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My guest today is Kate Powers, a lifelong theatre kid who became an off-Broadway and regional theatre director. Her list of credits is long, but I wanted to talk to Kate about the unusual home she’s found for her work: maximum security prisons. Kate is the founding artistic director of the Redeeming Time Project, which uses Shakespeare to effect positive change for the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated. She has been a facilitator with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (www.rta-arts.org) at Sing Sing Correctional Facility since 2009.
Kate tells me how she discovered this work, how she runs her program, and the transformative effect of combining Shakespeare—famous for his depictions of all facets of human nature—with a prison population. I’m not gonna lie to you—I had goosebumps for most of this interview, and I think you might, too. If you do, I hope you’ll consider donating to help these programs transform lives—you’ll find links in the show notes.
Show links
Kate’s website
Kate’s Twitter
Kate on Spoutible
Organizations that do this work and can use our support:
Rehabilitation Through the Arts (New York)
Redeeming Time Project (Kate’s program in Minnesota)
Redeeming Time Project on Twitter
Shakespeare Behind Bars (Kentucky)
Marin Shakespeare Company/Shakespeare San Quentin (California)
Prison Performing Arts (Missouri)
The Actors’ Gang Prison Project (California)
Open Hearts Open Minds (Oregon)
Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble’s Shakespeare Prison Project (Australia)
Shakespeare in Prisons Network – Find a larger list by state and internationally here.
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