When Antonio forced Shylock to convert to Christianity, and when Gratiano leaped forward, spitting on Shylock, our judge took away Shylock's yarmulke, a symbol of his religion. It was more than the audience could bear. By stepping into the shoes of another, these women began to see their lives more clearly. By performing for 150 of their peers, the prisoners found their own voices. To put what is considered most difficult within reach is perhaps the greatest lesson.
Life again has possibilities.
With Scarlet Letter, we dealt with A.I.D.S. and with the idea of being branded. With Merchant, Shylock, Portia, and Antonio all represented worlds that women in prison know. There is always tension when Shylock wields his knife, but there is a different kind of tension when you watch one criminal about to exact a pound of flesh from another. Lysistrata, which we set in Washington, DC, in 1918 during the Suffragist period, gave women a chance to learn history, to blend music and drama with conversations about creating peace. We rehearsed in the summer sun as women paraded by us.