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Image by: Neal Menschel 

Will in the Courts

From: Samantha Broun
Length: 00:05:32

Listen in on a Shakespeare class in an all girls juvenile detention hall. Read the full description.

Amesburyshakespeare121807-88_small These sounds were collected during a three week Shakespeare class which was taught at an all girls juvenile detention center in Dorchester, MA. Listen as the young women reflect on why they are locked up, what they wish for, and how they can relate to Shakespeare.

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Piece Description

These sounds were collected during a three week Shakespeare class which was taught at an all girls juvenile detention center in Dorchester, MA. Listen as the young women reflect on why they are locked up, what they wish for, and how they can relate to Shakespeare.

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Review of Will in the Courts

This is a skillfully constructed little story. If it hasn't already run in the Boston area, it should. It involves seven incarcerated teenage girls who are involved with a special Shakespeare class in their Dorchester, Massachusetts detention facility.

A brief intro -- which lacks (but cries out for) a great quote from Shakespeare -- sets the scene. The rest of the piece is a mixture of excerpts from the class, comments from one of the teachers, and the voices of the girls as they talk about their lives and what they feel they are getting from participating in the production of a piece called The Tempest Behind My Eyes.

At times, the voices, words and editing convey real lyrical and rhythmic power -- especially when there is some direct interplay between a girl's comments and an excerpt from the class. In fact, this piece would have been even better had there been more of this. But there is a very good sense of pacing throughout what is presented here.

One distraction is that, while the girls are all nicely recorded, the class was captured from a bit of a distance. That lowers the emotional power of a few sections of this story. Producers everywhere -- come on! Get in there closer to the action with your microphones!