nobleman who led the crusade against Macbeth.
