A notable moment from the history of imprisoned theatre, was the work created within Westerbork concentration camp. Max Ehrlich was a very well known German cabaret star and comedian who began his work of satirizing and protesting the Third Reich as the director of Berlin’s Kulturbund. In 1939 he was imprisoned at Westerbork and subsequently created “Camp Westerbork Theatre Group.” 

The primary goal of this group was to bring a sense of joy and comedy to the folks at Westerbork. This on its own can be considered a powerful form of protest because it challenges the inherent concept of these concentration camps. Though it also more intentionally protested, “Political commentary was expressed in muted innuendo, never openly attacking the Nazi regime. Crossing the line would endanger his fellow prisoners…” (Knepp, 11). Therefore Ehrlich wasn’t unfamiliar with protesting the power structure at play within Westerbork, he had to be especially cautious considering the Camp’s SS officer attended all shows. Additionally, there was debate among those at the camp if it was ethical to laugh in the face of tragedy. Even then, however, the seats were always full and “The power of these sketches spanned far beyond helping to forget their dismal surroundings—they helped overshadow the very resounding presence of death.” (11)

Though Westerbork and the work at the Kulturbund was more of an officially sanctioned group, Jewish Theatre artists throughout Europe had tragically been imprisoned as well. 

“At each ghetto or camp, inmates who had been professional theatre artists and amateur actors gained a special status as entertainers.  They often became ‘privileged’ prisoners; this entitled them to special housing at Westerbork and Theresienstadt   for example, or extra rations, and other goods that they could exchange.  Privileged actors received some protection from guards, kapos, and even SS officers, but their talents also put them at risk: they were subject to censorship and even severe punishment for their art-making.” (Theatre Art) 

Prisons continually see protests, hunger strikes, and riots in response to the injustices that the incarcerated face around the globe. It is widely argued that there is no such thing as apolitical theatre, being privileged enough to ignore the concept of politics is inherently a political stance. The opposite can be argued for Protest Theatre from within prisons. The act of creating Theatre in a space specifically designed to promote hegemony is an act of protest, creating art in-turn questions the existing power dynamics within prison systems. Therefore many “non-political” Prison shows are political due to the nature of its environment. Moreover, because theatre of protest poses a threat to the existing power structure, it is hard to find information about shows that perform within prisons themselves. Much of what you will read from this section is based on shows that were first performed outside of incarceration systems but were written or conceptualized from within Prison. 

One of the most recognizable pieces of protest theatre crafted from the experiences within prison is The Island devised by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona. The piece was devised based on the real-life prison Robben Island, famously the prison which imprisoned Nelson Mandella for 27 years. The piece protests the unethical laws of Apartheid South Africa and the despicable conditions of its prison system. The Island first premiered in Cape Town only a couple hours from the famous prison. 

Additionally, in 2013 The Island was brought back with a production playing from within the Jewish Refugee camp in Isreali-occupied West Bank. The power behind using an existing piece can not be understated. Re-staging The Island within a new context was incredibly successful at illustrating the similar experiences of Apartheid South Africa to that of the current conflict between Isreal and Palestine. Though, this piece didn’t specifically go up from behind prison bars, Ahmad Rokh, one of the actors has been imprisoned 4 times throughout his life, serving his first sentence at 14. The Island was written as a response to injustice and it continues to be a tool to fight injustice to this day. 

Sarah Shourd is a journalist, advocate and playwright of note who has been speaking out on prison injustice for 10 plus years. She was personally held as a political prisoner in Iran for over a year which heavily inspired her experiences while writing The Box. Though being inspired by her experiences within an Iranian prison, The Box asks the audience to closely examine and question the United States prison system, specifically Solitary Confinement. Solitary is commonly protested from inside and out of American prisons because of its consistent and unethical use. 

Information about Theatre of protest from within the walls of prisons is hard to compile due to a multitude of reasons.

 “For much of the 19th and into the 20th century, state politicians’ deeply ingrained fear of federal encroachment on their power more generally translated into the so-called “hands-off doctrine” when it came to how they ran their prisons. Prison authorities, it was understood, had the right to do what they wanted to those in their charge.”