In a July 10 ceremony at the Statler Hotel, the Cornell Prison Education Program honored graduates released since the start of the pandemic, which curtailed prison-based commencements.
Confinements: Exploring the Lives of Convicted Felons Through Theatre weny.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from weny.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Cornell University’s prison educational programs have been on hold during the pandemic, but a theater professor has found a way to keep connected with incarcerated people.
For decades, performing arts professor Bruce Levitt has used theater as a way to engage with people who are incarcerated.
A student stands in front of a videocamera during a recording of her performance in the play Credit provided by Bruce Levitt
“To see people discover themselves in front of you is very exciting,” said Levitt, who is also a facilitator for the Phoenix Players Theatre Group at Auburn Maximum Security Prison. “To help them on that journey, particularly people who have been reduced to a number and a crime find and rediscover their wholeness as human beings is a pretty exciting process.”
Provided
Cornell undergraduates collaborated with former Cornell Prison Education Program students to develop Confinements, an ensemble theater piece premiering virtually May 16. Prison education alums work with undergrads on theater piece
May 10, 2021
Participants in a new class – designed to bring together formerly incarcerated and traditional Cornell students – have written, workshopped and performed an ensemble theatrical piece that will premiere online May 16 at 2 p.m.
PMA 4801: Advanced Studies in Acting – Devising Re-Entry, taught by Bruce Levitt, professor of performing and media arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, includes three former Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) students and five traditional undergraduates.