Theater behind bars

Urban Voices in association with the Joburg Correctional Services and the Medea Project: Theatre for Incarcerated Women present 'Serious Fun at Sun City 2012'

Director Rhodessa Jones with the cast of ' Serious Fun' on stage as the performance commences with colorful ethnic dances and song.

June 30, 2012-  An audience of over 200 gathered at the Johannesburg Correctional Services recreation centre for a performance by female inmates. ‘Serious Fun at Sun City 2012’ uses theater as a form of social activism to develop life skills to deal with prison life and beyond, in a uniquely and moving experience that gives the audience an understanding of the intricate lives of women inmates.

The performance was a collaborative project by the South African non-profit organization Urban Voices, Correctional Services Johannesburg, award winning director, Rhodessa Jones from the Medea Project in San Francisco, and of course the women inmates of Johannesburg Correctional Centre, Diepkloof, popularly known as the ‘Sun City Prison’. Idris Ackamoor (USA) from Cultural Odyssey was the assistant director.

The program was sponsored by the Arts Envoy Program, U.S. Department of State and supported by the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa. This was the first year that the Mission supported Urban Voices, a South African non-profit organization, in this annual program. The combined support helped Sun City Prison Recreation Centre to attract its largest audience yet.

Prison officials, arts practitioners, community theater students, high school students, and family members assembled to watch the compelling stories being brought to life by the female inmates. The performance intertwined the women prisoners’ personal narratives with dance, ultimately leaving the audience in awe from the emotionally charged piece. Many audience members gave a standing ovation and called for an encore performance, as they wiped away tears.

Director Rhodessa Jones and Assistant Director Idris Ackamoor conducted month-long workshops to prepare the female prisoners for their production. Director Jones applied an innovate concept that used theater as a vehicle to highlight the female prisoners’ experiences and challenges. She also used this method to expose issues of reintegrating the prisoners into their communities following their release from incarceration.

The program succeeded in using theater as a mechanism for rehabilitation and exposing prison conditions. However, the greatest achievement perhaps came from the large number of young people that attended and took note of underlying messages from this performance.