囚犯们在剧场艺术中找到人性

Prisoners Find Humanity¹ in Theater Arts 囚犯们在剧场艺术中找到人性

On a recent day in New York City, seven women prepare for a theater production. Their show is not for a Broadway stage, however. And, the actors are not professional.

They are prisoners. They will perform in a gymnasium at Rikers Island jail. The correctional center sits on an island in the East River. It holds about 10,000 prisoners, most of them with little time left to serve.

The performers range from teen-aged to midlife. They all look a little nervous, just like any actors might before a live show.

But they are ready. These prisoners have trained with the famed Stella Adler Studio. It is one of the most respected acting² schools in America.

The studio launched the acting program at Rikers in 2014. It hoped to bring some humanity to prison life. Tommy Demenkoff is the studio’s outreach director. He says the program is important to the prisoners.

“They lose a lot of humanity when they come to jail,” he says. “We are allowed to come in and reinvigorate that humanity.”

The Stella Adler prison program has grown. Today, film and stage professionals train prisoners at six Rikers Island centers. They do eight different programs each week. And, several former Rikers inmates⁴ now work with the studio on the prison program.

The show today is called “The Compassion⁵ Project.” The audience includes about 50 prisoners, correction officials and invited guests. The crowd shows its support with loud cheers and by stomping⁷ on the floor.

“The Compassion Project” combines movement and poetry written by the performers. The poems express the ideas of compassion and understanding between people.

Performer Deanna Rhett’s piece describes her passion to be the best she can be, to love unconditionally⁸ and to let the past be the past.

Rhett praises what the Stella Adler program has done for her.

“It has let me escape to another dimension. It has changed me to be whatever and whoever I want to be, whenever I want to be.”

Rhett says that she would like to work with the Stella Adler Studio when she gets out of prison. She wants to keep writing and improving her writing skills. She says she has hope for the future.

“The Compassion Project” is a hit with the audience. Just as on Broadway, the prisoner-actors get a curtain call. Each steps forward to loud cheering from the crowd.

Entertainment industry supporters of the Adler program at Rikers include Benicio Del Toro, Julianne Moore and Pauletta Washington.

Washington introduced “The Compassion Project” to the audience. She says the Rikers program is important.

“Anybody that can survive this, and come out on the other side, just to come out period, and then to come out with hope, that’s somebody we really need in our communities.”

Words in This Story

gymnasium – a large room or a building used for sports activities or exercise

compassion – n. feeling of wanting to help and be kind to someone

allow – v. to permit something

inmate³ – n. a prisoner

stomp⁶ – v. to put your foot or feet down forcefully and noisily

reinvigorate – v. to give life and energy to someone

curtain call – n. at the end of a show, when performers come forward to accept the cheers of the audience

1 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

4 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

6 stomp   

v.跺（脚），重踩，重踏

参考例句：

• 3.And you go to france, and you go to stomp! 你去法国，你去看跺脚舞！
• 4.How hard did she stomp? 她跺得有多狠？

7 stomping   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He looked funny stomping round the dance floor. 他在舞池里跺着舞步，样子很可笑。 来自辞典例句
• Chelsea substitution Wright-Phillips for Robben. Wrighty back on his old stomping to a mixed reception. 77分–切尔西换人：赖特．菲利普斯入替罗本。小赖特在主场球迷混杂的欢迎下，重返他的老地方。 来自互联网

8 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分