Hello from Inside the Wall.
I’ve watched the film,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison,
and I am moved to tell you this:
S.M.I.L.E Station, Portland, April 2026
Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League Neighborhood Association
It was so nice to see how many people were there to see the movie and to stay for the Q&A after the showing. For me being in the audience viewing the film outside the prison setting was very emotional. As I sat there trying to process the spectrum of feelings I was going through I started to have some memories of being behind the walls. Being only two days out of a 17.5 year set it was highly impactful to me. Later that night I had to step out of a group setting to recalibrate myself. The film was so moving as a documentary and so accurate that it saddened me to my core. Which is what it was intended to do for me. That’s what movies are for. To put us where they are.
If you don’t see the truth in that film for what it is I encourage you to watch it again until you can feel what it means to do mandatory minimum sentences under measure 11 in the state of Oregon. Things need to change completely here.
Recently returned citizen,
Coffee Creek Correctional, Wilsonville, June 2025
OHOM has been a blessing for us girls who participated. I hope that D.O.C. can get more programs like this one for more prisons. It is inspirational and fun.
Thank you OHOM.
Watching the film shows me that no matter what happens in your life there's always a place you belong.
You men at Two Rivers are amazing actors! It's good to be able to see your performance.
Columbia River Correctional, Portland, March 2025
I was in the last group at Two Rivers Theatre before Oregon Administration shut it down. And I found it an escape from prison. I started my internal change through the dialogue group and theater group.
For those on the other side of the wall, please support these types of programs. They change lives. It makes our communities safer.
This film was very inspiring. It showed us that this, this prison and our lifestyle are only temporary. It is our decision to make our future. It starts here. Our activities, our friends, what we say will define your future. We have options to just lay there do nothing or better yourself.
I always admit my faults so I can learn from them, also so I don’t intimidate people with the sheer volume of skills and talents I am blessed with.
This is a gift to everyone incarcerated for a chance to be vulnerable and laugh with fellow “AIC’s” and show each other that we’re not so different.