For Pharaoh Brooks and Dameion Brown, acting in prison offered an escape from the monotonous minutiae of daily life and created a path throu
Soon after he was out, Lesley Currier, Marin Shakespeare Company’s managing director who worked with Brown inside Solano, picked him up from the halfway house where he was staying and brought him to a performance of Henry IV, starring Danny Glover—an actor Brown grew up watching on TV. “He was the first Black superhero on television. I have a lot of respect for him,” Brown recalls of that evening in 2015.
Brown met Glover after the show. He still recalls the advice Glover gave him for the performances he’s continued acting in since. “What are your connectors?” Glover asked Brown about his upcoming portrayal of Othello, his first post-prison performance. “Was he not a prisoner? A slave? Was he not betrayed? Your task is to share the truth of those things.”
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Teaching Artist Esseance Gray Reflects on Her First Visit to Prison with Give a Beat's Prison Electronic Music Program
Give a Beat Artist Ambassadors Joins Todd Strong as Guest Artist Teacher In the Electronic Music Program at California City State Prison
By Esseance Gray
I had the opportunity to be a guest artist at the California City state prison. This first workshop was such an eye opening experience for me. All the negatively portrayed narratives of incarcerated men were swirling around in my head as we pulled up to the facility. This caused for a bit of internal unease. Hearing the gates to which lead us in and out clink behind us made me jump. I was thinking of all of these preconceived notions about these men only to realize that they were just like everyone else. Once we entered the classroom all of the men were bright eyed and bushy tailed as if it were their first day of school. I could feel the excitement emitting from them. They greeted me and welcomed me into their circle as we practiced a breathing exercise. With those few deep breaths and their warm welcome, I was able to let go of the nervousness I was just experiencing about being in the facility. I introduced myself for the class and gave them a short performance set. They were all so entranced by the music.
After watching me play they immediately started asking questions and taking notes. Part of the days lesson was creating their DJ names. One name in specific that stuck with me was from a man who chose Cham-Rhi. He said he wanted to channel the adaptability of a chameleon and the ferociousness of a Rhino. This was one of many well thought out DJ names. Everyone quickly began to settle into their new found aliases. Once they got to the equipment they began helping each other remember what they had learned in the last workshop. The amount of camaraderie at this point was such a beautiful encounter.
As the class came to an end we shared another breathing exercise and went around to check in. Almost all of the men thanked me for coming, but the thing that stood out the most was when one person thanked me and said "This class makes me forget about being in here." Never would I have thought that I would feel so much gratitude and benevolence from a group of incarcerated men. This experience really put into perspective of how influential societies narratives of incarcerated people can be. I feel truly honored to be able to share my knowledge and also proud to be part of changing the narrative of incarcerated men.
Pentonville Prison might not appear the usual venue for a performance of Shakespeare.
But earlier this year inmates put on a performance there as the climax of an acting workshop run by a classically trained acting troupe.
Shake-ing up rehabilitation
The show saw prisoners use audience suggestions, props and gags to improvise a 20-minute Shakespeare play entitled The Wizard of Disneyland.
Performer Femi said: “You didn’t feel like a prisoner. Having to put on a production for people while you’re inside. It takes you out of the prison environment.”
By studying Shakespearean characters, participants learn to rethink their own stories, says creator Frannie Shepherd-Bates
"(Participants) may come in saying 'I'm a bad person, I'm a bad mother, I'm a heroin addict,' all these terrible things," said Frannie Shepherd-Bates, creator of Shakespeare in Prison, a program of the Detroit Public Theater. "But when you work in theater, you have to have empathy for the characters — if you judge them, you can't tell their story."
Delaware Shakespeare actors J Hernandez, left, plays the part of Friar Laurence, and Wilfredo Amill plays the part of Romeo, during a performance of Romeo & Juliet held at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. (Butch Comegys for WHYY).
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Teaching Artist Billy Bannon Reflects on the First Day of a Prison Electronic Music Program Session
Billy Bannon with students at California City Correctional Facility.
By Billy Bannon, Edited by Tom Hawking
With the arrival of each new group of students, there is a lot of cause for excitement. It’s a special opportunity to welcome each one of the guys into the room for the first time — most of them not knowing what it is exactly they’re getting themselves into — and to then witness their genuine enthusiasm upon surveying the room, seeing the equipment and realizing that, “Yes…!”, they’re actually going to get their hands on these machines and really learn how to DJ by the end of our six-week session.
The first day of class is truly awesome, even if it’s a bit of a whirlwind: the energy is palpable, flowing in all directions, circulating throughout the room, filling every last minute of our 3.5 hours together with new experiences, a whole lot of fun, and of course, great music!
In addition to the customary initial introductions and exchanges, there is a specific “rite of passage” that has become a genuine highlight for everyone at Give a Beat. Part of the curriculum includes a “final presentation”, when each participant performs his mix or beat production for the entire class. And Give a Beat couldn’t host a proper music performance without having proper stage names, right? Right! This rite of passage? Choosing your DJ name!
One of the most fun (and sometimes most revealing!) activities we take as a group is helping students come up with their own (sometimes very unique) DJ names. The second class features an interactive presentation on “Branding & Business Development”, which includes both a full class and small-group discussions specifically about what’s in a DJ name.
There is a large white, blank sheet of paper at the front of the room; when each student is ready to share his DJ name, he is invited to walk to the front of the room and put it in ink. It’s hard to gauge, but there appears to be a strong sense of self-satisfaction, even pride and ownership, when this process unfolds.
This exercise gives the students a very cool way to express themselves, to let people know who they are and know what they’re about... and it becomes extra special when guys put a lot of thought into their DJ name, which is usually the case!
The guys’ sources of inspiration vary greatly: their old, current or new nickname, their hometown, their family, their background, and/or their interests. It almost feels unfair to highlight any one of them, because they all have their own unique merits, but just to give an idea, here are a handful of examples:
- “DJ Netic”: this future scientist is primarily interested in studying genetics;
- “Supreme Being”: to be about, and bring about, the highest vibrations;
- “DJ Will Power”: a fun play on words, rooted in strength and determination;
- “DJ Thrilla”: he shares a name with The King of Pop;
- “DJ Flako”: everyone teases him that he can’t gain weight;
- “DJ Maez”: it’s a play on his last name, and he wants to put you in a maze;
- “DJ All In”: he’s all in for personal evolution and being the best father possible;
- “DJ Cham-Rhi”: blends in like a chameleon, but has the force of a rhinoceros; and
- “Campesino”: means farmer in Spanish, referencing his upbringing and lifestyle.
This list could easily keep going! As the class proceeds, the DJ names are used more and more, and you can feel the relationships guys have with their DJ name expand and grow. Each DJ name and process is as unique as each man in class - and again and again, a DJ is born... So again, it’s worth asking, “What’s in a Name?”
About the Prison Electronic Music Program: In partnership with the California Arts In Corrections program, Give a Beat delivers a 4-hour, multi-week, full-curriculum program which focuses on the fundamentals of music/beat production, djing, and personal brand building.
Imagine it’s the dead of winter in Michigan. You get in your car and travel long distances to visit with men and women in prisons across the state. You spend long hours talking to them about their art and making selections for the Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners.
You do this every year for 20 years.
That’s the commitment that Buzz Alexander and Janie Paul have made to create one of the largest and most successful prison art exhibitions in the country. It’s an annual tradition that’s changed hundreds of lives, both in and out of the prisons.
Congratulations on 20 years of hard work and love, Janie and Buzz.
The opening reception is tomorrow- hope to see you there! In the meantime, check out this Q&A with Janie.
