Hello from Outside the Wall.
I’ve watched the film,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison,
and I am moved to tell you this:
Willamette View, Portland, March 2025
The movie really touched me but there was something else I found pretty interesting about it. Coming from a non-prison community, my thoughts about the people in prison and violence and all that kind of stuff make the people who are there kind of scary. Watching the film, I saw the women with the group who were helping. I guess they were volunteers. I thought to myself, WOW, the guards are there and they'll be safe. Then I saw the humanity of the guys, and they were just real people that had a tough start and I think that's a real gift that you're bringing to us.
Darkside Cinema, Corvallis, October 2024
Hi, I'm Ruby and I don't know you but I wanted to say hello. In the movie I just saw, there was a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in a prison and I hope there is a program like that available to you if you're interested in theater. I like watching plays. I don't know you but I am thinking about you!
Thank you. My friend has been down 37 years and counting. I think about him every day. I'm going to be thinking about all of you and this movie for a long time, too. You're bringing so much good into the world with your acting & performance. I'm sending so much strength, joy, and love your way. Thank you for sharing your stories & selves!
Dear Friend,
I watched A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison for my film class and I was surprised at how moved and relatable I felt to those I saw upon the screen. As a young adult in college, I understand how hard it is to make a mistake you feel like you cannot come back from. I have made many mistakes, especially when it comes to mental health, and I know how hard it can be to keep going when you are in constant pain. But I heavily applaud you on acting in this play as it takes a lot of bravery to go on stage and learn something about yourself. Cherish these memories as these will stick with you forever. Some of my best memories in life have come from theater and I often think of those times to keep me going. I understand what it means to be lonely and isolated and feel like you have no one in this world. While we might be strangers, I want you to know that there are always people rooting for you on the other side of the wall, including me. It takes immense strength to get back up try again and it’s okay to stumble, as long as you continue to try to find your way. In case no one has said it yet, I am proud of you for trying to better yourself and I am proud of the person you are becoming!
Sincerely,
Meredith
Oregon State University, Corvallis, October 2024
Today I wanted the film, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison. I came into the film already with a big soft spot for those who are incarcerated but the film was still able to make me tear up and feel empathy for each person in it. I will let you know a little about me, in how it relates to how this film impacted me. I was a theater nerd in highschool and was actually in a production of A Midsummer’s Nights Dream but I don’t think I even had a speaking role. The production had set it in the 1970s so got to dress up as a hippie, which was fun. I’m 33 now. I took acting classes when I was younger (middle school throughout highschool) and I look back on those classes now and am amazed and how vulnerable I was able to be in those spaces, the joy it gave me to lose myself in a role, and the unique camaraderie I had with the fellow actors and acting teachers. It’s hard for me to think that I could be that vulnerable again, and have the bravery to lose myself in front of a group of strangers. I’ve never gone to therapy besides a couple one off sessions throughout my life. The acting classes and theater experiences of my youth are what I view as my therapy.
Seeing theater being able to have such a positive effect on those who are incarcerated was really beautiful and I was so impressed with the casts’ vulnerability and bravery. I grew up in Los Angeles, around a Mexican culture that had a lot of machismo and was also around gang culture. I know the true hearts of people in these communities but I also know the masks they must inhabit. While it’s devastating the circumstances that happened to lead those in the film to theater, seeing them open up, bond with one another, take risks and dress up was really powerful. I thought of people I knew growing up, certain family members and friends, and how something like theater could benefit them if they opened up their minds to it and were given the chance. I’m now on the other side of the camera. I was a film worker for about a decade but the 12+ hour days and stressful environments became too much for me. So I moved to Oregon from LA and am now back in school, for film studies. I make my own films when I’m able to and am currently working on my own documentary. This film truly combined all my passions - the power of theater and filmmaking, and bringing humanity to those trapped in the carceral system.
I have a family member who has been serving a life sentence since he was 16. He’s in his 40s now. I’ve seen how one action, which anyone in his situation could have done, can determine the rest of someone’s life. I’ve seen how someone’s whole humanity gets stripped from them once they're labeled a prisoner. My unhoused mom was arrested for “loitering” and died on the streets pretty soon after being released from the jail. I won’t get into a tirade but just know that I’m on your side.
I loved this film because I feel that it will open the minds of those who haven’t had personal experiences with the carceral system or have only read biased media about it or seen films and tv that give improper salacious portrayals. I’m so happy this film entered my life and hope that more people trapped in the carceral system are able to experience theater and are given more outlets for true rehabilitation and to regain the humanity that was stripped from them. I would love to hear about you, your thoughts on the film, and anything else you feel like sharing.
Cheers,
Rachael
