Shakespearean Tempests in italian Prisons

Among the many Shakespearean plays that have been performed in prison, "The Tempest" seems to be a favourite play, being obviously able to shine a thrilling new light on those themes of revenge, freedom and forgiveness that are central issues in a detention context. Moreover, it encourages actors and spectators to consider art as a means to earn one’s own freedom (metaphorical and psychological, if not literal). It ultimately offers a challenging meta-dramatic reflection upon the relationships between the artist, the work of art and the spectator as well as the tendency to combine different spheres of reality and illusions, freedom and confinement. In Italy, productions of "The Tempest" in prison have deeply instilled new life in the staging of the Elizabethan playwright. The list includes different kinds of experiences ranging from drama therapy, where the process towards rehabilitation and reintegration is more important than the finished aesthetic product, to productions by theatre directors who are primarily concerned with the artistic medium of the theatre and its aesthetic qualities. Italian prisons have therefore become a vibrating and unpredictable Shakespearean laboratory, so far largely neglected by Shakespeareans, even if, in my opinion, worthy of critical attention.