Ghostwriters:Inmates use theater to tell their story

In a place where your ‘rights’ are limited, there’s a chance for your story to be heard.

“I just want society to know that we are ready, we are ready to be apart of society again..we’re ready to …contribute…in anyway society needs us to.”

Earl Young is one of the hundreds of inmates at Centinela State Prison who is bringing his story to life using the art of theatre.

“When I was 20 years old, I understand why they took me away from society, but now I’m 41 and will be 42 in December, and now I’m ready for it cause I’m mature.”

The ‘Out of the Yard’ Playwrighting Program based in San Diego gives inmates a chance to show what’s on the inside and what’s behind their past.

“The main goal is to get individuals to express themselves through playwriting.” Nicole Hernandez is a professional actor in the program and says it’s a good system for the inmates to show they’re feeling. “It helps people come to terms with things that might’ve happened in their lives that they weren’t comfortable talking about, but felt comfortable writing about so it gives them closure when they see their work performed.”

“We’re participating in it so we’re acting in it,” said Stephen Smith, an inmate who has written a variety of playwrights while serving time.”Not everybody wants to do it cause everyone still a little shy, but it helps the flow and gets your ‘juices’ going.”

In the course of nine weeks, Inmates learn how to write, improvise, and work with professional actors. Stephen says it’s broken some barriers in the prison.

“It’s helping guys break out of their shell and amongst the inmates- I met a lot of guys that I would never talk to or they would never talk to me.”

With no costumes, lights, or props, the audience can only listen.

“I realized that these are people, I’m a person, they have deep feelings, I have deep feelings,” said Hernandez.”Everything they write comes from their hearts, so it’s a really good experience to see what they write and what they want to share with us.”

Despite the shadows everyone carries, it’s the ‘light’ written on paper that gives these men the hope for a new beginning.

“I stand up there and let those guys see me and let them know it’s nothing wrong with participating and that’s what I been doing here, although I don’t have a release date, I’m still trying to be present for the guys that do,” said Earl.

“You can forget how it is to be human, especially when you’re young and you’re thrown in here where there’s a lot of things going on, but when we have people come and talk to us…It puts us back ‘there’ where we’re supposed to be.”