Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice
Fayette Regional Juvenile Detention Center – Lexington, KY
Shakespeare Behind Bars believes it is imperative to create transformational programs that provide incarcerated and at-risk youth with the tools they need to work towards a future outside correctional institutions and thereby reduce the rate of youth who will commit crimes that could lead to their spending their adult lives behind bars. The Shakespeare Behind Bars juvenile programs employ the same vision, mission, values, and techniques that have proven successful in the adult program founded in 1995 at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in La Grange, KY.
SBB Facilitator Keith McGill facilitated the first juvenile SBB residency with this center in summer 2021. The program was facilitated virtually.
Over the course of program, students participate in daily ensemble-building and conflict resolution work to create a safe circle for participants. The ensemble explores text, themes, and issues from Shakespeare’s plays through discussion, reflection, exercises, and performance.
The next residency will take place September, 2022.
This program is made possible by Arts for All Kentucky and the Kentucky Department of Education.
