Balfour (King Alfreds, Winchester) and international contributors examine how different concepts of theater, and their applications, relate to the assumptions, needs, and rehabilitation of the incarcerated. Essays include examinations of theater programs in prisons; the theoretical and practical processes needed to develop relevant, culturally-sensitive experiences for performers, planners, and audiences; the realities of drugs, sexual abuse, and ethnic and gender identification; and the psychological effects of poetic imagination and drama on prisoner-performers and those working with them. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) From role-plays with street gangs in the USA to Beckett in Brixton; from opera productions with sex offenders to psychodrama with psychopaths, the book will discuss, analyse and reflect on theoretical notions and practical applications of theatre for and with the incarcerated.Theatre in Prison is a collection of thirteen international essays exploring the rich diversity of innovative drama works in prisons. The book includes an introduction that will present a contextualisation of the prison theatre field. Thereafter, leading practitioners and academics will explore key aspects of practice &endash; problemitising, theorising and describing specific approaches to working with offenders. The book also includes extracts from prison plays, poetry and prisoners writings that offer illustrations and insights into the experience of prison life.
