Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 23 March 2017
For juveniles sentenced to Shakespeare, the world’s a stage

DENISE LAVOIE asked the theater group “Macbeth,” creeping and
AP Legal Affairs Writer to develop a Shakespeare crouching, then leaping
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — For program for juvenile of- around a small table. “Fair
some juvenile offenders, fenders. is foul, and foul is fair!” they
their choice is straight out Since then, Kevin Coleman, chanted.
of Hamlet: to act or not to a founding member of Only a handful of teens
act. Shakespeare & Company, have refused to participate
Shakespeare & Compa- has worked with more than or dropped out before fin-
ny, a theater company 300 teenagers, many who ishing the program, Cole-
in Lenox, Massachusetts, have struggled with pov- man said. Those teens have
works with the courts to get erty and family issues. been sent back to the
youngsters who run afoul of “We take baby steps into it, judge to be resentenced to
the law sentenced to per- because they’d rather go community service or an-
form works of Shakespeare to jail than be involved in other alternative program.
onstage as an alternative this project,” Coleman said. Juvenile Court Judge Joan
to community service or ju- “We get them to work to- McMenemy said the pro-
venile detention. gether as a group, getting gram stems from a rehabili-
Juveniles sentenced to them to talk about them- tative approach to juvenile
Shakespeare read the In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 photo, Berkshire Juvenile Court selves, getting them to justice.
bard’s works, take on the First Justice Joan McMenemy poses for a photograph in front of name feelings. And then, “This just broadens their ho-
role of one or more of his a portrait of retired Judge Paul Perachi in Pittsfield, Mass. Pera- bit by bit, we start with rizons beyond what they
characters, come up with chi had worked with Shakespeare & Co., a theater company in small bits of text, then larger could have had if they had
ideas for costumes and Lenox, Mass., to develop a program to get youngsters who run amounts of text, then indi- been sentenced to pick up
afoul of the law sentenced to perform works of Shakespeare on
sets, memorize their lines, stage as an alternative to community service or juvenile deten- vidual soliloquies and then trash on the side of the road
rehearse and then act out tion. McMenemy has continued the program. group scenes.” or other community service
their roles for an audience Associated Press During a recent rehearsal, options,” McMenemy said.
of family, friends and court grams are offered to in- the feelings of others, fulfill three girls appeared to rel- The program’s success is
personnel. mates in prisons around the a commitment and foster a ish their roles as witches in difficult to measure be-
The kids almost always sense of pride.

“I never really tried acting
or theater, so coming in, it
was challenging,” said the
17-year-old playing Mac-
beth, shortly after practic-
ing the famous sword-fight-
ing scene during a recent
rehearsal at a Pittsfield
church.
The Associated Press is not
using the teens’ names be-
cause they are minors and
their identities are protect-
ed by the court.
The program was started In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 photo, Kevin Coleman, right rear,
In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 photo, teaching artist Tom Gior- by Paul Perachi, a former director of education at Shakespeare & Co., works with a teen-
dano holds a script for a scene as youth rehearse Shakespeare’s high school principal who age man, left rear, playing the role of a soldier, as another young
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in Pittsfield, Mass. man, left front, portraying Macbeth, practices a sword fight with
Associated Press recruited the theater com- another young man, right front, portraying Macduff during a re-
pany to work with his stu- hearsal for Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” in Pittsfield, Mass.
dents. Years later, after he
hate the idea of perform- country as a way of boost- became a judge, Perachi Associated Press
ing Shakespeare at first, ing self-confidence and lit-
but by the end of the six- eracy. cause the court hears only
week program, many say For the past 17 years, occasional anecdotal in-
they’ve found new friends Shakespeare in the Courts formation about what the
and a new sense of ac- has been used to sentence participants do later in life.
complishment. youths accused of a vari- But McMenemy said one
“Honestly, you would never ety of lower-level crimes, indicator of success may
catch me doing this stuff including larceny, assault be the huge smiles on the
if I didn’t have to, but it’s and battery and vandal- kids’ faces when they stand
taught me teamwork and ism. In 2007, the program on stage after their perfor-
to just chill out and listen,” won a national “Coming mance and hear applause
said one 17-year-old boy Up Taller” award from the from their family, friends
who will play Macbeth in a President’s Committee on and teachers.
March 22 production that the Arts and Humanities. “I think it gives them confi-
will include scenes and The probation officers, dence to overcome their
monologues from various teachers and others who In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 photo, education artist A.D. New- fears, get up on stage and
Shakespeare plays. work in the program hope comer, right, coaches three young women as they rehearse the knock it out of the park,”
Similar Shakespeare pro- it will help the teens respect roles of witches for Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” in Pittsfield, Mass. she said.q
Associated Press