Act V

I just finished listening to this week's This American Life podcast, entitled "Act V," and I am feeling inspired.

This show focused on the Prison Performing Arts program and a production of "Hamlet" performed by an unusual group of actors. This company is comprised solely of performers who are incarcerated for violent crimes. The insights they shared into their roles and Hamlet's decisions, and the ways that they related the play to their own often haunting experiences, were remarkable. These actors offer a fresh perspective on Shakespeare's great tragedy, with all of its violence and moral conflicts, making the centuries-old story seem very real.

These men and their exploration of Shakespeare's words and characters was a perfect example of the transformative power of the arts, and in particular the way that theater can provoke a dialogue that gets to the heart, and the humanity, that we all share.

"Act V" was a great reminder of why I got into this field in the first place. This crazy, maddening, unpredictable, (melo)dramatic, undefinable and yes, at times, frivolous thing we call art? It's about who we are, and who we can be. Thanks for the reminder, Ira Glass!