Theater club in the California prison

It does not matter why they came here and for what crimes serve their sentence it is essential to assist them to turn into good people: to teach compassion and empathy. It was with this aim in Norco prison in California, a special theater project for prisoners. Watch the theatrical master class in prison Norco, which holds a famous Hollywood actor Tim Robbins.

[caption id="attachment_152" align="aligncenter" width="378"] Theater club in the California prison[/caption]

Norco is a prison in which great attention is paid to work with prisoners to reduce recidivism. Resocialization and various preventive and treatment programs are there in the first place. Many may say that all this is useless, saying that "leopard modify his spots", however the statistics will let know you the correct opposite. According to statistics, the participation in artistic and creative programs in this prison, greatly reduce reoffending by its participants.

«Gang Prison Project» is a program that is implemented in a California prison Norco since 2006. Photographer agency Reuters Mario Anzuoni received permission prison director to participate in creative activities of prisoners.

The idea of ​​re-socialization through art is not new. More and more prisons offer its inmates various classes: art, music, theater. Some of the participants, to their surprise, they will know that they have a real talent. But the goal of these studies is quite different.

Why prisoners play in the theater? It turns out that participation in theater classes taught convicted sympathy, empathy, in a word, empathy. Theatrical master class helps them learn to deal with their own emotions, often negative. Going into the role, they can afford to show fear, shame, joy, etc. You will not believe, but some of them feel these emotions for the first time it is here in the theater. Inmates also learn to recognize their own feelings and the feelings of others.

At this time, the prisoners led by actor Tim Robbins participate in the play-commedia dell'arte. This type of Italian street theaters of the XVI century based on improvisation, also called commedia dell'arte, as characteristic of such representations are masks and painted faces of the actors.

The famous actor Tim Robbins, known worldwide for his role in the movie "Shawshank Redemption", conducts theater workshops in prison Norco.

This is more than a regular theater. Inmates participating in the project, meet with various meditation techniques that they start classes in the theater. This helps them to calm down and focus before rehearsal.

During the workshop, all participants are playing short, improvised scenes. Sometimes some of them so much included in the role than strongly impress the guards who act in the role of the theater audience.

Actors before the performance impose makeup.Prisoners after the performance. Many of them only learned here to show positive emotions.

"On stage, the prisoners are no longer criminals. Does not matter what they put here. Within a few hours, they may simply be cast. And we the audience, "- wrote the photographer Mario Anzuoni.

Despite the fact that creative programs for prisoners bring significant helpful special effects, there will for all time be those who will condemn every new idea re-socialization, just because it is a lot of means. These critics, probably never thought about the fact that such studies are saving someone's life, including, quite possibly, and their own.