MGT Launches Indiegogo Campaign for Shakespeare in Prison Program

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company has launched a crowd funding campaign for its Shakespeare in Prison program on Indiegogo.com, which begins March 25, 2014, and will last for 60 days. Shakespeare in Prison empowers inmates through theatre exercises and Shakespearean text to think creatively, re-examine decisions they've made, become more in touch with their emotions, and develop crucial life skills to be used both in and out of prison. The link to the campaign is http://igg.me/at/shakespeareinprison/x/6404277.

There is an idea that only "great actors" can do Shakespeare "right," and that is absolutely false. Anyone can perform Shakespeare, and everyone has the right to create art as part of being a self-aware and individual human being. Inmates who volunteer for the Shakespeare in Prison program form a tight ensemble and work for nine months with the option of performing a fully staged work by Shakespeare at the culmination of the session. The 2013-14 ensemble are rehearsing Romeo and Juliet with the goal of performing it this June.

The support of the community comes at a crucial time, as finding institutional support has been challenging, and the program does not have the necessary funding to sustain itself and grow. Magenta Giraffe hopes that being bolstered by grassroots support now will attract more attention and confidence from traditional funding sources in the future.

Magenta Giraffe is offering great perks to donors, featuring an original design by a Detroit artist, as well as a unique opportunity to become involved in a program that, because it takes place in a prison setting, offers limited ways for public involvement.

For more information about Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company, please visit www.magentagiraffe.org or call 313-408-7269. For more information about Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility, please visit www.michigan.gov/corrections.